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Financing for Development and Feminist Foreign Policies: Exploring the Synergies

  • FIBES Sevilla Exhibition and Conference Centre, Room: Side Event 11 1 Avenida Alcalde Luis Uruñuela Sevilla, AN, 41020 Spain (map)

About the event

The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) is taking place amid monumental global challenges: life-altering cuts to development assistance; growing attacks on gender equality and human rights; increasing conflict, instability and climate change; and the fracturing of multilateral negotiations designed to address these very same issues. 

The UN’s 2030 target for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is just five years away, yet research shows that no country is expected to achieve gender equality within that timeline. Furthermore, resources for the 2030 Agenda are increasingly constrained. In such a grave context, mobilizing global and multistakeholder support for gender equality is critical to ensure that all gains are not lost, or worse, reversed. 

Ten years ago, the Addis Abba Agenda for Action reaffirmed that “gender equality, empowering all women and girls, and the full realization of their human rights are essential to achieving sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and sustainable development.” It reiterated the need for gender mainstreaming and recommitted to the adoption and strengthening of “sound policies and enforceable legislation and transformative actions for the promotion of gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment at all levels.”  

It remains to be seen if the FFD4 outcome document will include similar commitments. As well, feminists from around the globe are calling for strong steps to address global inequalities, debt burdens, private sector accountability, and tax cooperation, emphasizing human rights.

In recent years, feminist foreign policies (FFPs) have emerged as powerful, innovative tools to encourage greater investment in gender equality, human rights and sustainable development. Feminist foreign policy governments and allies have committed to “mainstreaming a feminist perspective in the UN system and in other regional and international forums,” including FFD4, and also to “advance gender-responsive reforms, to reshape financial and economic systems to prioritize sustainability, climate justice and peace.” In adopting feminist foreign policies, governments–as well as multilateral organizations and international financial institutions–are reassessing their traditional ways of working and reorienting practices, and investments, in service of people, peace and planet.

This event will bring together key champions of feminist foreign and development policies, including government and civil society representatives, to advance the implementation of gender-transformative commitments and raise momentum for collective action. Speakers will address FFD4 outcomes, offer recommendations for gender equality in development finance, explore civil society visions for economic justice, and build multistakeholder and transnational solidarity around feminist foreign policy and the financing for development agenda.

Please note: To attend this event, you must have already received approval to attend the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development. The event is first come, first served and space is limited.

Outcomes

  • To mobilize support for gender equality and human rights in the FFD4 agenda, recognizing feminist foreign and development policies as key drivers of progress

  • To highlight key challenges and demonstrate successes in financing for gender equality, sustainable development and climate justice

  • To spotlight diverse leadership and build partnerships between civil society and government champions of feminist foreign policy

  • To build momentum for longer-term engagement on this issue, and to encourage feminist leadership in upcoming multilateral forums (FFP conference in France, UN Climate Change Conference, World Social Summit, etc.)

Speakers

  • Lyric Thompson, Founder and CEO, Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative (moderator)

  • Foteini Papagioti, Deputy Director of Policy and Advocacy, International Center for Research on Women

  • Memory Kachambwa, Executive Director, FEMNET - The African Women's Development and Communications Network

  • Beth Woroniuk, Senior Fellow, Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

  • Ana María Alonso Giganto, Ambassador-at-large for Feminist Foreign Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Government of Spain

  • Arlene B. Tickner, Ambassador-at-large for Gender Issues and Global Feminist Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Colombia

  • Bruna Martinez, Manager, Walking the Talk

Co-sponsors

  • Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

  • International Center for Research on Women

  • FEMNET - The African Women's Development and Communications Network

  • Government of Spain

  • Government of Colombia

  • Walking the Talk