Ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Women’s Forum (CWF),
Antigua and Barbuda-based non-profit organisation,
Integrated Health Outreach (IHO), has officially announced
the launch of “One
Last Thread”, an open call for creative
submissions, inviting women across all 56 Commonwealth
nations, including New Zealand, to
submit original poetry, short prose, and spoken word
recordings reflecting their lived realities in relation to
the Forum’s official theme: Advancing Gender Equality:
Investment in a Prosperous and Resilient Commonwealth. This
creative advocacy campaign offers an accessible platform for
women worldwide to directly influence the CWF’s social
conscience and the wider week of the Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting (CHOGM) happening in Antigua in
November.
IHO Executive Director, Dr Nicola Bird,
states: “Prosperity and resilience cannot be measured only
by data points and financial metrics. Vibrant grassroots
participation is indispensable. And listening to the
perspectives of women and girls is what should inform
policymakers whether their actions are having an impact or
not, and what needs to change.” The Executive Director
added, “Through One Last Thread we are providing a global
megaphone for the authentic and unedited realities of women
across the Commonwealth as one more way of trying to ensure
that all of us, from government, to civil society, to the
business sector, to international organisations, remember
that real people are counting on us to use platforms like
CHOGM to achieve something tangible and meaningful, and not
just empty talk.”
Submission
Requirements
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IHO accepts submissions in three (3)
formats, as noted below. Submissions must be presented in
English and adhere to the following
limits:
Poetry: Up to 30
lines
Short Prose: Up to 400
words
Spoken Word: Up to 2 minutes
(video or audio; video is encouraged)
Rather than
remaining solely a social media campaign, IHO will showcase
selected submissions on its social media, website, and at
associated events during CHOGM week as delegates pour into
Antigua for the 28th CHOGM. Submissions must be completed
and emailed to info@ihoab.com before the
deadline on October 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM Atlantic
Standard Time (AST). Participants should read the
full guidelines available online at IHO’s website at this
link: www.ihoab.com/chogm-2026.
Integrated
Health Outreach (IHO) is an Antigua and Barbuda-based
non-profit organisation dedicated to gender, climate, and
health justice, working to empower vulnerable populations,
promote human rights, and ensure that the voices of
grassroots civil society are integrated into national and
international policy frameworks. The Equality Fund and
Global Affairs Canada proudly support IHO. The Commonwealth
Women’s Forum (CWF) is one of several official stakeholder
gatherings held in Antigua alongside the biennial
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
(CHOGM).
Within the Commonwealth, advancing women’s
rights is not merely a social goal but a foundational pillar
for sustainable development and democratic resilience. With
women and girls making up more than half of the
Commonwealth’s 2.7 billion citizens, addressing pervasive
challenges such as gender-based violence, economic
marginalisation, and systemic inequality requires robust,
targeted cooperation between government and civil
society.
