10 March
Equality between women and men is a priority for the French government. France’s international cooperation is underpinned by a feminist diplomacy agenda that reflects this commitment.
What does it mean exactly?
The French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs strives for gender equality to be mainstreamed into all issues addressed on the global stage: promoting human rights, tackling social and economic inequalities, fostering sustainable development and advancing climate action, peace and security, etc.
This is why France co-hosted the Generation Equality Forum convened by UN Women in 2020/2021, and has taken on a leadership role in the Action Coalition on Bodily Autonomy & Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Generation Equality is a global feminist campaign that brings together stakeholders from various constituencies to accelerate progress in 6 key areas for gender equality.
A feminist diplomacy also means that France seeks to promote concrete actions to advance gender equality and women’s rights and agency throughout its cooperation engagements. For instance, we have pledged to dedicate 75% of all French international cooperation public financing to advancing gender equality by 2025 – up from 50% currently.
Our partnership with feminist civil society organisations in South Africa and Lesotho is a concrete translation of this commitment. It forms part of France’s global support to local feminist organisations, for which 20 million euros in funding have been earmarked.
Increased cooperation on SRHR, particularly on tackling unwanted early pregnancies in South Africa and Malawi, will also be a priority from 2022.
Last but not least, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs is committed to leading by example, by implementing a proactive and ambitious gender equality policy internally.
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