Matcha Phorn-in had the honor and privilege of attending the Women Deliver 2026 conference

From 27–30 April 2026, Matcha Phorn-in representatives from the Sangsan Anakot Yawachon had the honor and privilege of attending the Women Deliver 2026 conference, where this year’s theme, “Change Calls Us Here,” resonated throughout every discussion and interaction.

I made the decision to attend very carefully, knowing that with more than 6,500 participants from over 170 countries, alongside hundreds of pre-conferences, sessions, plenaries, and side events, it can be easy for grassroots voices and local realities to be overshadowed or overlooked. However, based on my observations of many global platforms that claim to advance gender and social justice, Women Deliver created meaningful opportunities for people working directly on the ground, like myself, to share experiences, perspectives, and realities from our communities.

I was also honored to speak at the Opening and Inaugural SHE & Rights LIVE @ WD2026, hosted by CNS on the morning of 27 April 2026, where I highlighted the impacts of so-called “development” projects and extractive industries on Indigenous communities along the Myanmar border area.

As Executive Director of Sangsan Anakot Yawachon and a proud lesbian feminist, woman human rights defender, and trail runner, I spoke about how hydropower dams, river diversions, and rare earth mining operations are contributing to environmental degradation, river contamination, human rights violations, and worsening gender inequalities and injustices faced by Indigenous women, children, and LGBTQIA+ communities.

I also emphasized the urgent need for the recognition of Indigenous peoples and communities in Thailand, including the implementation of free, prior, and informed consent in all development projects. Gender equality and the right to health must be central to all development policies, investments, and business activities. Equally important is ensuring inclusive and non-discriminatory healthcare systems, including access to gender-affirming care and sexual and reproductive health and rights services, while protecting women and LGBTQIA+ human rights defenders from increasing legal and judicial harassment.

Read “Turning development justice analysis into action at Women Deliver 2026” : https://www.citizen-news.org/.../turning-development...

The sessions on climate justice, economic justice, LGBTIQAN+ rights, digitalization and its impacts, disability justice, SRHR, collective care, Indigenous leadership, and the plenaries all reinforced one important truth: gender and social justice cannot be separated from broader systems of inequality and power.

The conversations were honest about burnout, funding gaps, shrinking civic spaces, and political backlash, yet they were also deeply hopeful, grounded in collective action, accountability, and solidarity.

Personally, the experience reminded me how interconnected struggles truly are. Listening to stories from different regions made it clear that many communities are confronting similar challenges while building similar forms of resistance, resilience, and care.

Some of the most meaningful moments happened outside the formal sessions: meeting networks like NOOR, AWID, V-Day , ILGA World , APWLD - Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development , Action network on forced displacement and Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism ,

, old and new family and friends, shared reflections, conversations across movements, and meeting people doing difficult work with incredible persistence and courage.

I was also honored to join the international migrant workers’ and Palestine solidarity march, which powerfully reflected the importance of collective action and transnational solidarity.

I was also grateful to join “A Night of Feminist Joy,” a mixer at Women Deliver 2026 hosted by Foundation for a Just Society on Wednesday, 29 April 2026 at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre. The gathering created a meaningful space for connection, reflection, and celebration among feminists, activists, and movement builders from different parts of the world.

This experience will directly strengthen my work on the ground and deepen my commitment to community-led advocacy and inclusive movement building. The knowledge, strategies, and connections gained through Women Deliver 2026 will continue to inform how I engage with communities, amplify marginalized voices, and contribute to creating safer, more just, and more inclusive spaces for all. It also reaffirmed my belief that meaningful change requires sustained collaboration, accountability, and the courage to continue organizing even in challenging and uncertain situations where the world we live in today is increasingly shaped by inequality, conflict, and fear but also by resistance, solidarity, and the collective hope for justice.