There are moments in life that feel too surreal to process in real time.
Women Deliver 2026 Conference (WD2026) was one of them.
When I first arrived in Melbourne, I thought I was coming to learn. I expected to sit in rooms filled with experts, policymakers, ministers, and global leaders, take notes, absorb knowledge, and quietly grow from the experience.
Instead, the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW) and Women Deliver transformed the way I see leadership, advocacy, and even myself.
Over the course of the conference, I participated in numerous sessions, discussions, and high-level dialogues hosted by global organisations working at the forefront of gender equality, youth leadership, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). I listened to conversations that challenged existing power structures and explored what meaningful inclusion truly looks like in practice.
I had the opportunity to hear from influential global figures including Justin Trudeau, former Prime Minister of Canada; Jacinda Ardern and Helen Clark, former Prime Ministers of New Zealand; Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia; and Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN). Their discussions on leadership, gender equality, political participation, and the future of global cooperation offered powerful insights into the responsibilities that come with influence and decision-making.
Yet the most impactful lesson I learned did not come from listening. It came from speaking. I am deeply grateful that I got invited to participate as a panelist in the session titled, “Reclaiming Power and Transforming Lives: Inclusive Data as a Tool for Resistance and Disruption.”
My younger self would genuinely be confused. How did I go from being a girl constantly navigating uncertainty, pressure, and survival mode to opening a global discussion before a room filled with world leaders, UN representatives, policymakers, researchers, and advocates I deeply admire?
I remember looking at the speaker lineup and feeling intimidated. Beside my name were individuals whose work had shaped international conversations for years. Among them were senior leaders from UNFPA, global health experts, and advocates whose publications and speeches I had followed long before I ever imagined sharing a stage with them. I was one of the youngest people in that room. The truth is, I arrived at the session with one goal: breathe, deliver my remarks, and hopefully avoid embarrassing myself.
But something happened that I never expected. When I finished speaking, people stood up.
A standing ovation.
For a moment, I genuinely did not know how to react. The applause itself was meaningful, but what stayed with me afterward was what it represented. It was not a validation of perfection. It was recognition that lived experiences matter. Too often, young people, especially those from conflict-affected communities, developing countries, or marginalised backgrounds, are invited into global spaces only after decisions have already been made. We are asked to share our stories, but not always trusted with shaping solutions.
That moment reminded me that our experiences are not supplementary to policy discussions. They are essential to them.
As a Myanmar youth advocate, I carried more than my own story into that room. I carried the realities of young people navigating political instability, shrinking civic space, educational barriers, and uncertainty about the future. I carried the voices of those who are rarely represented in international decision-making spaces despite being directly impacted by those decisions.
Women Deliver 2026 reinforced something I have been learning over the years: meaningful youth participation is not about giving young people a seat in the room for representation alone. It is about recognising that young people are already leading, already organising, already creating solutions, and already contributing valuable expertise.
Whether I was speaking with advocates from Latin America, Africa, the Pacific, Southeast Asia, or Europe, I kept hearing different versions of the same message: our struggles may look different, but they are deeply connected.
Across borders, communities are fighting for dignity, equality, bodily autonomy, representation, and justice. And across borders, young people continue to be at the center of that work. I left Women Deliver with new knowledge, new friendships, and a stronger sense of responsibility.
Not because I stood on a stage. But because I was reminded that leadership is not about titles, status, or proximity to power. Leadership is choosing to speak when silence is easier. It is choosing to represent your community when the weight feels heavy. It is choosing to keep going even when you are unsure whether your voice is enough. Women Deliver 2026 reminded me that sometimes the rooms that intimidate us the most are the rooms we are meant to be in. And sometimes the girl who was simply trying to survive grows into someone capable of helping shape conversations that reach far beyond herself. For that lesson, and for every person who made this journey possible, I will remain endlessly grateful.
