Senator Sherry Rehman is a leading Pakistani politician, diplomat, journalist, and advocate for climate justice, women’s rights, and democratic governance. A fourth-term parliamentarian, she made history as the first woman to serve as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Pakistan. She has held key national roles, including Federal Minister for Climate Change, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, along with portfolios in health, women’s development, and culture.
Sherry Rehman is the Vice President of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and the founding chair of the Jinnah Institute, a major non-partisan think tank. Her career began in journalism, where she spent two decades as an award-winning editor and commentator, before transitioning to public service. She has been recognized globally — featured on TIME’s list of the 100 Most Influential People and Forbes’ Asia 50 Over 50 — and received Pakistan’s highest civil award, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, for her contributions to public life.
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This opening conversation brings together powerful women leaders from across sectors to deliver 10 minute reflections on what the last decade has changed, what it has cost, and what is now at stake. These are not speeches shaped by consensus or caution, but first words: direct, personal, and grounded in power, loss, and possibility. Together, the voices form a shared reckoning with the present moment, naming hard-won gains, unfinished struggles, and the growing forces pushing back against gender justice. The session then flows into a moderated conversation, connecting experiences across movements and generations and pressing toward what comes next. This is where the festival begins: with clarity, urgency, and a feminist vision for the decade ahead
