Feminist Development and Foreign Policy goes beyond integrating women into existing processes that have long been dominated by the interests and agendas of powerful men. It is a critical driver to push progress on sexual and reproductive health and rights, which is the cornerstone of feminist development.
Grounded in equality and intersectionality and informed by the voices of feminist activists, groups and movements, Feminist Development and Foreign Policies are not just for women, but for all members of a society.
However, the implementation of these policies can be met with opposition and hostility, particularly when it comes to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
So how do we counter opposition, anti-rights, and anti-gender movements aiming to undermine and block progress?
This was one of the central questions of the high-level panel we co-hosted on Feminist Development and Foreign Policy with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in Berlin on 12 June. We also discussed some of the biggest challenges and opportunities in agreeing and implementing a Feminist Development and Foreign Policy and how this relates to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
“Feminist policy is deliberately designed to be intersectional and to be a mechanism that can work with all people,” said Mina Barling, External Relations Director at IPPF, who moderated the panel. “It also influences a span of work with knock-on effects related to aid, trade, defense and diplomacy.”
The 3 R’s of Feminist Foreign Policy
In March, the German Government announced its new Feminist Development Policy that seeks to strategically tackle gender inequalities and promote women’s rights. As the second-largest provider of development aid globally, this policy is an important and historic step for the country, and it follows in the footsteps of Canada, France, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands and Spain.
In her remarks, Parliamentary State Secretary of BMZ, Dr Bärbel Kofler emphasized the three R’s of feminist foreign policy: rights, resources and representation. Successful implementation of this new policy will see the rights of women and marginalized groups granted, their access to resources improved and their representation strengthened as the key to equal participation.
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It’s not about being gender sensitive, it’s about being gender transformative.
“It’s not about being gender sensitive, it’s about being gender transformative,” she said. “We need to engage as a whole sector.”
Jim Monkel, the Dutch Youth Ambassador for SRHR with the Government of the Netherlands named a fourth ‘R’: reality check. He emphasized the need for policies to work within local contexts, and to include youth in every stage from design to implementation.
"Fifty percent of the world’s population are under 30,” he said. “We need to aim for an equal partnership with young people – young people need to know how they can benefit from policy that’s being implemented."
Lessons from around the world
Sharing lessons learned and best practices from existing feminist foreign policies was a key theme of the panel discussion.
Anita Vandenbeld, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development with the Government of Canada, shared insights from Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), which has been in place since 2017.
“You need to set clear and ambitious targets to prioritize gender equality, and you need to invest in gender equality expertise,” she said. “There is a misconception that FIAP is just about women as beneficiaries of aid - but it’s about women being involved in every stage from design to implementation.”
There is a misconception that [feminist foreign policy] is just about women as beneficiaries of aid - but it’s about women being involved in every stage from design to implementation.
However, there are some possible pitfalls and unintended consequences when it comes to designing and implementing such a strategy, which must be addressed at the source.
Mexico, for example, has implemented its feminist foreign policy since 2020. But at a base level, Cristopher Ballinas Valdés, Director General for Human Rights and Democracy with the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the challenges of simply using the word ‘feminist’.
“We have a lot of old school ambassadors, and when you use the ‘F-word’, they say: ‘Can I use a different word? Like gender perspective or gender-oriented?’ But we say, ‘No, you have to say feminist.’"
Valdés added: “Feminist foreign policy is a powerful tool if you know how to use it. It’s not a 'more of' thing – it’s a question of principles and human rights.”
Marie-Evelyn Petrus-Barry, IPPF’s Africa Regional Director, also emphasized the focus on human rights.
“No matter where we are or where we come from, we have a common denominator – human rights. If we use human rights as a lens in everything we do, we automatically take into account people’s realities," she said.
Decolonizing Feminist Foreign Policy
But beyond challenges of design and implementation, Petrus-Barry pointed out that it’s crucial for feminist policy approaches to be applied using a decolonization lens.
When we think of who is setting feminist development and foreign policies, we realize that voices on decolonization and the voices of the people whose rights we are working to protect and defend are not part of this dialogue.
“When we think of who is setting feminist development and foreign policies, we realize that voices on decolonization and the voices of the people whose rights we are working to protect and defend are not part of this dialogue. A large part of the narrative comes from the Global North, and it feels like we are telling the formerly colonized people to hurry up and decolonize,” she said.
Collaboration between governments, civil society organizations, and grassroots activists from around the world is crucial when engaging on the issues of decolonization and anti-racism.
As Sarah Goulding, Assistant Secretary and Principal Specialist Gender Equality with the Australian Government put it: “This is a shared journey of shared challenges for shared priorities that will support all of us achieve human rights, security, prosperity and stability.”
Looking ahead, we encourage governments to be bold and courageous in adopting a feminist foreign policy that places gender equality at the center of structures, processes, funding and partnerships.
IPPF is proud to provide a platform for these important conversations, and we offer our partnership and solidarity in working towards a world where women, girls and all members of society are safe and free to make choices about their sexual and reproductive health.
Panelists:
Mina Barling, Director, External Relations, IPPF (Moderator)
Dr Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, Government of Germany
Anita Vandenbeld, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development, Government of Canada
Cristopher Ballinas Valdés, Director General for Human Rights and Democracy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Mexico
Sarah Goulding, Assistant Secretary and Principal Specialist Gender Equality, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia
Jim Monkel, the Dutch Youth Ambassador for SRHR, Government of the Netherlands
Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, Director, Africa Region Office, IPPF
