Natalia, UNIDOSC (Mexico) – Creating space for women’s collective leadership 

Natalia’s “back to home” taskwork centered on strengthening collective leadership and amplifying women’s voices within UNIDOSC. Natalia, turned her attention to strengthening collective leadership by sharing her learning journey with her team. She promoted peer dialogue and women’s leadership by initiating internal meetings to exchange reflections and methodologies from the retreat. Safe spaces were created specifically for women leaders to engage, and the initial reception was strong, indicating a clear demand for such environments. Natalia’s efforts also highlighted the value of cross-regional exchange and the importance of documenting lessons for future replication and as a catalyst for collective capacity sharing. 

Jae Eun, Korea NGO Council for Overseas Development Cooperation  (KCOC, Republic of Korea) – Advancing human-centered global development 

Jae Eun addressed systemic issues by proposing a national shift toward humanitarian values in Korea’s development sector. At KCOC, Jae Eun returned with a macro-level vision shaped by retreat discussions around values-based leadership and global solidarity. Representing a national alliance of over 140 NGOs, she tackled the issue of fragmented aid and nationalistic development agendas. Her proposal featured five key recommendations to reorient Korea’s development policy toward a more humanitarian, cooperative, and values-driven approach. This emphasized climate action, deeper collaboration with civil society, and strategic organisational integration, challenging dominant paradigms and pushing for transformational change that center the dignity and well-being of affected communities. 

Corrine, Mauritius Council Of Social Services (MACOSS, Mauritius) – Learning “hands-on” for leadership awareness 

Corrine, working with MACOSS, translated her retreat learnings into a practical and interactive workshop on leadership styles. During a weekly management meeting, she facilitated a session that combined theoretical insights with experiential learning, including role-playing different leadership styles and peer feedback. Participants engaged in self-reflection, and Corrine herself noted an increase in her self-awareness and confidence. She emphasized the importance of adapting leadership styles to different contexts and saw ongoing practice and feedback as vital to personal growth: adaptability and self-awareness builds leaders who can flex with context and support others’ development journeys as key aspects of transformational leadership. 

Monica, POJOAJU - Asociación de ONG's del Paraguay (POJOAJU, Paraguay) – Collective resistance in the face of shrinking civic space 

In Paraguay, Monica led a participatory analysis of a new repressive law, centering the perspectives of women, Indigenous people, and environmental defenders. Specifically, she led a workshop analysing the impact of a new restrictive law, commonly referred to as the “garrote law.” The law establishes the control, transparency and accountability of non-profit organizations”, being excessively broad with ambiguous formulations and giving rise to arbitrary restrictions. The session centered the voices of women, Indigenous peoples, and environmental defenders, which are groups identified as most affected by the shrinking civic space and oppressive environment for civil society  organisations. Hybrid formats were used to maximize accessibility and inclusion, and the workshop became a platform for joint legal, communication, and political strategising across Paraguay. Trust-building, collective analysis, and preparation for coordinated advocacy were key outcomes, reflecting transformational leadership that emerges from dialogue, solidarity, and shared resistance and action. 

Latifa, Espace Associatif (Morocco) – Developing participatory organisational reform 

Latifa of Espace Associatif focused on reforming the national civil society platform’s structure to make it more participatory and dynamic. Inspired by discussions on decentralisation and inclusive leadership at the retreat, she helped establish a new board and expanded membership to include more associations, particularly those led by women or focused on environmental issues. The creation of thematic working groups is now supporting cross-organisational collaboration and learning. Her model is now recognised as replicable and effective and as a clear example of leadership that distributes power and cultivates collective agency.  

Milagros, Red Encuentro (Argentina) – Building collective memory  

Confronting information gaps within her network, Milagros created a feedback tool to systematise participation. Milagros saw that information from representation spaces wasn’t reaching the rest of the network in a systematic way. To solve this, she led the development of a practical tool —a digital form—to structure how information is shared before, during, and after events. This system now ensures proactive communication and strengthens collective memory, reinforcing a leadership style that prioritises transparency, institutional learning, and participation of diverse groups. 

Ndey, the Association of Non-Governmental Organizations in the Gambia (TANGO, The Gambia) – Creating a culture of reflection and innovation 

Ndey’s implementation of TANGO’s strategic plan centered on adaptive management, internal capacity strengthening of civil society organisations, and mentoring. She spearheaded the implementation of her organisation's strategic plan, with a focus on empowerment, capacity mapping and actions, and adaptive leadership. Her efforts included work plan reviews, training, and mentoring to identify and support emerging leaders. She highlighted the importance of reflection after each activity, not just for accountability, but as a learning tool. Looking forward, she aims to institutionalise these practices, embedding lessons learned into planning cycles and supporting a culture of innovation within and beyond her civil society platform. Her leadership vision which spans over decades is one of shared learning and continuous evolution. 

Discover the profiles of each LDP leaders from Cycle 5 below!