By Luc Briard
How can we unite, act and resist together in order to defend gender equality and the rights of women and girls? This will be the guiding question of the 4th Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policy, which France will host on 22 and 23 October 2025. This conference will bring together ministers of foreign affairs from all regions of the world, representatives of international organizations, public development banks, as well as civil society, research bodies and philanthropic foundations.
Since 2019, France has pursued a feminist foreign policy, making gender equality and women’s rights a cross-cutting priority of its external action in the fields of development, democratic governance, peace and security, and humanitarian action, amongst others. Yet feminist foreign policy is not just lofty ideals; it follows through with concrete public policies and strong partnerships.
France and its partners are actively promoting women’s and girls’ rights.
France has made gender equality and defending women’s and girls’ rights a strategic and geopolitical priority in order to build just, inclusive, peaceful and sustainable societies. Research shows that the participation of women in negotiation processes increases the likelihood that a process be sustainable by 35%. Similarly, policies that effectively mainstream gender equality make it possible to combat global warming more effectively, to stimulate growth and to strengthen the resilience of societies.
On 7 March 2025, France presented its International Strategy for a Feminist Foreign Policy. A central tenet of this strategy is the defence of rights and sexual and reproductive health. New priorities have been established, placing gender equality at the heart of France’s response to contemporary global challenges, including crises and conflicts, climate change, health, international finance, digital technology and artificial intelligence.
As part of its feminist foreign policy, France is implementing a number of flagship initiatives, including the Support Fund for Feminist Organizations (FSOF), launched in 2020 to help more than 1,400 organizations in 75 countries. Another example is the Laboratory for Women’s Rights Online, created in 2024. As the first of its kind, it offers an international platform for exchanging ideas and serves as an incubator for projects to fight gender-based violence in the digital environment.
For as long as gender inequalities persist, there remains much to be accomplished.
Despite these initiatives and the progress made by the international community, much is still to be done. According to UN Women, at the current rate of change it would take nearly 300 years to achieve genuine gender equality worldwide.
Still today, gender inequalities persist, and in some cases are worsening. Conflict-related sexual violence rose by 50% from 2022 to 2023. In far too many countries, millions of women are denied the fundamental right to bodily autonomy: 193 million women only have access to abortion when their lives are in danger, and 142 million have no access to abortion under any circumstances. Wherever crises are shaking the foundations of society – in Afghanistan, Iran, Gaza, Ukraine or Sudan – it is women’s rights that are the first to suffer.
A high-level conference to reaffirm our shared determination and collective ambition
In an international context marked by a significant decline in dedicated funding and the rise of anti-rights movements, the 4th Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policy will reaffirm our common determination to defend and promote women’s rights and gender equality, and accept no regression. Together, we will keep moving forward.
About the Author
Luc Briard
Ambassador of France to Guinea and Sierra Leone
