SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls | SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Institutions: Ministry of External Affairs | Ministry of Women and Child Development | Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
Ministers and high representatives from over 30 countries, including Canada, Germany, France, and Mexico, gathered in Paris for the 4th Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policies and adopted a Joint Political Declaration. The declaration reaffirms their collective commitment to strengthening a feminist or gender-transformative approach to foreign policy, emphasizing the human rights of all women and girls in their diversity. The signatories express deep concern over the ongoing attempts to roll back women’s rights globally, pervasive violence, and discrimination, particularly at a time of growing international crises.
The declaration sets forth several calls to action, including combating gender-based violence as a national and international priority, addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence through an online and offline continuum, and engaging men and boys as agents of change to address the root causes of unequal power structures. Furthermore, the commitment reaffirms the right of women and girls to make informed decisions about their lives and bodies, specifically calling for the protection and advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and comprehensive access to safe abortion care. Finally, signatories commit to integrating a feminist culture into their own administrations and decision-making systems.
The Paris Declaration establishes critical new global norms that directly impact India’s strategic, regulatory, and developmental priorities, creating both diplomatic challenges and domestic policy urgency.
The commitment of over 30 countries to a Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) sets a new international standard for aid, trade, and climate funding that influences global forums like the UN and G20. India must proactively formulate a clear, cohesive strategic stance to navigate this coordinated FFP bloc, ensuring its strategic autonomy and Global South leadership role remain effective while continuing to champion its own gender equality goals. This is particularly relevant for India’s Development Cooperation and its commitment to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).
Domestically, the Declaration’s strong focus on combating Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) across the online-offline continuum reinforces the urgency for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to finalize effective regulations against deepfakes and online harassment under the IT framework. Furthermore, it compels the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to strengthen existing schemes like Mission Shakti and address gaps in SRHR delivery, leveraging international pressure to accelerate domestic policy implementation..
What is a Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP)?→ A Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) is a comprehensive political framework that seeks to achieve gender equality and the full enjoyment of human rights for all women and girls through the tools of foreign policy, including diplomacy, development aid, trade, and defense. It moves beyond simply including women in traditional policies by actively working to analyze and dismantle patriarchal power structures and systemic gender inequalities that are the root causes of global instability and marginalization.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How will the Ministry of External Affairs coordinate with the Ministry of Women and Child Development to integrate core TFGBV and SRHR commitments into India’s own development partnerships and multilateral diplomacy?
Follow the full news here: Paris Joint Political Declaration on Achieving Gender Equality