What Works to Prevent Violence: Impact at Scale APM 2026
The What Works to Prevent Violence: Impact at Scale (What Works II) Annual Programme Meeting (APM) will this year take place in Istanbul, Turkey from 2-5 February 2026.
The APM 2026 will bring together members of the What Works II Implementation and Research Consortia, Grantee Partners, Independent Advisory Board (IAB), and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in-person to explore the theme: ‘Holding Ground: Reclaiming Momentum for Gender Equality and VAWG Prevention.’
What Works II is the UK’s flagship global initiative to end violence against women and girls. This event will bring together VAWG prevention researchers, implementors, funders and experts to explore how What Works II can strengthen its position as a global leader in VAWG prevention in the challenging global context we currently face.
Our 3rd APM will combine strategic discussions with capacity strengthening sessions. Strategic sessions will focus on emerging learning from ongoing studies about scale across projects funded by the What Works II initiative, and the implications for implementation, external engagement and influencing, and future research.
The programme will also situate What Works II in the current global context, examining the need for bold, coordinated and intersectional action that centres human rights, gender equality, inclusion of marginalised groups and resilience amid increasing rollbacks on rights. We will also explore emerging opportunities to build renewed momentum towards the prevention of VAWG.
The event will include a range of capacity-strengthening sessions, alongside dedicated space to deepen connections and support shared learning on approaches to scale.
Session themes
Throughout the APM a series of expert-led sessions, presentations and group discussions will cover a range of topics including:
Feminist solidarity in a time of rollback and strategies for resistance
Approaches to scale, key learnings, and implications for the field
Feminist accountability in practice
Emerging evidence
Baseline findings from studies
Diversity and inclusion
Safeguarding
Our narrative and messaging
Writing for policy, advocacy and other audiences
More information
Find out more about Grantee Partner projects funded by the What Works II initiative
Discover latest evidence and insights from our Research Consortium on our Evidence Hub
Learn about our Grantees
Our grants include Innovation and Scale grants across a number of focus areas. In our first funding round, eight grants have been awarded.