Beyond aid: feminist alliances in the Mediterranean to build political voice

Shared experiences among activists from Palestine, Jordan, Tunisia and Western Sahara point to a clear idea: feminist alliances are not only about cooperation, but about building autonomous spaces, shared strategies and political voice.

Feminist alliances in the Euro-Mediterranean region are not built from a single place or within a single reality. They emerge from contexts shaped by occupation, authoritarianism and economic inequality, but also from a shared determination to develop their own responses and sustain collective struggles.

This is the starting point of the dialogue spaces that bring together women activists from Palestine, Jordan, Tunisia and Western Sahara. Through these exchanges, experiences, tensions and strategies are shared, offering a feminist and political reading of common challenges.

Beyond cooperation

One of the key ideas running through these conversations is the need to move beyond traditional cooperation frameworks. As the voices involved highlight, the goal is not only to receive support, but to strengthen political self-representation and the role of women as active agents of change.

In this sense, key issues emerge, such as the relationship between feminism and broader political dimensions, including economic marginalization, as well as tensions arising from dependence on external funding, which can shape agendas and ways of organizing.

Another often overlooked dimension is also brought into focus: the emotional and care work that sustains these networks. Building alliances is not only about strategy; it also involves creating spaces of trust, mutual support and safety in contexts marked by violence and repression.

These kinds of spaces are part of NOVACT’s work to promote alliances and strategies that strengthen the political role of feminist movements in the region.

 

Documenting to resist

At the same time, the importance of documenting these experiences is highlighted. Not only as a form of record, but as a political tool: documenting is also a way of resisting and shaping one’s own narrative.

In this process, NOVACT acts as a facilitator, creating the conditions for safe and accessible dialogue across different territories.

The voices gathered in these dialogue spaces point to shared challenges, but also to a clear direction: building feminist alliances grounded in autonomy, collaboration and the capacity for political influence.