Power of Women Conference 2025: A 22-hour global broadcast to reimagine power

Power of Women Conference 2025: A 22-hour global broadcast to reimagine power

In an era crowded with summits and declarations, the Digital Power of Women (DPOW) 2025 managed to distinguish itself through scale, ambition and reach. The 22-hour global broadcast, supported by months of pre-events, drew more than 70,000 viewers ahead of its airing on TV stations in South Africa and Kenya, with additional segments later released on YouTube. It also delivered three policy recommendations that were formally adopted into the Civil20 document submitted to the South African Presidency.

But numbers tell only part of the story. The gathering convened an unusually diverse, planetary cohort of leaders: Nobel Laureates, Indigenous and Earth Elders, youth and faith leaders, community organisers, business innovators and policymakers joined from Johannesburg, Nairobi, Mumbai, São Paulo, Los Angeles and beyond. Their shared premise was simple: genuine leadership grows from connection rather than hierarchy.

A global stage with local grounding

Branded under the theme Power Rooted in Connection, the broadcast aligned closely with the momentum of the G20 hosted by South Africa and the shifting geopolitical landscape in the run-up to G20 USA in 2026. Audiences tuned in from India, the US, South Africa, Argentina and Kenya, with strong viewership across Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Young people formed the backbone of the audience, particularly those aged 18–24 and 25–34.

If global policymaking typically feels distant, DPOW 2025 attempted the opposite: it drew the world in.

A notable early moment came from the Leading Like Mandela Institute, which contributed a video from the Mandela AI Hub featuring an AI-generated avatar of Nelson Mandela urging civic action. Founder Shenali Rajaratnam of Power of Women followed with opening remarks that framed the broadcast as both collective effort and global call-to-action centred on values-based, people-focused and balanced leadership.

A sober reminder from global voices

Former UN Women chief H.E. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka opened the programme with a warning: progress on gender equity is fragile, and democracy demands ethical and durable leadership. Earth Elder Rutendo Lerato Ngara expanded the frame, reminding viewers that wisdom arises not only from institutions but from land, community and collective memory, an invitation to rethink power beyond Western-centric governance models.

Values, ethics and the politics of possibility

A conversation between Professor Ndileka Mandela, Marianne Williamson, Sister Dr Jenna and Shenali Rajaratnam brought together political activism, spiritual practice, moral philosophy and intergenerational insight. Under the theme “Frequency of the Future”, they asked what leadership should look like in an era of deep mistrust.

Professor Mandela stressed that moral authority is both earned and inherited. She also argued for reframing Gender-Based Violence as a conversation about safety and emphasised early behavioural intervention in children as a key to dismantling systemic roots of violence.

Science, climate and the women leading the charge

A keynote by H.E. Dr Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, former President of Mauritius, delivered one of the event’s sharpest messages: biodiversity loss is no longer an environmental issue but a geopolitical crisis, and women in the Global South stand at its centre. Her remarks underscored the event’s consistent message that climate, gender and governance are inseparable challenges.

Africa’s youth takes the microphone

The Youth Leadership in Africa panel, moderated by Bophelo Tsholo, brought dynamic energy to the broadcast. Youth20 South Africa chair Raymond Matlala, Dineo Lioma and others positioned themselves not as “future” leaders but as architects of Africa’s present, shaping policy, circular economies and digital innovation. Their message: Africa is not waiting for permission to lead.

Women’s leadership moves from paper to statehouses

A high-impact panel featuring Kenyan leader Rosemary Odinga, Namibia’s Deputy Minister (RET.) HE Julieta Kaventuna and India’s Professor Vinod Menon, moderated by Tobias Nauruki, explored how representation becomes governing power. They shared strategies for ensuring women win high-level political seats and demonstrated how balanced leadership has been achieved in countries like Namibia, Kenya and India.

Namibian leader Dr Nangula Lambako expanded on this theme, linking purpose-driven leadership with empathy and balance. She highlighted Namibia’s milestone: a female president, vice president and speaker and 44% women in parliament. Her work mentoring youth through the Nangulako Foundation illustrated how representation can translate into sustained local impact.

Ambassador Nathalie Rayes (Ret.) added that women do not need permission to lead, they already possess the capability. She argued that connection must be rooted in compassion to transform societies and that women’s leadership is essential, not symbolic.

Spirituality, soft power and cultural politics

Sister Dr Jenna’s segment introduced a reflective tone, arguing that leadership without inner steadiness fuels instability. Lydia Buthello of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre underscored culture as a form of soft power, describing women not as adjuncts to national progress but as engines of economic growth and national identity.

Sister Dr Jenna also highlighted Maya Penn as an example of next-generation leadership and emphasised introspection, meditation and authentic voice as core leadership tools.

Reverend Sylvia Sumpter added that women hold a relational “superpower” and serve as the “spiritual womb of society”.

Cop30, Brazil and a new climate geography

Ambassador Vanessa Dolce de Faria outlined Brazil’s gender-first climate agenda ahead of COP30, presenting gender equality as a prerequisite for climate justice and highlighting Brazil’s intersectional SDG 18 on racial equality.

