On this International Women's Day, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot reaffirmed our priority focus on women's rights by launching the first international strategy for a feminist foreign policy (2025-2030). Developed through a participatory process involving more than 200 national and international partners, this strategy sets a clear and ambitious course to place women's rights and equality at the heart of our foreign policy and reaffirms its basic priorities: defending sexual and reproductive rights and health; support for feminist organizations; the education of girls; the fight against gender-based violence; women's economic independence; and women's participation in public life and decision making.
On March 7, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs announced several important measures to step up our efforts in this area.
To begin with, our diplomatic and consular network is accelerating its efforts to implement its feminist foreign policy on the ground and protect citizens who suffer violence abroad. In 2025, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs will sign an agreement with SaveYou, a platform that offers support for French families that have experienced violence at the hands of spouses or relatives abroad. A guide that provides information to consular services on welcoming and supporting these victims will also be made available to French representatives elected by citizens living abroad.
The Minister also joined the coalition supporting the She Decides initiative, which works to ensure that women are free to make decisions about their own bodies, lives and future. Our feminist foreign policy is part of France's commitment to strong and effective multilateralism, which raises up the voices of women and girls in the UN and in all forums. Women must be able to play an essential role in negotiation and mediation processes.
France reiterated its commitment to support women's rights via feminist organizations. Since 2020, we have directly supported more than 1,400 feminist organizations in 73 countries through the Support Fund for Feminist Organizations (FSOF).
While maintaining our commitment to women's rights in the face of such contemporary challenges as climate change, global health and food security, France is also working in the digital field and on artificial intelligence. In 2024, we joined with the Netherlands to present the first UN resolution on online violence against women and girls; it was adopted. At the AI Action Summit, we originated the first statement on the consideration of gender equality in the development of AI, which was adopted by 12 countries. This effort also translates into work on the ground: the Laboratory for Women's Rights Online, launched in 2024, supported five innovative projects on different continents aimed at assisting women who have suffered violence in the digital environment.
France actively promotes a response to gender issues in armed conflicts and peacekeeping. On March 7, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot announced France's first contribution to the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund, the largest UN fund devoted to supporting women and civil society organizations in crisis situations.
The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs also actively implements a feminist foreign policy with regard to professional equality between male and female employees. It continues to combat gender stereotypes and to fight all forms of discrimination, sexist and sexual violence, and harassment, including in a private context. It is working to improve support for parents and to better support employee health. The “J'attends un enfant” (“I am Expecting a Child”) booklet, which informs employees of their rights as parents, was published this month.
France is fully committed to this effort and in 2025 it will host its first Feminist Foreign Policy Summit, following the one held in Mexico last year.