Seven months after Paris, the 5th Ministerial Conference on Feminist Diplomacy was held in Madrid on June 2 and 3, 2026, focusing on a significant theme: “Peace and Democracy.” A new political declaration was signed by some thirty states amid a context in which anti-rights offensives and budget cuts are making it increasingly difficult to uphold their commitments.
From Paris to Madrid: The Baton Has Been Passed, but the Context Has Worsened
Our analysis of the Paris conference in October 2025 highlighted France’s leading role, as it presented its international strategy for feminist diplomacy (2025–2030) for the first time there, and saw the final declaration endorsed by 31 states. Seven months later, France officially passed the baton to Spain, while remaining one of the most visible players in Madrid. Éléonore Caroit, Minister Delegate for the Francophonie and International Partnerships, surrounded by a French parliamentary delegation.
The Minister delivered one of the most pivotal messages at the conference’s opening: when democracy is under attack, women’s rights are the first to be targeted, and the response must be a collective one in the face of well-funded anti-rights movements on a global scale.
In substance, the claimed continuity between the two conferences masks a worsening of the situation. According to the organizations present on behalf of Women7, Paris had offered a clear assessment of a slowdown in progress. In Madrid, Salina Grenet-Catalano, Director of Global Affairs at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, noted that the nature of the situation had changed: it is no longer a slowdown but a massive and structured offensive against equality, waged in the digital sphere, multilateral forums, and funding mechanisms, with explicit reference to the U.S. global gag rule.
The Madrid Declaration: What Does It Offer Beyond the Paris Declaration?
The « Madrid Joint Political Declaration » as endorsed by 28 states, a figure close to that of Paris. Two key contributions stand out: an explicitly mentioned intersectional perspective and recognition of the historical role of feminist movements; a declarative commitment to “sustained, flexible, and accessible” funding for feminist movements. The FFP Collaborative network also launched in Madrid an initial tool for systematically tracking commitments, the « FFP Accountability Project ».
However, the text falls short of the demands put forward the day before by the Civil Society Forum, where nearly two hundred feminists from around the world called for commitments rooted in the lived realities of women in the Global North and outlined explicitly decolonial, anti-militarist, and ecofeminist alternatives.
«Women do not fight only for themselves, but for society as a whole. Women are agents of peace, development, and social justice. » Ana Maria Alonso, Spanish Ambassador for Gender Equality.
The French Paradox: Feminist Diplomacy, a Budget in Free Fall
It is on this point that the disconnect between France’s rhetoric in Madrid and its budgetary policy becomes most glaring. While Éléonore Caroit advocates in Madrid for “sustained and flexible” funding for feminist movements, French official development assistance is collapsing: a nearly 45% reduction in payment appropriations since 2024, and a further cut of 700 to 800 million euros in the 2026 budget, which particularly affects multilateral aid. A study by Coordination SUD, which brings together 183 organizations, indicates that 94% of French international solidarity NGOs have already felt the effects of these successive cuts.
It is precisely this contradiction that civil society highlights by describing Madrid as a “necessary but insufficient step” : the level of resources actually mobilized in the coming months will determine the success or failure of the initiative. Feminist organizations in the Global South—which are most directly affected by these commitments—are also the first to be impacted by the withdrawal of traditional donors (the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom). The notable absence of the European Union from the Madrid debates, at a time when budget allocations for 2028–2034 are currently being negotiated in Brussels, adds to the concern.
“Funding for anti-rights movements has entered a new phase. This is no longer just pushback—it’s anti-democratic. Such funding has fourfolded over the past 10 years (2009 to 2019), and that figure reflects only transparent funding.” Neil Datta, director and founder of the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
What’s next?
Two key milestones are on the horizon: monitoring the effectiveness of financial commitments through the FFP Accountability Project, and the 6th edition of the Conference, which will be hosted by Morocco. This marks the first time an African nation has hosted the event in this cycle, raising high expectations but also legitimate questions for feminist movements in the Global South.
As Geetanjali Misra (CREA) summarized in Madrid on behalf of civil society: feminist movements are not here because they are optimistic, but because they remain determined. We keep our goal in sight: to continue holding governments accountable for the gap between the rhetoric of feminist diplomacy and the reality of their budgets..