Sonke Gender Justice: As the world approaches the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), African feminist movements, youth advocates, policymakers, and grassroots organisations are coming together for a historic convening to accelerate progress on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and gender equality across the continent. The convening will bring over two hundred delegates from across the continent with diverse backgrounds. The convening is scheduled to take place in Nairobi, Kenya, from November 24 to 26, 2025.   

Organised by Sonke Gender Justice in collaboration with leading regional and global partners, the African regional convening towards Women Deliver 2026 will serve as a critical platform to reflect, align, and mobilise collective action. This convening responds to the urgent need for coordinated advocacy amid shrinking civic spaces, rising anti-rights rhetoric, and devastating global funding withdrawals that threaten decades of progress in SRHR.  

A seventy percent reduction in funding would deny 7.7 million people access to contraceptive services, resulting in an estimated 2.6 million additional unintended pregnancies and 2,740 maternal deaths globally. In a report published by Amnesty International titled “Lives at Risk”, they assert that the United States government’s suspension of foreign assistance programmes has catastrophic consequences on global health and humanitarian efforts.   

“The African continent faces unique challenges in advancing SRHR and gender equality. This has been impacted by global funding withdrawal, with traditional donors retreating. Yet, national budgets are not meeting the needs, which has left a significant gap, necessitating innovative domestic funding solutions,” said Sonke’s Regional SRHR Specialist, Jude Thaddeus Njinkem. 

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