One of the biggest women’s conferences in the UK, organised by women’s charity Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland, is set to take place in Birmingham this week.
From October 31 to November 2, the charity, which has consultancy status at the United Nations, will hold its 91st conference at the Birmingham Conference & Events Centre (BCEC at the Holiday Inn).
The conference, which will see a keynote by Professor Suzie Imber - a British planetary scientist - will spotlight awareness, advocacy and action as its themes for the three days.
Esteemed speakers will also include Shazia Choudhry, an expert on European Human Rights and Family Law, who will deliver a talk on ‘The Family Justice Response to Domestic Abuse’.
Soroptimists campaign widely for equality on issues such as gender-based violence, gender pay inequality, period poverty, and female safety. This annual conference, due to be attended by more than 400 women, aims to celebrate its impact over the past 12 months.
In this time, Soroptimists have delivered 1,100 new projects across 19 countries in Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, donated 38,500 volunteer hours, supported 82,000 women and girls directly, raised £420,000 to fund local and international initiatives, and have seen a 10% uplift in new members.
Ruth Healey, outgoing president of Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland, said: “We’re so proud of the work our members have carried out over the last year.
“The goal of all our projects is to stand up for women and girls, advocating for equal rights, opportunities, and representation. Our volunteers have shown extraordinary commitment and creativity in a year of celebration and challenge. It’s been incredible to see what we’ve achieved together.”
During the past year, Soroptimists kickstarted a campaign for mandatory Gender Impact Assessments (GIAs) to be part of Government policy. Throughout this work, the charity has encouraged organisations of all types to also implement GIAs to ensure that decision making processes are fair for men and women in all areas.
This work will continue in 2026, along with the charity’s relaunched ‘Women’s Safety on Railways’ survey which revisits their 1996 report, ‘The Future of the Railways’. This was published almost 30 years ago after the charity investigated personal safety on trains.
Soroptimists have carried out new surveys, covering over 400 British railway stations in different parts of the country, again, to assess the visibility of railway staff, emergency help points, and station signage, and to evaluate the clarity and quality of safety information.
The conference will reference these upcoming campaigns and provide the charity space to share its annual Best Practice Awards, which celebrates the project work of its members and showcases a dedication to improving the lives of women and girls around the world.
The charity will also share its Change of Insignia as outgoing president Ruth Healey gives her chains to incoming president Gillie O’Rourke.
Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland has over 5,000 Members in almost 250 Clubs in 18 countries and it works at a local, national and international level to educate, empower and enable women and girls.
Learn more here: https://sigbi.org/2025/2025-annual-report-our-year-in-numbers/
