Soroptimist International South West Pacific

Conference of Clubs 2026

Hello Soroptimists, Changemakers and Friends,
 
It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you to the Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific Conference of Clubs 2026 from 1 - 3 May 2026 at The Pacific Sutera, Sutera Harbour Resort, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. We gather with hearts full of purpose and hope, united by the theme: “Empowering Communities, Embracing Sustainability.”

This theme is more than a statement — it is a call to action. It reminds us that true empowerment happens when women and communities are given the tools, skills, and opportunities to shape their own future. And it challenges us to ensure that the future we help to build is one where people and the planet thrive together.
 
I encourage every one of you to participate — ask questions, share your experiences, and contribute your voice. Together, we can amplify the impact of our projects and create ripple effects that reach far beyond our own communities.
 
Let us make this gathering not only a time for learning and collaboration, but also a celebration of our shared vision — a world where women and girls are empowered, and sustainability is embraced in every aspect of life.
 
On behalf of the SISEAP 2026 Committee, I warmly welcome you all, and I look forward to the meaningful conversations and actions that will emerge from this conference.
 
Thank you, and let’s begin our journey together.

To register for the conference, all registrants will first need to set up an account. This ensures that each delegate receives a unique QR code, which will be used for payment, on-site registration, hotel room reservations, and goodie bag redemption.

To know more about the Conference and register via the link below. 

2026 Company General Meeting, AGM and Federation Meeting

Registrations are now open for the 2026 Company General Meeting, AGM and Federation Meeting.  Club Representatives/Proxies, Federation Invitees and all Soroptimists (as Silent Observers) are welcome.

Friday 1st May 2026
9.00am-5.00pm
The Pacific Sutera Hotel, Sutera Harbour Resort, Kota Kinabalu

Assistant Membership Convenor - Asia 2024-2026 Biennium

Expressions of interest are being called for the Federation position of Assistant Membership Convenor - Asia. This is a great opportunity to play an important role within our Federation Membership Team for the remainder of the 2024-2026 Biennium.

SISEAP Online Shop

Great news! The SISEAP Shop is now live. You can now browse our range of items and place your order directly online. For all orders outside of Australia, please contact HQ for GST-exclusive prices and shipping quotes.

SI Yangon Disaster Relief

On Friday, March 28, 2025, at 12:50 PM local time, a powerful earthquake magnitude of 7.7 struck near the city of Mandalay in Myanmar.  This was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock just minutes later. 

The Soroptimist International club of Yangon acted immediately. In the days following the disaster, they rapidly assessed the damage and consulted with local support services to define the most critical needs. Once a project plan was established, they reached out to SISEAP President Joanne Yeoh, who swiftly released AUD $3,000 in immediate Disaster Funds from the Federation.

SI Yangon Soroptimists identified that these funds would provide food and essential items to households in the Sagaing District, where many residents had been displaced and were living in tents.

Federation Public Speaking Competition

Your club and members can get involved and be  ready to be inspired by bold ideas, passionate perspectives, and thoughtful solutions from the next generation of changemakers.

This year’s theme, "Empowered Voices, Sustainable Choices," encourages young people to explore how individuals and communities can make informed, ethical, and bold decisions that support a more sustainable and equitable future.

You can still be involved,  read the full guidelines and how to participate follow the link below. 

Many of our Members (Clubs) have been asking us, what is SISEAPs status now that we have become a charity mean to them as Clubs across our Federation? The following is a brief outline of SISEAP’s charity status and what is involved for our Company now operating as a charity.

The Company announced on 6 September 2024 (effective from 2 January 2023) that SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL SOUTH EAST ASIA PACIFIC had been approved and registered as a charity under ACNC – Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission.

Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific is registered with ACNC as a Company Limited by Guarantee – we are therefore under the category called a CLG (Company Limited by Guarantee) which is a type of organisational legal structure. All CLGs are registered as companies with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) which is required for us to operate as a company in Australia.

As a CLG and registered as a charity, we have ongoing obligations to ACNC which include:

• maintaining charity status by remaining not-for-profit and working towards the charity’s charitable purposes
• submitting an Annual Information Statement each year
• complying with the ACNC Governance Standards and External Conduct Standards
• notifying of changes to:
  • the charity’s company name (including removing ‘Limited’ from the name)
  • the charity’s Address for Service
  • the charity’s Responsible People (its directors) or
  • the charity’s governing document (its constitution)

As a charity we still have obligations to ASIC but these remain minor for so long as we retain Charitable Status with ACNC and these requirements are:

• it wants to change its name (including removing ‘Limited’ from the company name)
• its auditor resigns or is removed (in certain circumstances)
• an external administrator is appointed, or
• it winds up or deregisters.
• A charity does not have to report annually to ASIC, nor does it need to notify ASIC of certain changes.

ACNC requires Charities to operate under Governance Standards, which are a set of core minimum standards, that deal with how a charity is run and this includes its processes, activities and relationships – in other words its Governance. These Standards require charities to remain charitable, operate lawfully, and be run in an accountable and responsible way. Because the Governance Standards are a set of high-level principles, not precise rules, charities must determine the actions they need to take to comply with them. SISEAP lists these ‘principles’ in our Constitution and our Bylaws along with other supporting policies, procedures, manuals and other associated documentation.

Very importantly, Charities must meet the Governance Standards to be registered and remain registered with the ACNC.

These are the Governance Standards that SISEAP now adheres to so that we ensure that we retain our Charitable Status.

• Standard 1: Purposes and not-for-profit nature
• Standard 2: Accountability to Members
• Standard 3: Compliance with Australian Law
• Standard 4: Suitability of Responsible People
• Standard 5: Duties of Responsible People
• Standard 6: Maintaining and enhancing public trust and confidence in the Australian not-for-profit sector

How does SISEAP meet the civil statutory directors’ duties now that they are registered as a Charity?

A CLG that is a registered charity no longer needs to comply with the civil directors’ duties under the Corporations Act. Instead, it must comply with ACNC Governance Standard 5. This Governance Standard requires charities to make sure that their Responsible People meet similar duties to those under the Corporations Act.

Who are Responsible People in SISEAP?

A Responsible Person is someone responsible for governing a charity. Generally, a charity’s Responsible People are its board or committee members, and Responsible People may be referred to by different names depending on the type of organisation they are part of – in SISEAP we call responsible people Directors.

Therefore, SISEAP directors are responsible for governing and overseeing the affairs of the registered charity CLG and for setting its strategic direction. 

SISEAP is continuing to work towards the implementation of the ACNC Governance Standards to all our governance documentation and operating documentation.  More information will be provided via the Bulletin as we work through this process.

What is important to remember is that our charitable status is for the Company – Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific – and the Company is allowed to use the ACNC Logo on all its public documentation. However, this does not apply to any of our Members (Clubs) and unless a Club has applied and been successful in obtaining their own Charitable Status. Clubs across the Federation are not permitted to use the Charity Logo nor to obtain grants or funding by using the SISEAP Charitable Status on your Letters, Emails, Grant Applications or any general advertising that the Clubs may undertake.

Theresa Lyford

SISEAP Company Secretary