FFP Accountability Final Report: First Annual Accountability Cycle 2025-2026

English

Published: November 2026

Author: Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative, including Emilia Blancarte Jaber (Accountability Consultant), Lyric Thompson, Spogmay Ahmed and Lorena Torres Peña with Jillian Montilla (Equipop)

Contributors:

  • The accountability framework was designed by Emilia Blancarte Jaber, with inputs from Lyric Thompson, Spogmay Ahmed, Jillian Montilla and members of the Global Partner Network for Feminist Foreign Policy.

  • The FFP Accountability website was designed by Alexia Keller.

For any inquiries, please contact general@ffpcollaborative.org.

Description

This final report closes the first annual cycle of FFP Accountability, an initiative commissioned by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Government of France in October of 2025 to track commitments made at the Ministerial Conferences on Feminist Foreign Policy. It covers the Fourth Ministerial Conference that took place in Paris at that time, as well as the Fifth Ministerial Conference that took place in Madrid (June 2-3, 2026). It builds on the Midpoint Report published in June 2026 and incorporates updates received from governments through November 6, 2026.

All findings are self-reported by the governments and institutions that made the commitments, and are analyzed against the methodology set out in the FFP Accountability Framework. This report offers a snapshot of progress, and it leaves the detailed review of national policies to our Defining Feminist Foreign Policy paper series. We thank the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Government of France for commissioning this work, as well as every government that took the time to engage with our accountability process.

Executive Summary

The first accountability cycle shows that feminist foreign policy commitments can be launched, validated and, in most cases, delivered, even in a year of highly polarized geopolitics and contracting development budgets. Governments that name specific, time-bound actions foster accountability efforts, which strengthens the credibility of the wider FFP agenda. This cycle points to clear opportunities to deepen that practice.

  • Paris delivered: In Paris, 13 commitments were confirmed through our validation process. At midpoint, seven were fulfilled and six were on track, with the Government of France's Development Agency (AFD) financing, the Government of Mexico's foreign service appointments and the Government of Finland's crisis management roster all exceeding their targets. Updates received since midpoint from the Governments of Mexico, the Netherlands and Armenia point to continued delivery. These include the Government of Mexico’s announcement of a 2026 foreign service entrance exam with at least 40 of 80 positions allocated to women, new funding reported by the Government of the Netherlands, and the Government of Armenia’s ongoing implementation of its Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security for 2025 to 2027.

  • Hosting matters: 11 of the 13 commitments (85%) were made by governments that have hosted, were hosting or will host a Ministerial Conference. This includes the Government of the Netherlands, host of the 2nd FFP Ministerial in 2023; despite having subsequently renounced its feminist foreign policy, the government nonetheless made new commitments in both Paris and Madrid. Hosts bring convening power, and the ministerial series is proving to be a space where governments, including those that have stepped back from the label, still find value in pushing for new progress.

  • Successful commitments are specific, time-bound and within the realm of what an individual ministry can control: Commitments with a defined output under the commitment-maker's own authority, such as hosting a conference, extending an action plan, joining a group or assigning new foreign service positions, were completed by the midpoint of the cycle. Commitments tied to multi-year budgets or involving broader institutional change are progressing, and their pace and progress will be subject to external factors including national budget processes.

  • New funding sends a strong political signal: In a period of reduced official development assistance (ODA), the specific financial pledges in this cycle carry weight beyond their size. They include the Government of France's target for AFD financing (FFP04) that contributes to gender equality (measured with the OECD DAC gender equality policy marker, in which a score of 1 means gender equality is a significant objective and 2 means it is the principal objective) and the Government of the Netherlands’ grant program for feminist organizations in the Global South. They show that resourcing the agenda remains viable for governments that have political will. They do not, however, come close to closing the global shortfall in gender equality financing.

  • The Madrid Conference took place within the first annual accountability cycle, infusing additional commitments, including a multi-year commitment, within the first annual reporting period: The Spain-UN Women Strategic Partnership Framework 2026-2031 and the Spain-UNFPA Strategic Partnership Framework 2026-2029, both announced at the Madrid Conference, provide a longer-term commitment.

  • A shared registration practice would strengthen the next cycle: Commitments in this cycle were not coordinated or tracked in any formal manner, outside this project. This is both a missed opportunity for encouraging commitment-making in this platform, as well as a challenge for comprehensive tracking: all commitments were announced in separate speeches, side events or press releases, and had to be searched for and then verified after each conference. We recommend developing a common record for identifying and registering commitments, which would give governments and civil society a shared reference point from the start.