SEATTLE & WASHINGTON, DC, USA: eShe, an independent, women-led newsroom, announces the second edition of its flagship South Asia Union Summit, to be held virtually November 13–15, 2026. Anchored in the theme “Gender, Power, Resistance,” the Summit will explore how institutions, politics and technologies intersect with gender rights, social justice and the environment.
Over three days, leaders, academics, activists, journalists, filmmakers, technologists and young changemakers from South Asia and its global diaspora will come together for vibrant conversations on democracy, identity, migration, climate, culture, technology and the issues shaping our collective future. The Summit comes at a time when global peace, women’s safety, climate justice, independent journalism and democratic freedoms are increasingly under threat, regionally and globally.
eShe invites global thinkers, grassroots changemakers and women leaders from across South Asia and the diaspora to gather, find common ground across borders, and help chart a roadmap toward a just, inclusive and more compassionate world. The Summit builds on the inaugural South Asia Union Summit in 2021, which brought together 50 women from 13 countries to discuss peace, gender equality and social justice.
This year’s program widens the conversation to include artificial intelligence, media censorship, women-led political movements, bodily autonomy, climate change, digital activism, and the intersection of caste and patriarchy.
Keynotes and program highlights
Each day opens with a keynote address. On November 13, S. Mona Sinha, global executive director and CEO of Equality Now and a 2026 inductee into the US National Women’s Hall of Fame, sets the tone for the Summit. On November 14, the keynote will be delivered by Dr. Aishath Rafiyya, a multi-award-winning Maldivian governance leader and former diplomat.
On November 15, Lily Wangchuk, Bhutanese politician, diplomat and author, and the first woman to lead a political party in Bhutan, will deliver the closing day’s keynote. The first day’s panels ask “Who counts as ‘us’?” in an examination of nationalism, migration and minority rights in South Asia and the US, before turning to how artificial intelligence and digital technologies can reproduce gender, caste, class and racial bias. Speakers includepublic historian Dr. Ruchika Sharma, Women in Cloud cofounder Chaitra Vedullapalli, and Shreya Krishnan, managing director of AnitaB.org India.
On the second day, filmmakers Shazia Iqbal, Anam Abbas and Sulochana Peiris discuss what changes when women control the frame in cinema. Kashmir Times managing editor Anuradha Bhasin, Zan Times founding editor-in-chief Zahra Nader and international correspondent Niha Masih address media censorship and propaganda, while Farah Ahamed, Paromita Vohra and Dr. Sameena Rahman explore the politics of bodily autonomy.
The final day features young women at the forefront of South Asia’s recent Gen Z movements, as well as conversations on climate change, gender and neocolonialism with environmental justice activists from across South Asia: Manshi Asher, Monira Sharmin, Goma Karki and Melani Gunathilaka. A panel on digital feminism features gender activists and content creators Sofia Shah, Muskan Madaan, Maisha Mahjabeen and Priya Sigdel. The Summit closes with a panel on caste and gender featuring author-activist Christina Dhanuja, cultural organizer Divya Kandukuri, and Dalit Lives Matter cofounder Bridhika Senchury.
Notable speakers at past Summits have included peacebuilders Dr. Scilla Elworthy and Dr. Meenakshi Gopinath; actor and activist Nandita Das; award-winning filmmakers Leslie Udwin, Sabiha Sumar, Alankrita Srivastava and Mehreen Jabbar; thought leaders Dr. Radha Kumar and Karen Downes; and activists Hina Jilani, Ambika Satkunanathan and Manjula Pradeep, among many others.
How to attend
The Summit is free to attend. All sessions take place live on Zoom, in the morning in North America and the evening in South Asia, and are also broadcast on eShe’s Facebook page. A single registration covers all three days, and registered participants who attend sessions on all three days will receive a digital Certificate of Participation. The full program and free registration are available at eshe.in/summit-2026.
About eShe
eShe is an independent, women-led newsroom producing public-interest journalism focused on women, the South Asian diaspora, and gender-diverse communities. With operations in Washington DC, Seattle and New Delhi, and contributors across North America and South Asia, eShe connects local stories with global conversations on gender, identity, power, and social change. Founded in 2017 by Indian journalist Aekta Kapoor, eShe has evolved into a community-centered newsroom led by Aekta Kapoor, Founder and Editor-in-Chief; Shailaja Rao, Co-Founder and Executive Director; and Sarita Bartaula, Co-Founder and Managing Director. eShe is fiscally sponsored by Tiny News Collective (EIN 85-3963369), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Contact: Sarita Bartaula, Cofounder and Managing Director, sarita@esheworld.com
For general inquiries, volunteering and partnership proposals: mail@eshe.in
