The 2025 Humanitarian Leadership Conference, held in partnership with the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, took place from April 8-9, 2025 in Doha, Qatar.
This session, moderated by independent development professional and researcher Themrise Khan, brought together voices from conflict-affected regions to reflect on women-led data collection and what it reveals about lived realities in Sudan and Iraq.
Fatima Ahmed, Executive Director, Zenab for Women in Development, and Aram Shakerm, Country Director for Iraq, Women for Women International, presented findings from participatory research with internally displaced and conflict-affected women, Then, Marie Clarke, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Women for Women International, shared cross-country insights from Women for Women International’s broader data set, covering 14 countries.
"The two countries where there was the greatest percentage of respondents that felt hopeful about their future… were the respondents from Gaza and the West Bank and Palestine and Afghanistan. Hope, it turns out, is not just a feeling. It’s survival."
Marie Clarke, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Women for Women International
The conversation underscored how women are not only victims of conflict but also frontline responders, data gatherers, and agents of change. Grounded in lived experience, their insights challenged traditional humanitarian paradigms and highlighted the need to reimagine aid through the lens of women’s leadership and resilience.
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From Asking to Action: A Global Consultation Ensuring the Voices of Women Affected by Conflict are Heard