Virgin Unite CEO Jean Oelwang stressed long-term partnerships, noting that seven of nine planetary boundaries have already been breached. She invoked the principle of Muchiro, mobilising with purpose and shared strength.

Rebecca Irby of the PEAC Institute argued that justice moves at the speed of trust and emphasised the role of art, storytelling and intergenerational leadership in centring frontline voices.

Shifting from domination to partnerships

Dr Riane Eisler, W20 Co-Chair Virginia Littlejohn and Global Women’s Village founder Sande Hart presented a framework for shifting from domination systems to partnership systems grounded in care, equity and collaboration. Their insights offered participants practical tools for building resilient and purpose-driven alliances.

Men step forward, not to lead, but to listen

A powerful panel titled “Compassionate Men Who Support the Power of Women” featured Pato Banton, Clay Boykin, Dr Gard Jameson and Imam Jamal Rahman, who advocated for compassion, accountability and healing among men. They emphasised vulnerability, listening to women’s lived experiences and dismantling harmful norms as essential steps toward gender equality.

Uganda’s girls and the evidence of change

Among the most heartfelt moments came from Uganda’s Power of Girls Clubs. Young women, students and future professionals, shared firsthand how community-based interventions are transforming educational and economic futures. Their stories offered the clearest proof that global gatherings matter only when they change real lives.

When learning becomes action

Masterclasses punctuated the broadcast with practical skills. Drs Michele Le Baron and Karenjot Bhangoo Randhawa led a session on creativity, embodiment and relational wisdom as tools for conflict transformation and leadership. Dr Sandra de Castro Buffington expanded this with strategies for using storytelling to drive systems change.

Filmmakers Margaret To and Jahnavi Mange used their Soil to Soul workshop to guide participants into an exploration of reciprocity, nourishment and the ties between inner and planetary wellbeing.

Creativity meets conscience in AI filmmaking

AI filmmaker Lisa Russell demonstrated how emerging technologies can amplify marginalised voices while preserving artistic integrity and cultural agency. An ethical technology deep dive with engineer TJ Marbois, Sister Dr Jenna and Shenali Rajaratnam stressed personal data sovereignty, captured in the phrase “R2-D2 belongs to you”, and helped shape the Civil20 policy recommendation for a Global AI Yearly Assessment (AIYA) Mechanism.

Tradition meets governance

Former South African minister Jay Naidoo reminded participants that political progress is non-linear and requires vigilant stewardship. Jonathan Granoff of the Global Security Institute returned the discussion to moral principles, calling for a 21st-century version of the Golden Rule: treat future generations’ wellbeing as we wish our own to be treated. Hereditary Chief Phil Lane Jr. expanded on Indigenous frameworks of unity, equality and long-term thinking.

Global society rising

Another notable segment highlighted an emerging perspective within the programme: the progress of a shared global society. Members of a Leaders Council of the civil society in Africa underscored that beyond institutional politics, individuals and communities worldwide are increasingly taking responsibility through their everyday choices, building businesses that prioritise wellbeing over extraction, promoting cooperation rather than competition and acting with dignity, care and a sense of shared purpose. This development, they noted, is not the result of a single movement or ideology but of countless small actions that collectively generate momentum and contribute to addressing both local and global challenges.

A network held together by community, not ceremony

DPOW 2025 operated through a vast ecosystem of broadcast partners, royal houses, community organisations, Rotary Clubs, youth networks and cultural contributors. Watch parties and online rooms helped anchor global conversations in local realities.

Powering the next generation with 1,000 Google scholarships

One of the programme’s landmark achievements was securing 1,000 Google AI training scholarships for girls and young women through Coursera, evidence that DPOW is not merely a conference but a catalyst for activation.

Making change visible through policy

Three policy recommendations advanced by founder Shenali Rajaratnam and adopted into the Civil20 document marked a milestone:

1.     Strengthening technology governance rooted in community data ownership, inclusive AI standards and safeguards against algorithmic bias.

2.     Establishing a permanent G20 Gender Equality Taskforce with funded representation from women-led organisations.

3.     Creating a Global AI Yearly Assessment (AIYA) Mechanism to monitor the ethical, environmental and societal impacts of AI across G20 nations.

All three have been formally placed on record for G20 consideration, a historic achievement for the Power of Women.

Governance, equity and the road to the US G20 presidency

US Congressman Suhas Subramanyam examined preparations for the 2026 US G20 presidency. He highlighted milestones such as Virginia’s majority-woman General Assembly while noting remaining gaps in childcare, pay equity and workplace access. He advocated for Paid Family Leave, expanded childcare and Paycheck Fairness and warned that implicit gender bias in AI must be urgently addressed.

Looking towards G20 USA in 2026

As the broadcast drew to a close, with its final keynote and forthcoming Collective Statement to the G20, the message became clear: DPOW 2025 was not mere edutainment. It was a rehearsal for a new model of global leadership, collaborative, intergenerational and rooted in communities and networks rather than institutions alone.

In a world fractured by political tension and ecological crisis, DPOW 2025 did not claim to offer solutions. Instead, it offered a direction, a reminder that power, when rooted in connection, becomes not dominance but a catalyst for the shared future of our global society.