At a moment when global development debates are increasingly grappling with questions of power, representation, and accountability, the Bridge for Change: Building Sustainable Futures conference offered a timely space for reflection on what meaningful global solidarity and Southern leadership entail in practice. Hosted by the Fair, Green and Global (FGG) Alliance in The Hague on 2 December 2025, the event reflected on the Power of Voices partnership and the outcomes of the Fair, Green and Global programme, particularly in relation to feminist economies, inclusive development, and cross-border solidarity.
The conference was convened by the FGG Alliance—led by Both ENDS—in collaboration with Fair For All, RECLAIM Sustainability! and STITCH Partnership. Sadhana Sanjay (IT for Change) moderated and facilitated the day, which brought together partners and allies to take stock of key learnings and to engage in forward-looking conversations on the future of the partnership. Participants from Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Palestine and other regions joined both in person and online, underscoring the transnational nature of the challenges under discussion, including climate injustice, shrinking civic space, and unequal trade relations.
Across the discussions, a central insight was the need to move beyond symbolic inclusion towards structural power shifts. Partners emphasized that strengthening Southern leadership requires more than increasing direct funding flows; it calls for genuinely shared decision-making, flexible and context-responsive financing, and advocacy strategies that address the root causes of injustice—often located in the Global North. The exchanges reaffirmed the importance of global solidarity within networks and with institutional actors, including the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to ensure that communities’ lived realities meaningfully inform global policymaking processes.
Speakers and contributors included:
Sadhana Sanjay, IT for Change
Azad Abul Kalam, ActionAid Bangladesh
Cristi Nozawa, Samdhana Institute
Emma Vogt, Clean Clothes Campaign
Ineke Zeldenrust, Clean Clothes Campaign
Jasper van Teeffelen, SOMO
Linda Fokkema, ActionAid Nederland
The conference opened with remarks by Marchel Gerrmann, Sustainable Economic Development, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.