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View all search resultsYenny Wahid takes on Southeast Asia women’s group leadership
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Power struggle: Yenny Wahid (center) holds the organizational flag on June 3, 2026 after being elected as the chair of the Indonesian Women's Congress (Kowani) during an extraordinary, breakaway congress held in Jakarta. (Antara/Kowani)
P
rominent activist Yenny Wahid on Wednesday took on the presidency of ASEAN Confederation of Women’s Organizations (ACWO), a network of women’s groups across Southeast Asia, for the 2027-2028 term.
Yenny, in her capacity as Indonesian Women's Congress (Kowani) chairperson, officially received the ACWO presidency from Le Thi Thuy of Vietnam’s Women's Union (VWU) in a handover ceremony in Hanoi. Kowani is one of ACWO founding members.
“This is both an honor and a profound vote of confidence in Indonesian women,” Yenny said in the event, as quoted from a press release from Kowani. “We want to demonstrate that Indonesian women are not only capable of leading at the national level, but also of helping shape the future of Southeast Asia.”
Under her leadership, she pledged that ACWO would focus on delivering real outcomes for women and children in the region, saying: “We must ensure that our cooperation makes a real difference in people’s lives”.
She said among her priorities will be promoting inclusive elderly care, improving access to financial services and digital literacy among women, strengthening women’s roles in climate mitigation and enhancing regional cooperation to prevent gender-based violence.
“ASEAN cannot not prosper if women continue to struggle for economic opportunities, children are deprived of education, and older people face their later years without adequate protection,” she said.
Yenny, the daughter of late president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, has been leading Kowani since June this year, when she was elected chairperson in an extraordinary congress last month amid a leadership dispute.
