Asia Pacific Feminist Forum (APFF)

APFF 2024 – “Feminist World-Building: Creative Energies, Collective Journeys”

The 4th Asia Pacific Feminist Forum will take place on 12th-14th September, 2024 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

We are here to reflect on our collective journey to this moment including our accomplishments; how we can make a breakthrough in our resistance against structural and systemic oppressions; and internal fractures within our movements. What writings and stories of our movements are we leaving behind to remember or celebrate as lessons learned for the future? At APFF 2024, we are inviting feminists, WHRDs, and activists in all our regions to come together not only to strengthen our movements, but to learn from each other’s creative energies, share our stories of resistance, and build solidarity for our collective journey.

The call for participation is now closed, but you can submit a workshop proposal here. Deadline for submitting a workshop proposal is 22nd April 2024. For any questions and queries, please refer to the APFF FAQs here, or reach out to ghausia@apwld.org or rose@apwld.org.

APFF 2017 – “ReSisters, PerSisters, Sisters – Mobilising in the era of authoritarian, patriarchal, late capitalism”

The 3rd Asia Pacific Feminist Forum was held in September 2017 in Chiang Mai Thailand

APFF 2017 was a participatory event bringing together activists, women human rights defenders, academics, lawyers, and global allies. Feminists from Asia Pacific joined APWLD members and allies in Chiang Mai to strengthen our movements, our solidarity and our resolve to dismantle economic, social and political systems that produce obscene levels of inequality, drive climate change and necessitate violations of women’s human rights. The forum facilitated the sharing of tools and resources, provided space for advocacy, strengthened capacities and invited over 300 feminists to collectively strategise to build our power in the era of authoritarian, patriarchal, late capitalism.

More about the 3rd APFF can be found on the APFF 2017 website.

APFF 2014 – “Creating Waves, Fostering Movements”

The 2nd Asia Pacific Feminist Forum was held in May 2014 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The first APFF had generated much interest and enthusiasm and so this second one was well attended by more than 300 women from grassroots constituencies, rural, Indigenous, migrants, workers, urban poor, sexual orientation and gender identity advocates, young women as well as lawyers, academics and political leaders. the workshops were designed to be participatory and engaging were organised around knowledge building, skills building, strategising, and movement building. Some innovative activities at the APFF included art-activism-performances on the first evening as well as as strategy plenary on the final day. Solidarity-building activities engaged all the the participants and helped to build an atmosphere of camaraderie and sisterhood for future struggles. APFF 2014 also generated media coverage of specific issues, such as the participation of Burmese women campaigning against an interfaith marriage bill, the challenges for achieving gender justice and the escalating campaign for Development Justice.

More about the 2nd APFF can be found on the APFF 2014 website (archive).

APFF 2011 – “This is What a Feminist Looks Like”

The 1st Asia Pacific Feminist Forum was held in 12-14 December in Chiang Mai, Thailand, bringing together 130 women for three days of workshops, dialogues and panel discussions. There were workshops on migrant domestic workers’ rights, technology for advocacy, and developing a feminist sustainable development framework. The APFF also marked APWLD’s 25th anniversary. One significant outcome of that APFF was the formation of a network of women with disabilities, as well as developing a process to collectively address the reduction in funding for women’s rights work in the region and to campaign for sustainable support.

More about the 1st APFF can be found on the AWID website here.