Submit an Abstract

Abstract submissions EXTENDED!

We encourage partners, stakeholders, and other interested partners to submit proposals to present their work at the Symposium, host a session or convene a panel.

Key dates: Our call for abstracts closes on 27 May 2026. Decisions will be communicated by 30 June 2026.

Note: Abstracts submitted by 20 February 2026 may receive early outcomes to support visa applications.

How to submit

All proposals will be evaluated through a secure, external online portal, AbstractWiz.com.

To submit your abstract using the online portal, please register a free account via the button below:

Proposal FAQs

Authors are invited to submit abstracts of no more than 350 words, including a brief description, methodology, and findings.

Be sure to go through our FAQs to give your Abstract the best chance of being accepted:

Conference Tracks

Authors should submit their abstracts under one of the following tracks. Each track includes guidance on its thematic scope.

1) Countering Backlash and Shrinking Civic Space

Focus: Strategies to resist regressive policies, conservative narratives, and hegemonic masculinities; defending SRHR language and advocacy; protecting activists; and building resilient movements amid nationalist politics and funding cuts.

2) Financing and Resource Justice for SRHR

Focus: Innovative, locally driven financing models; addressing global funding deficits; promoting accountability in resource allocation; and securing sustainable SRHR funding for marginalized communities in restrictive economic contexts.

3) Bodily Autonomy and Inclusive Service Delivery

Focus: Realizing bodily autonomy beyond Western framings; gender-transformative, youth-friendly, and disability-responsive health systems; reducing provider bias; ensuring access to comprehensive SRHR care—including safe abortion and contraception—and addressing service delivery for LGBTQI+ persons.

4) Norm Transformation and Community-Led Action

Focus: Transforming harmful social, religious, and cultural norms; engaging men and boys as allies; exploring the role of religious and traditional leaders; promoting community accountability; and scaling effective community-based interventions.

5) Positive Masculinities & Accountability

Focus: Men and boys as allies; fatherhood; dismantling harmful norms; and co-authored pieces with women and youth partners prioritised.

6) Knowledge, Data, and Evidence for Advocacy

Focus: Decolonized research and data systems; generating evidence for SRHR justice; measuring progress toward the SDGs, Agenda 2063, and Agenda 50:50; and using research to inform policy and counter opposition narratives.

7) Intergenerational & Intersectional Movement Building

Focus: Strengthening meaningful youth leadership—including youth with disabilities; fostering intergenerational dialogue and solidarity; building inclusive coalitions; and leveraging arts, media, and storytelling for narrative change.

8) Accountability and Implementation of Regional Frameworks

Focus: Evaluating the effectiveness, adoption, and gaps in regional and international SRHR frameworks (e.g., the Maputo Protocol); strengthening governmental accountability; and designing actionable, measurable accountability mechanisms to accelerate progress toward 2030 goals.

9) Sexual Diversity and Rights: inclusive SRHR work in hostile environments

Focus: Advancing evidence-based strategies and frontline models that promote and protect the sexual health, rights, and well-being of LGBTQI+ and other marginalized populations in legally restrictive or socially hostile contexts; navigating political and cultural opposition; and building resilient, intersectional programming that ensures safety, dignity, and access to services for all.

10) SRHR and Climate Justice: connections, tensions, and approaches

Focus: Examining the intersecting pathways between climate change and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR); addressing the compounded vulnerabilities of women, girls, and marginalized populations in climate crises; and exploring integrated, rights-based solutions that build resilience, ensure bodily autonomy, and advance gender equality within climate action and policies.

11) Youth-led SRHR Advocacy, including stories of resilience and resistance

Focus: Centering the power and agency of young people as key actors in the SRHR movement; showcasing strategies for effective youth-led organizing, digital activism, and intergenerational partnership; and amplifying narratives of resilience, resistance, and innovation in the face of political, social, and systemic barriers to sexual and reproductive justice.
Submission Format and Presentation Types
Submitted abstracts may be considered for:

Oral presentations(10–15 minutes + 5 minutes for Q&A)

Poster presentations (including Accessible Posters: large-print/alt-text ready)

Flash talk(for emerging ideas)

Innovation Demo (tool, product, prototype; table + 8-minute demo)

Artivism / Narrative Studio (spoken word, short film ≤3 min, comic/illustration set)

Advocacy Simulation Lab (interactive role-play, 45–60 min) Abstract Structure (≤350 words)

Abstracts should be structured as follows:

Problem/Context: (1–2 sentences, with setting)

Approach: (what you did; who led—including youth, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ involvement)

Evidence/Learning: (data, results, or insight)

Transfer & Replication: (how others can adapt it; materials you can share)

Safeguarding & Ethics: (consent, do-no-harm, data protection in hostile contexts)

In addition, a plain-language summary (≤80 words) is required for accessibility and the programme
Accessibility and Safeguarding Requirements

Presenters agree to provide a plain-language summary; high-contrast slides using the provided template; alt-text for images; and follow microphone etiquette.

Sessions may receive live accessibility feedback from the Accessibility Audit Squad; organisers will share quick-fix guidance on site.

If presenting on sensitive topics in hostile environments, authors may opt for anonymous programme entries, no-photo sessions, voice masking, and data minimisation as needed.

Accepted oral presentations will be allocated presentation times during symposium sessions. Poster presentations will be displayed throughout the event, with dedicated poster sessions for interaction with participants. All accepted abstracts will also be published on the MenEngage Africa website.

The official language of the symposium is English. Detailed preparation guidelines, including PowerPoint templates and poster specifications will be provided for acceptance abstracts.

Abstracts will be reviewed by the Review Committee, which reserves the right to assign accepted abstracts to oral, poster, or flash presentation formats. Notification of acceptance will be issued by 31 May 2026. All presenters must register as delegates, and standard registration fees will apply.

Open Outputs & Licensing

All accepted sessions must upload their materials (slides, templates, SOPs, datasets) for publication.
Evaluation Criteria
Abstracts that are judged to have low relevance to the overall conference (i.e. are not sufficiently related to the symposium tracks) will not be considered.

Submissions will be assessed based on:

Relevance & Rigor (fit to tracks; clarity of evidence)

Practice-to-Policy Transfer (replicability; tools or templates offered)

Inclusion & Leadership (roles of youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised groups)

Accessibility & Design (plain-language summary; alt-text/poster readability; high-contrast slides)

Safeguarding & Ethics (risk-aware methods; consent; data protection)

Learning Value (what others will do differently after this session)

In the case of tied scores, submissions that commit to publishing open materials within two weeks of the session will be prioritised.

Reviewers will apply tie-breaks in favour of youth-led and PwD-led or co-authored submissions. We aim for ≥40% youth-led contributions and ≥15% PwD-led or co-authored contributions across formats.
Timeline and Process

Early decision window: Abstracts submitted by 20 February 2026 may receive early outcomes to support visa applications.

Final submission deadline: Final submission deadline remains 20 March 2026.

Outcomes: Notifications of acceptance will be issued by 31 May 2026.
Presenter Support
How to Submit

All proposals will be evaluated through a secure, external online portal: AbstractWiz.com.

To submit your abstract, please register a free account on AbstractWiz.com using this link.

All abstracts must be submitted by Friday, 20 March 2026.

Note: For guidance on uploading an abstract to the online portal, visit the AbstractWiz help page and select ‘Submit Abstract’.

Proposal updates

06/02/2026

Call For Abstract Submissions