As the Oceanic Pacific prepares to host the Women Deliver 2026 Conference (WD2026) in Narrm (Melbourne) this April, global attention is turning to a powerful truth: lasting progress on gender equality is driven by communities themselves.
WD2026 is centering community-led, feminist solutions that are grounded in lived experience, dignity and long-term resilience. The Conference will show and celebrate approaches that invest in what works at the community level, alongside concurrent sessions focused on advancing community-led solutions.
One such example can be found in Narrm’s Moroccan Soup Bar , a social enterprise tackling gender inequity head-on, reflecting a growing global shift towards community-led approaches that prioritize dignity, belonging and long-term resilience.
Founded by social entrepreneur and community advocate Hana Assafiri, the Moroccan Soup Bar creates employment, connection and economic opportunity so women are not forced to remain in violent situations simply because they cannot afford to leave or lack access to advocacy, resources and support networks.
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“Community spaces play a critical role in how women experience safety and resilience. For many women, particularly those at the margins, safety is not created by institutions. It’s built in everyday spaces where they are seen, welcomed and treated with mutual respect,” Hana said.
Today, the Moroccan Soup Bar has evolved into a powerful model of community-led empowerment, employing hundreds of women over the years and supporting many to transition into long-term employment and independence.
“Locally grounded solutions succeed because they grow within communities, respond to real lives over time, and prioritize dignity and belonging over optics or performance. Women in every community hold deep knowledge about what they need, and when they shape spaces grounded in needs-based responses, lasting change happens,” Hana said.
This shift is backed by growing evidence on the effectiveness of community-led models, particularly in responding to gender-based violence. Gender-based violence disproportionately affects migrant and refugee women, many of whom face multiple barriers to safety, including racism, language and cultural barriers, discrimination, and uncertain legal status.
“Community-led approaches create culturally safe spaces, strengthen informal networks, and build collective leadership that improves disclosure, service access, and long-term well-being. Evidence shows these approaches not only increase engagement with services but also foster community strength and self-determination, making formal systems more accessible, trusted, and effective,” said Shweta Kawatra Dakin, Manager – Resilient Communities at GenWest, Melbourne.
At WD2026, Shweta will join Nimo Ahmed, Co-Founder and Director of The Sisterhood, for a Concurrent Session that challenges policymakers, funders, and service providers to embed these approaches at the heart of gender-based violence responses. They will present case studies from Australia and Indonesia that show how migrant and refugee women are leading and re-shaping the support systems that are essential to advancing gender equity globally.
In Australia, GenWest’s Multilingual Health Education team has engaged more than 1,250 women from over 30 cultural backgrounds since 2022. Health education serves as a safe entry point to build trust and spark conversations about gender, power, and violence.
In Indonesia, The Sisterhood is a refugee women-led organisation who run Sisters in Justice, a survivor-led initiative addressing the isolation and vulnerability faced by women living in protracted displacement without legal status.
Further reinforcing the growing recognition that sustainable progress comes from ground-up solutions rather than top-down responses, is a Concurrent Session being led by Community First Development.
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Stephanie Harvey, Chief Executive Officer Community First Development, says:“This session places a spotlight on the power of self-determination, decolonizing practice, and First Nations leadership as essential elements for community-led gender solutions. It highlights how gender solutions must be intersectional and grounded in place.”
“Our Community Development Framework, which underpins the session, creates space for women and gender-diverse people to define the issues that matter to them, shape pathways for action, and lead change based on the priorities in their own lives and communities.”
Powerful examples of this framework in action include partnerships with Indigenous Women in Trades and Blackdoll Role Models, demonstrating how locally led approaches can drive meaningful, sustained change.
Registrations are now open for Women Deliver 2026. For more information visit womendeliver.org/wd2026