Melbourne has taken centre stage in the global movement for gender equality with the launch of the Melbourne Declaration for Gender Equality at the Women Deliver 2026 Conference.
Bringing together more than 6,000 delegates from around 200 countries, including global leaders such as Justin Trudeau and Julia Gillard, the conference created a platform for sharing ideas, strengthening solidarity, and shaping bold feminist futures.
Hosted in the Oceanic Pacific region for the first time, Women Deliver 2026 elevated the voices and lived experiences of feminists, First Nations leaders, and advocates from across the region, placing local leadership at the heart of global conversations.
At the centre of the conference was the launch of the Melbourne Declaration for Gender Equality, a collective statement developed by Women Deliver alongside more than 650 contributors worldwide. Named after its host city, the Declaration reflects months of collaboration across movements, sectors and regions, with Melbourne becoming the place where these global efforts converged.
The Declaration responds to growing threats to human rights worldwide, including rising authoritarianism and the erosion of essential public services. It also addresses long-standing inequities within the international development system, particularly the persistence of colonial power structures and unequal decision-making.
Grounded in principles of care, accountability and justice, the Melbourne Declaration calls for a reimagined global gender equality ecosystem that upholds the rights of all people and the planet.
The Declaration outlines a vision for a world where:
- States uphold and protect human rights
- Feminist movements and civil society are resourced and empowered
- Funding, leadership and institutions align with feminist values
It also commits to strengthening local movements, challenging entrenched systems of power, centring community-led priorities, and ensuring that funding and decision-making processes reflect feminist principles.
