Call for Applications for
Feminist Participatory Action Research (2026-2027)

Women Interrogating Trade & Corporate Hegemony

Waves of Resistance Against Imperialism and the Extractivism of Ocean Resources:
Highlighting Women’s Human Rights & Trade and Economic Justice

Deadline for Applications: 2 March 2026

Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) invites grassroots women’s rights organisations and movements to take part in this exciting Feminist Participatory Action Research on Women Interrogating Trade & Corporate Hegemony (WITCH FPAR) that aims to develop capacity, tools and resources by women movements and strengthen women’s movements to demand their rights and justice against imperialism through neoliberal trade and investment regimes that empower corporations at the expense of the peoples and the planet. 

Focus area for the research

For the WITCH FPAR programme 2026-2028, six organisations in Asia and the Pacific will work together with their community to conduct FPAR and document evidence from approximately April 2026 – November 2027 to focus their FPAR on:

The impact of trade and investment regimes and corporate hegemony on women’s human rights at the local or country level, specifically in the following streams: 

  • Fisheries and coastal communities: including the impacts of trade agreements, investments, and WTO fisheries subsidies in the marine and coastal areas on livelihood, food security, and loss of marine biodiversity;
  • Investment in Coastal and Marine areas: including the impacts of reclamation projects, giant sea walls building projects, marine protected areas, privatisation of islands and industrial aquaculture;
  • Deep-sea and sand mining: including the extraction of critical mineral resources in the name of energy transition; 
  • Maritime transportation and ports development, and other sea infrastructure: including merchandise transported by sea, development of ports and any other sea infrastructure that impacts coastal communities;
  • Conservation projects: including Blue carbon projects and carbon trading schemes, that are displacing coastal communities and impacting their food sovereignty and livelihoods;
  • Marine Geo-engineering: scientifically unproven and high-risk technologies, including carbon dioxide removal technologies, and carbon capture and storage, which are dangerous distractions from urgently needed emissions reductions and gender just climate solutions, leading to sea grabbing and harming marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of coastal communities.

APWLD believes in the power of local feminist movements

APWLD believes that to challenge the current development model and to claim women’s human rights, a strong and autonomous feminist women’s movement is needed. It must extend to strengthening women’s capacity to exercise real power and control over their own lives and the terms on which they engage with social and economic structures – including over trade and investment regimes and corporate capture. Grassroots women must be supported to build their capacity to document the impact of loss of seeds, decent work, local livelihoods and public commons such as water, health, energy, education; have meaningful engagement in decision making process of trade and other economic policies; form a strong local feminist movement that works with other movements to demand accountability from state and corporations, push the government in tackling systemic barriers to women’s economic, development and democratic rights and address the need to increase evidence-based advocacy and the need to have women as vocal and effective organisers, advocates and campaigners in human rights.

APWLD will provide six organisations with a small sub-grant to employ a young woman researcher and carry out the research, including salary and on-costs, with the approximate amount of USD 14,000. Sub-grant partners will need to appoint a mentor to assist this young woman researcher throughout this research programme. 

APWLD will also support the young women researchers and their mentors to participate in three regional trainings that will enable participants to conduct research programmes that relate to their constituencies’ needs, use findings for advocacy and build and strengthen movements. Through a combination of face-to-face and online modules, they will share the frameworks within their communities and learn practical research skills. By the end of 2027, sub-grant partners will have developed and commenced a community-based research plan.

The main language used during the FPAR journey will be English.

Selection Criteria of the Research Partners

APWLD will select six grassroots women’s rights organisations that will lead the WITCH FPAR in Asia and the Pacific. We are seeking non-governmental, non-profit, grassroots-based organisations that commit to:

  • Upholding and pursuing the enjoyment and realisation of the human rights of women and people in the face of neoliberal and unjust trade regimes and increasing corporate hegemony in our lives;
  • Conducting the 16-month Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) process.
  • Using feminist participatory methodologies that increase democratic participation and leadership of marginalised women in the research;
  • Appointing a young woman researcher and mentor, either the mentor or the young woman researcher should come from the community where the FPAR will be conducted;
  • Having both young researchers and mentors participate in online and in-person training and meetings;
  • Ability to produce and submit reports and various FPAR-related documents in English.

APWLD will consider the following when selecting partner organisations for this programme:

  • Sub-regional representation;
  • Recommendations/ references by APWLD members;
  • Relevance of proposed issues and concerns to the research focus area. 

Highly desirable partner organisations:

  • Organisations from South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and the Pacific sub-regions, 
  • Recommended through a letter of endorsement from APWLD members;
  • Direct experience in conducting participatory research methods;
  • Direct experience in advocacy and campaign work related to trade, corporate capture and women’s human rights.

Application

Interested organisations shall submit:

Applicants should email their application to Sanila Gurung at sanila@apwld.org and Rosarin Schweis at rose@apwld.org by 2 March 2026. Please use the subject line: “Application – WITCH FPAR 2026-2027_name of your organisation”

For more information on WITCH FPAR, you can download the Concept Note here.

For further questions or if you need any help, please send an email to Sanila Gurung at sanila@apwld.org and Rosarin Schweis at rose@apwld.org, who will be happy to support grassroots organisations to apply.

Please note that only selected applicants will be subsequently contacted. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

* As one of the objectives of this programme is to support and strengthen grassroots organisations, this programme is not suitable for international NGOs and organisations with established funding support or who are already well-organised and able to advocate for women rights on trade and corporate hegemony.