On 8 March 2026, MMN joined forces with partner organisations including MAP Foundation, EMPOWER Foundation, Human Rights and Development Foundation, Shan Women’s Action Network, and the Civil Society Organizations for Gender Equality Network to organise an International Women’s Day event in Chiang Mai. The event was held at Chiang Mai University, and highlighted this year’s global theme, “Give to Gain.” The event elevated the belief that giving is not merely an act of generosity, but a catalyst for shared and sustainable growth.

Around 400 participants—including women workers, students, academics, and human rights advocates—joined the gathering to promote gender equality and social justice. The event was characterised by the strong presence and representation of women workers from diverse sectors, including domestic work, manufacturing, agriculture, service work, and those who sustain informal cross-border livelihoods. Their participation reflected the wide-ranging realities faced by women migrant workers, while reinforcing solidarity across different workplaces and communities.

A key moment of the event was a call to collective action by women migrant workers. These  community leaders highlighted the disproportionate impact of conflict on women’s safety, family lives and wellbeing. Advocates particularly highlighted the impacts of the conflicts in Myanmar and in the Thailand-Myanmar border areas, the Thai-Cambodian border, and in the Middle East on women’s lives.

When war happens, women are the group most deeply affected. The impacts include violence, family separation, and long-term emotional trauma.

— A representative of a women domestic workers group from Myanmar

The participants proposed the slogan “WOW = Women Oppose War” to affirm women’s collective stance against war and all forms of violence.

The event featured booths hosted by women’s rights organisations and a public reading of collective demands calling for human dignity, equality, and sustainable, long-lasting peace.