What’s in a name? The Shakespearian question of whether a foreign policy can be feminist without the label stayed at the back of my mind during the 4th Executive Seminar on Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP). I had the privilege of attending this two-week session in May 2024 along with twenty amazing participants from all over the world. Only a few came from countries that called their diplomacy feminist, but we realised from the beginning that we were all engaged in achieving the same goal, namely to improve gender equality, women’s rights and representation.

Our discussions, passionate and frank, were only made possible thanks to the perfect organisation of Ambassador Heidrun Tempel and her team. Not only did they provide us with challenging questions and high-level interlocutors, they also offered us a safe space, or to quote Virginia Woolf, a „room of (our) own“ for our fervent debates. We were lucky to meet with high-level officials, including Minister of State Tobias Lindner and Member of the Bundestag Aniko Glogowski-Merten, as well as with representatives from civil society, foundations and media organisations. This wide range of interlocutors gave us the opportunity to dive into very specific aspects of FFP, with our discussions being enriched by several technical sessions with services from the ministries. And it also enabled us to exchange views on a more political, and sometimes philosophical, level.

The diversity of our group did not only lie in the fact that we came from different countries. We all came from different spheres of diplomacy, from political to consular to development. It was a deeply inspiring group, both professionally and on a personal level through the richness of the stories we shared. FFP cannot happen without the women and men who make it happen, who implement it on a daily basis in their missions, whether their job is dedicated to gender equality or not. We debated how to improve the visibility of women in diplomacy but also their daily lives in a difficult career path. We shared good practices, one of them being a network of gender focal points, something that several countries – including France – had already implemented.

France adopted feminist diplomacy in 2019, and the very name is a starting point on which we build all our actions, as set out in our next FFP strategy. At a time when women's rights are under threat all over the world, political signals such as including the right to abortion in the French Constitution or organising the first Olympic Games with real gender parity are important. Last but not least, we established that a FFP needs resources. Political will is void if not supported by adequate financing, and resources are also the key to sustainability.

I would like to conclude by thanking once again Germany and Ambassador Tempel for giving me and my remarkable peers this opportunity. The safe space they provided for our dialogue is all the more valuable at a time when multilateralism is under threat. One of the major takeaways from this seminar is that FFP is neither from the North nor the South, but a bridge between all countries. I came back to France with my head full of ideas, memories but also perspectives for further dialogue. This „room of (our) own“ remains open in the months and years to come, so strong are the bonds we have created.

Chloé Davezac