Reporting from Conference of Clubs 2026
While the world debates, women are already building solutions
By Hanaa Wong Abdullah
In a time when global conversations are filled with uncertainty, disruption, and debate, there is another story unfolding — quieter, but no less significant.
Across Asia Pacific, women are not waiting for perfect conditions, policy shifts, or global consensus.
They are building solutions.
At the recent Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific (SISEAP) Conference of Clubs 2026 in Kota Kinabalu, delegates from 13 countries came together — not simply to meet, but to share what is already being done on the ground.
The gathering was further strengthened by the presence of global leadership, including Renata Trottmann, President of Soroptimist International, and Immediate Past President Siew Yong Gnanalingam, the organisation’s first Asian President. Their presence reflected a quiet but important shift — that Asia Pacific is no longer just participating in global conversations on women’s empowerment, but increasingly shaping them.
What emerged from the conference was clear.
This is not an organisation of ideas alone.
It is an organisation of action.
In Mongolia, members from Soroptimist International Darkhan have been working to restore degraded land — turning dry, barren areas into green, usable spaces again.
In Australia and Papua New Guinea, clubs are collaborating with communities to build flood-resistant organic gardens — practical responses to climate realities that many are still only discussing.
In New Zealand, members are tackling the impact of fast fashion, raising awareness and shifting behaviour in ways that are both local and deeply relevant globally.
At the international level, Soroptimist International continues to engage at platforms such as the Commission on the Status of Women in New York — ensuring that the lived realities of women are not lost in policy conversations.
Closer to home in Sabah, community-led initiatives are also taking shape. On Gaya Island, a project led by Meraki Daat has transformed plastic waste into eco-bricks used to build walking pathways — a simple but powerful example of how local innovation can address global challenges.
During the conference, delegates also took part in a mangrove sapling planting initiative, contributing directly to environmental restoration efforts along the coast — a reminder that meaningful conversations must ultimately translate into tangible action.
In Sabah, the work of Sabah Energy Corporation reflects a similar commitment — advancing cleaner energy solutions while ensuring communities have reliable access to power, recognising that energy is not just infrastructure, but dignity, opportunity, and resilience.
And in Malaysia, young women took the stage to speak about artificial intelligence — not from a place of fear, but from awareness. They spoke about how to use it responsibly, how to protect themselves from scams, and how to make it a tool that supports, rather than replaces, human judgement.
These are not isolated efforts.
They are part of a wider pattern.
Women working within their communities.
Responding to real needs.
Designing practical solutions.
And doing so consistently, often without recognition.
We do not always see this work because it does not shout.
It builds.
It adapts.
It continues.
As Malaysia looks ahead — in policy, in development, and in nation-building — there is value in recognising where real, sustained impact is already taking place.
Not in grand declarations.
But in steady, grounded action.
Perhaps the question is not whether women are ready to lead.
But whether we are paying enough attention to the ways they already are.
This is the work of Soroptimist International — women at their best, helping other women to be their best.
Dr. Saradha Narayanan of Soroptimist International Damansara prepares a mangrove sapling during a coastal restoration initiative held alongside the SISEAP Conference of Clubs 2026 in Kota Kinabalu.
