The 5th World Conference of Women’s Shelters (5WCWS) will come to Sydney, Australia, 15-18 September 2025. The event is organised by Wesnet (Women’s Services Network Inc.), together with the Global Network of Women’s Shelters (GNWS). It will come to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time and is expected to attract over 1,000 attendees from over 100 countries.
The news was announced in New York last week at the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) – the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality – and locally in Sydney at the Elsie Conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first women’s refuge in Australia. 5WCWS will be the world’s largest conference by and for women’s shelters and those working to end gender-based violence.
The conference has been held previously in the USA, Canada, The Netherlands and Taiwan. Attendees have included shelter and refuge workers and NGO leaders from around the world from government, non-government, corporate sector and academics.
Karen Bentley, CEO Wesnet said “The 5WCWS will give a massive boost to the common goal: to end all violence against women globally.”
Spanning over four days, 5WCWS will include an exhibition, pre- and post-study tours plus many opportunities for delegates to collaborate.
The Sydney event will run six years after the previous world conference which was held in 2019.
BESydney CEO, Lyn Lewis-Smith said: “I am proud that Sydney has been chosen to host the 5th World Conference of Women’s Shelters in 2025, an incredible opportunity to have meaningful conversations about systemic approaches to combating violence against women and providing long-term support for women as they transition from short-term crisis care to full recovery from domestic abuse, trauma and deep loss. Business events are the ideal platform to raise awareness among governments, the corporate sector and international organisations to strive for real change in policy and power”.
5WCWS will be held at the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) and CEO and group director – convention centres ASM Global (APAC) Geoff Donaghy, said: “At ICC Sydney, corporate social responsibility is a cornerstone of our business management framework and we strive to deliver events that drive a positive social impact. As a beacon for advocacy and change in our city, we are proud that ICC Sydney will host the 5th World Conference of Women’s Shelters in 2025.”
