Karachi: The British Council's WOW - Women of the World Festival in collaboration with Shan Foods, UNFPA, Jafferjees, Generation, Toni and Guy, Spa Ceylon, ECDI Pakistan and Olomopolo Media concluded on 25 January at the Beach Luxury Hotel in Karachi. The two-day festival which was free and open to the public had an attendance of over 12,500 people.The opening keynote at the festival featured the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott with Senator Sherry Rehman, CBE Founder Director at the WOW Foundation, Jude Kelly, senior journalist and writer Mahnaz Rahman in a session moderated by journalist Sidra Iqbal. This powerful keynote set the tone for two days of dialogue, debate, and celebration.The programme for the WOW festival also included one-of-a-kind panels, workshops, film screenings, immersive performances, vibrant marketplaces and music performances.The British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott CMG OBE said: 'Empowering women and girls is central to the UK's partnership w ith Pakistan. As WOW marks 10 years in Pakistan, the festival highlights the creativity, resilience, and leadership of Pakistan's women and girls. It creates space for open conversations, bold ideas, and collaboration across generations and communities, inviting all of us to play our part in advancing gender equality.'Laila Jamil, Director Arts South Asia at the British Council said: 'Over the years, I have seen WOW grow not through spectacle, but through intention. It has been shaped by careful listening, by an insistence on artistic and intellectual freedom, and by a deep respect for local voices. To every artist, speaker, partner, volunteer and participant who has shaped WOW over these ten years, thank you. Your contributions remind us why the arts matter, especially in moments of challenge and change.'Helen Silvester, the Regional Director South Asia at the British Council said: 'This was a particularly special edition of WOW, as we celebrated its 10th anniversary in Pakistan. The British Council has been at the heart of this journey in Pakistan. By championing the arts, education, and cultural exchange, the British Council has helped ensure that WOW in Pakistan is not just an event, but a movement, one that connects local talent with global ideas, and turns creativity into confidence and opportunity.'In 2026 the British Council will also be celebrating the 10th anniversary of reopening their libraries in Karachi and Lahore with a special series of activities and events. The British Council's libraries are vibrant hubs for learning, research, and cultural engagement, offering unparalleled access to books, resources, and community events.Over the past decade, WOW in Pakistan has grown into a powerful platform for dialogue, creativity, and change. It has brought together thousands of women and girls across cities, campuses, and communities, creating space for conversations that matter, and spotlighting voices that deserve to be heard.The programme for WOW in 2026 has been developed by curating partner s and informed by planning sessions held earlier in which a diverse group of people belonging to civil society, women's rights organisations, disability led organisations, legal community, academics, artists, transgender community leaders, teachers and educators came together to discuss who and what they would like to see at the WOW Festival.The WOW Foundation was created by Jude Kelly CBE in 2018 to run the global movement that is WOW - Women of the World Festivals. The festivals began in the UK in 2010, launched by Kelly at the Southbank Centre London, where she was Artistic Director, to celebrate women and girls, taking a frank look at what prevents them from achieving their potential, raising awareness globally of the issues they face, and discussing solutions together.To date, WOW has reached five million people in 45 locations on six continents, in locations including Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Somaliland, the UK and the USA.Over the last 13 years the festivals have developed a reputation as a space for world renowned artists, activists, thinkers and performers including Angela Davis, Malala Yousafzai, Annie Lennox, Patrick Stewart, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Salma Hayek, to come and participate, alongside thousands of women and girls who don't have public profiles but are doing amazing things. WOW provides platforms for people of all kinds, changes attitude, brings communities together and provides a unique space for people to work together towards gender equity in their own communities. One example of the Festival's impact came in 2015, with the founding of the Women's Equality Party by Sandi Toksvig and Catherine Mayer.In 2018 Kelly left the Southbank Centre to run The WOW Foundation full time as a charity working to build, convene and sustain a global movement that believes a gender equal world is possible and desirable through festivals and empowering women and girls. The unique festival model creates numerous pathways for participant s to take part in WOW projects, amplify their own causes, or start new initiatives which have a wide impact on communities. It is the biggest, most comprehensive and most significant festival dedicated to presenting work by women and promoting equity for women and girls.WOW Festival was originally produced and presented by Southbank Centre.The British Council is the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021-22 we reached 650 million people. www.britishcouncil.org