The Diplomat
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced this Wednesday in Paris that Spain will host the fifth Feminist Foreign Policy Conference in 2026, “to advance the consolidation of a global, transformative, inclusive, and equality-led feminist diplomacy.”
This announcement came at the opening of the fourth Feminist Diplomacy Conference, organized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conference, which brings together some 450 participants from 50 states, multilateral organizations, civil society, and research to promote diplomacy focused on gender equality, women’s rights, and global justice, is being held in Paris. Albares has been invited to the conference as a leading allied state in this area.
In his speech, the minister stated that Feminist Foreign Policy “is today one of the priority areas of our country’s international projection, recognized in our 2025-2028 Foreign Action Strategy.” He explained some of the actions Spain has taken, such as the reception and refuge of Afghan women persecuted by the Taliban regime, the promotion of women’s political participation through political dialogue platforms such as HearUs, and the provision of services, through the network of consulates and embassies, to Spanish women who have suffered gender-based violence abroad, which serves hundreds of women each year.
Likewise, Albares indicated that, through the coordination of the Ambassador on Special Mission for Feminist Foreign Policy, Spain will soon have a new National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, which will strengthen institutional coordination and civil society participation in this area, and the first Feminist Cooperation Strategy, which will consolidate Spain’s commitment to equality also in the area of international development cooperation.
In his inaugural address, Minister Albares linked the attack on feminism to the rise of extremism: “Those who attack democracy also attack feminism and the idea of equality, citizenship, and justice on which it is based.”
Furthermore, the Minister highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to the full participation of women in all spheres of public life and cited as examples the presence of two women at the helm of the embassies in Washington and Beijing, in the two major world powers, the increased presence of women in directorates-general and secretariats of state, and equal promotions in the diplomatic service.
Albares emphasized that parity must also be reflected in international organizations, “where glass ceilings still exist,” and emphasized that “the time has come for the United Nations to have a female secretary-general.”