On 2 February 2026, Forus convened a special Communications Working Group meeting to discuss the 6th edition of the March With Us Campaign for Gender Justice. Bringing together Forus members from across regions, the session created a dynamic space to explore how civil society can use podcasts, articles, documentaries and multimedia storytelling to amplify gender justice voices globally.

As political uncertainty deepens, civic space shrinks and funding pressures intensify, participants stressed that gender justice advocacy cannot slow down — it must become more visible, more coordinated and more strategic.

Opening the meeting, Clarisse Sih, Digital Communications Coordinator at Forus reminded participants that the March With Us campaign is not simply a communications campaign, but “a collective space to reclaim narratives and connect grassroots realities to global decision-making moments.”

Storytelling as Strategy

Marie L’Hostis, Forus Advocacy Coordinator, presented the vision for the 2026 campaign: a platform to elevate lived experiences of women, girls and LGBTQIA+ communities while strengthening international visibility at key advocacy spaces, including the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

Participants emphasised that storytelling is a political act.

The discussion reinforced that podcasts, opinion articles, interviews and short documentaries are not just content formats — they are tools for influence, solidarity and agenda-setting.

Jyotsna Mohan, Forus advocacy officer, announced two virtual side events taking place during the 70th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and scheduled for 11 and 17 March 2026. The first event will spotlight women- and youth-led civil society action, highlighting the March With Us campaign and strategies for localisation, while the second will focus on women defending gender rights in deteriorating enabling environments, sharing practical approaches used by women and young leaders to navigate and resist restrictions.

Participants were encouraged to register and engage in these global advocacy moments, with space open for questions on how to connect national work to international opportunities.

From Content Creation to Collective Visibility

A central focus of the session was practical engagement. How can members plug in? What formats are most accessible? How can networks collaborate across borders?

Several participants expressed interest in co-creating multimedia content, including recorded interviews with women human rights defenders, youth feminist leaders and activists navigating restrictive environments.

“We have worked with migrant women from Ukraine at FOND Romania to help them access jobs in Romania. Considering that kost jobs in the technical field are reserved for men, we promote available opportunities by helping them acquire technical skills and we try to convince companies to hire them. We try to cover loopholes on the job market in this way, encourage women in the job sector and in doing so, help them provide for their families even as refugees,” Petre-Cosmin Bârzan from FOND Romania shared.

“Some of our members work on empowering women who still struggle with period poverty especially in rural areas, gender-based violence, access to healthcare and water and more. We are happy that the March With Us campaign exists and we can all leverage it to amplify the work done by these organisations across the world,” Olaife Ilori from the Nigeria Network of NGOs shared.

Forus reaffirmed its commitment to supporting members not only with content production — including editorial guidance and narrative framing — but also with coordinated dissemination to maximise reach.

Gender Justice in Deteriorating Environments

The conversation also addressed the realities facing feminist organisations today: funding cuts, smear campaigns, legal restrictions and digital harassment. Participants discussed how the campaign can spotlight these structural challenges while centering resilience and leadership.

The session linked these realities to broader multilateral processes, with Jyotsna highlighting opportunities at CSW70 to connect campaign outputs to policy debates on access to justice, participation and the elimination of violence against women and girls.

A Collective Commitment

The meeting closed with concrete next steps: co-creation of content, cross-posting among networks, speaker participation in podcasts and side events, and the use of campaign toolkits to ensure cohesive messaging across regions.

The 6th edition of the March With Us Campaign officially kicks off on March 8 2026 — but the momentum is already building. In a time of backlash and uncertainty, civil society is choosing visibility over silence, solidarity over fragmentation and collective action over isolation.

Because defending civic space is inseparable from advancing gender justice — and because stories, when shared strategically, can shift power.

Resources

• The Powerpoint used during the session is here
• Read more on the 2026 edition of the March With Us campaign here
• More on the Forus Journalism Fellowship Programme