Across Europe, feminist civil society faces growing attacks, from funding cuts to anti-gender campaigns. Women’s specialist services carry this pressure while continuing to support survivors every day. In this climate, coming together matters. We need spaces to share expertise and build joint strategies, and we need spaces for care and community that sustain this work over time.
That is why WAVE members came together in Vienna from 30 September to 2 October 2026. Over 100 women’s human rights defenders took part in the General Assembly, the first-ever WAVE Academy and the Members Meeting.
The WAVE Academy is a new training format that equips our members with practical tools for their daily work. Across three training tracks, each a full day of hands-on learning with expert trainers, participants worked through group discussions and strategic exercises:
- Feminist Advocacy in Action: Tools for Collective Power
- Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls: From Survivor Experiences to Platform Accountability
- Fundraising
The Academy also gave members space to network, learn from one another and hold meaningful conversations. Participants built on this exchange at the Members Meeting, where we set out regional and interregional priorities, from the needs of survivors across Europe to the needs of the women’s specialist services that support them.
Just as importantly, these three days renewed our strength for the work ahead. As one participant shared:
“Even though every country has their own problems and difficulties, the persistence and drive all the participants had gave me a special kind of energy to try to do even better and more important work through my activism.”
Thank you to everyone who joined us in Vienna. We carry this energy forward together.
