The 2026 Annual Event & Assembly successfully brought together Active Members of the SexSense network for two dynamic days of networking, reflection, collaboration, and strategic action.
In a climate of growing political political and cultural resistance to gender equality and sexuality education, this year’s gathering set the stage to reshape narratives and reclaim space for inclusive, evidence-based Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). 

Participants were involved in networking sessions, interactive workshops, and forward-looking discussions designed to co-develop impactful projects, strengthen the network’s collective voice, and sharpen advocacy strategies.

Event speakers

Guillermo Ricalde

he/they / them / theirs

Specialist on UN Special Procedures and SDGs at ILGA World, Switzerland

Guillermo Ricalde is a queer human rights lawyer specialising in gender, sexual orientation & gender identity (SOGI), and migration, with an extensive academic background and international advocacy experience. He has received awards for his human rights research, including the Blu Tirohl Award from the Taylor & Francis academic Journal of Gender Studies. He holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, as well as a second Erasmus Mundus Master’s degree in Migration and Intercultural Relations (EMMIR).

Guillermo has been deeply engaged in activism in the fields of women’s, LGBTI, and migrants’ rights, building networks across civil society movements. Their expertise focuses primarily on UN human rights mechanisms, including Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures, and the Sustainable Development Framework. They have substantial experience in international advocacy within UN spaces in both New York and Geneva, as well as in drafting reports and documentation to inform various UN mechanisms. Currently, they lead ILGA World’s United Nations Advocacy Programme on Special Procedures and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Stefanie Ismaili-Rohleder

she / her / hers

Kontaktstelle CERV, Germany

Stefanie Ismaili-Rohleder is a consultant at Kontaktstelle CERV, the National Contact Point in Germany for the European Funding Programme Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV). Set up in 2021, CERV fosters the promotion of rights, non-discrimination and equality.

Stefanie has studied political science, romance philology and European law/international law at the Universities of Bonn, Germany and Granada, Spain. She’s worked for several newspapers, the German Editorial Suhrkamp and for different projects at Fonds Soziokultur and Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft. Since 2014 she has been working in the European context for the National Contact Points of the European Funding Programme “Europe for Citizens,” the predecessor of CERV, and CERV.

Jaakko Toivonen

he / him / his

Head of Finance and Management, Transfeminiinit ry, Finland

Jaakko Toivonen (MSc Mathematics) is the young head of finance and management at Transfeminines NGO, a human rights and gender minority rights organisation focused on training and advocacy, psychosocial healthcare, and combating hate speech.

Toivonen also trains volunteers in anti-hate speech monitoring and speaks at seminars and conferences on hate speech, research and violence prevention from an LGBTQI+ and specifically a transgender perspective.

Vanessa Meyer

she / her / hers

Co-Founder of KNOWBODY, Germany

Vanessa Meyer is one of three co-founders of the KNOWBODY App. She is responsible for the app’s design and content as well as customer service and support. She is an advocate for comprehensive sexuality education in Germany as well as in European and international networks.

Isotta Rossoni

she / her / hers

Criminologist and Sexuality Educator; Founder @Bridges2Health&Rights, Italy/The Netherlands

Isotta Rossoni is a criminologist and sexuality educator. For over a decade, she has worked as a researcher, trainer, and programme manager with NGOs at the intersection of migration and criminal justice, with a particular focus on sexual and gender-based violence in contexts of migration and displacement. She is the co-founder of Bridges2Health&Rights, an NGO committed to advancing access to sexual wellbeing and rights for marginalised communities, and currently a PhD candidate at the Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Society at Leiden University.
Isotta is a motivational speaker pushing the boundaries of uncomfortable conversations to challenge stigma and break taboos. She is a TEDx speaker (‘Why we should rethink how we have sex, starting from consent’) and the creator of ‘Fregne, una ficata di podcast,’ a podcast dedicated to sex and sexuality.

Event guests

Johanna Marquardt

she / her / hers

Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit (BiÖG), Germany

Paula Dielentheis

she / her / hers

YSAFE & pro familia, Germany

Event details

Open to the Active members of the SexSense network, the SexSense Annual Event & Assembly 2026 was a strategic space to consolidate our goals and turn shared challenges into concrete outcomes. Participation in this registration-based event required a contribution from attendees.

Specifically, we:

• Analyzed the latest policy trends in the European CSE landscape to better align our joint advocacy efforts.

• Reviewed the 2025 Activity Report and the Bi-Annual Strategy 2026–2027 to define the roadmap for our Working Groups.

• Strengthened our capacity to counter anti-gender rhetoric by co-creating powerful alternative narratives and communication tools.

• Facilitated the development of new project proposals aligned with upcoming EU funding opportunities.

• Fostered collaboration among old and new active members through sessions designed to amplify our collective voice