Applications are now officially open for the 2026 Global Survivor Council (GSC), a major international initiative designed to ensure survivor voices are represented at the upcoming 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children scheduled to take place in Manila, Philippines.

The Global Survivor Council will play a central role in shaping discussions, recommendations, and participation strategies for the global conference, which focuses on addressing all forms of violence affecting children worldwide.

The initiative is being coordinated by The Brave Movement, a global advocacy organisation working to end childhood sexual violence and strengthen survivor-led participation in policymaking and international advocacy efforts.

Purpose of the Global Survivor Council

The Global Survivor Council has been established to amplify the voices and lived experiences of survivors in global conversations surrounding child protection, violence prevention, and safeguarding systems.

Organisers emphasized that survivor participation is critical to ensuring that international policy discussions and commitments are informed by real-world experiences and community realities.

The Council will support the planning and delivery of the 2nd Global Ministerial Conference by providing survivor-centred insights and recommendations throughout the preparation process.

According to the announcement, the initiative aims to create meaningful participation opportunities for individuals representing survivor-led movements and organisations from across the world.

Focus of the 2026 Conference

The 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children will bring together governments, civil society organisations, international institutions, survivors, advocates, and experts to strengthen global efforts to protect children from violence.

The conference is expected to focus on:

Preventing violence against children
Strengthening child protection systems
Survivor-centred policies and approaches
Advocacy and accountability mechanisms
Community-led safeguarding initiatives
International collaboration on child safety

The event will be hosted in Manila, Philippines, highlighting the growing importance of Asia-Pacific leadership in global child protection initiatives.

Role of the Global Survivor Council

The Global Survivor Council will work closely with organisers and stakeholders involved in the conference process.

Council members will contribute by:

Sharing lived experiences and survivor perspectives
Advising on survivor-centred conference approaches
Supporting inclusive participation and representation
Contributing to discussions on violence prevention strategies
Helping shape advocacy and policy priorities

The initiative seeks to ensure that survivor participation moves beyond symbolic inclusion and becomes a meaningful component of global decision-making processes.

Global Representation and Inclusivity

The organisers stated that the Council will bring together participants from survivor-led networks across multiple regions and backgrounds.

The GSC is expected to include individuals who can speak to various forms of violence against children, including:

Sexual violence
Physical abuse
Emotional and psychological abuse
Exploitation and trafficking
Online abuse and digital harms
Harmful practices and neglect

The initiative places strong emphasis on global representation and diversity to ensure that perspectives from different cultural, regional, and social contexts are included.

Programme Timeline and Participation Period

The 2026 Global Survivor Council will operate from June 2026 through November 2026.

During this period, members will engage in consultations, discussions, collaborative planning sessions, and conference-related activities leading up to the ministerial event.

The timeline allows participants to contribute throughout the design and implementation stages of the conference rather than only during the final event itself.

Stipend and Participation Support

Organisers confirmed that membership in the Global Survivor Council is voluntary. However, selected participants will receive financial support to acknowledge their time and contributions.

Support provided includes:

A stipend for all Council members
Travel expenses for invited conference participants
Per diem support for those attending the conference in Manila

This support is intended to reduce participation barriers and promote equitable involvement from survivors across different economic and geographic backgrounds.

Importance of Survivor-Led Participation

The establishment of the Global Survivor Council reflects a growing international movement toward survivor-led advocacy and policy development.

In recent years, organisations working on child protection and violence prevention have increasingly recognised the importance of including survivors in leadership and decision-making processes.

Advocates argue that survivor-centred participation strengthens:

Policy relevance
Accountability mechanisms
Community trust
Prevention strategies
Institutional responsiveness

The Global Survivor Council therefore represents an effort to institutionalise survivor leadership within international child protection frameworks.

About The Brave Movement

The Brave Movement is a global survivor-led organisation focused on ending childhood sexual violence and empowering survivors through advocacy, awareness, and policy engagement.

The organisation works with governments, civil society groups, and international institutions to strengthen prevention systems and ensure survivor perspectives are integrated into global policy discussions.

By coordinating the Global Survivor Council, The Brave Movement continues its efforts to promote survivor inclusion in international advocacy spaces.

Opportunities for Global Advocacy

Participation in the Global Survivor Council offers selected members an opportunity to contribute to high-level global conversations on ending violence against children.

Participants will have the chance to:

Collaborate with survivor advocates worldwide
Influence international child protection discussions
Build networks across regions and sectors
Share experiences and expertise
Support survivor-centred policy development

The programme also provides an important platform for elevating underrepresented voices in international advocacy processes.

Conclusion

The opening of applications for the 2026 Global Survivor Council marks a significant step toward strengthening survivor participation in global child protection initiatives.

As preparations continue for the 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Manila, the Council will serve as a key mechanism for ensuring that survivors remain at the centre of discussions, planning, and decision-making.

Through global representation, financial support for participants, and meaningful engagement opportunities, the initiative aims to build a more inclusive and survivor-informed approach to ending violence against children worldwide.

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Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications & CVs to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding