It was 2014 when I first heard the term “feminist foreign policy.” Sweden’s then foreign minister Margot Wallström had just announced the world’s first feminist foreign policy (FFP) – not gender-sensitive, not pro-women but “feminist.” It was bold, audacious and even laughed at by some. The moment stirred the corridors of foreign ministries across the globe with both admiration and scepticism. For feminists around the world, it provided hope; it provided an opportunity to reimagine diplomacy often coded in weapons, trade deals, and power plays through the lens of gender equality and care.
Unfortunately, this moment was short-lived. A decade later, Sweden has walked away from the commitment, and with it, much of Europe seems to be retreating too.
The F-Word Making Regimes Uneasy
Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) is both a framework of values — centring gender equality, human rights, and intersectionality — and a strategic approach that guides how countries engage globally, aiming to shift power structures, promote inclusive decision-making, and achieve concrete results such as greater participation of women in diplomacy, peacebuilding, and access to resources.