8 March 2026: Declaration of the World March of Women

We, the World March of Women (WMW), continue our feminist struggle to transform the world with greater strength than ever in our 28th anniversary year, and on International Women’s Day on 8 March 2026 especially.

The patriarchal, racist, colonialist capitalist system continues to pursue accumulation through war and militarisation. This is all the more evident this 8 March: we are witnessing and experiencing military aggression and intervention in the Middle East, Iran and Venezuela; the tightening of illegitimate coercive measures such as the energy blockade in Cuba; protracted conflicts in Africa, Asia and Oceania; the cruel genocide against the Palestinian people; and the occupation of Western Sahara. This context propels us, as internationalist grassroots feminists, to the forefront of the movement for true peace and recognition of popular sovereignty and the right of all peoples to live in their territories. It mobilises us against necrocapitalism and in defence of life. 

War has always been the most brutal manifestation of the patriarchal model of accumulation and women around the world are building pacifist, feminist alternatives that focus on sustaining life. We women oppose all wars and know that we can never be free in lands affected by occupation, intervention, blockades or threats.

Once again, the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran are justified on the pretext of “liberating women”, a familiar discourse that is frequently used in an attempt to paint war as a humanitarian act. We condemn the hypocrisy underpinning this endeavour. In Iran last week, hundreds of schoolgirls were murdered in the middle of the school day and women activists have been assassinated, while women in Palestine and Cuba strive to sustain life in their communities.

Freedom and democracy cannot be achieved through “large-scale combat operations” and imperialist intervention. We reaffirm our commitment to resisting the multiple forms of fundamentalism curtailing the freedoms of men and women. We oppose imperialist interventions, occupations, foreign military presence and the imposition of blockades and political and economic sanctions. 

We condemn the Zionist and imperialist acts that perpetuate the genocide in Gaza, the neocolonialist intervention in Venezuela, the imperialist attacks on Iran, the energy blockade on Cuba, the militarisation of the Caribbean, the conflicts funded by corporate interests in Africa, the occupation of Western Sahara and the practice of tariff terrorism. We are convinced that no military intervention can bring real, lasting peace. Freedom and peace will only come through our grassroots feminist struggles, recognition of popular sovereignty and self-determination of peoples. 

The Trump administration continues to openly threaten the Iranian people with certain death if they dare to resist. In a world that is shifting from a rules-based order to a power-based order, the global threat of United States military power puts life all over the planet in danger. NATO, the imperialist military organisation, is encouraging an arms race around the world and paving the way for military intervention. 

The neofascist policies of oppressive governments take different forms. Around the world, governments are increasingly using legal and institutional mechanisms to criminalise social movements and human rights defenders, attacking the struggles for gender justice, bodily autonomy and fundamental freedoms.

The current political situation in Africa is marked by ongoing struggles against the persistent legacy of colonialism, extractivism and imperialist intervention. The world powers continue to treat the continent as a playground for resource extraction and geopolitical competition. From Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Western Sahara, conflicts fuelled by extractivism, foreign interference and militarisation devastate communities and undermine sovereignty. Communities, and especially women, are the most affected by dispossession, repression and the erosion of democratic values by states, but feminist and grassroots movements are rising up to demand sovereignty, justice and collective liberation. It is also crucial to recognise the humanitarian crisis caused by climate change, with floods, droughts and displacement worsening inequality and placing women in situations of multiple vulnerability. The World March of Women reaffirms its solidarity with the anticolonial struggle of Sahrawi women for their right to self-determination, justice, dignity and freedom, with the struggles of Sudanese women and with all African movements: Africa is not a place for extraction, but one of resistance, dignity and transformative power.

Meanwhile, the geopolitical importance of Asia and Oceania is rapidly increasing, accompanied by a dangerous escalation of militarisation and the arms race throughout the region. The rise of fascist and fundamentalist governments in countries such as India and Japan is worsening existing tensions and contributing to an atmosphere of permanent insecurity both regionally and globally. Military alliances and growing defence spending fuel instability and divert resources from the population’s needs, further reinforcing the war economy.

We derive strength from our feminist alternatives. We believe that there can be no peace under systemic oppression. The destructive nature of patriarchal, colonial and racist capitalism will never satisfy our demands for peace. We will continue to defend buen vivir in response to the multifactorial climate and environmental crisis that is being exacerbated by the war economy. We will continue to fight the oppressive apparatus of neofascism and pursue our struggle for popular sovereignty and true justice. This 8 March, we will honour and amplify the struggle of our sister Yanar Mohammed, who was murdered in Iraq this week. We call for the dismantling of the patriarchy. We affirm that peace can only be achieved through transformations led by feminist women who are aware of their collective strength.