Promoting Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in the Middle East and North Africa
This book, published with Solidar and local partners, aims to define the main challenges in promoting women’s rights and gender equality in times of transition within MENA region. The contributions written by local experts offer a detailed overview of the achievements, challenges and future prospects of progressive women’s organisations and movements in the region since the Arab Spring. Together, we will need to remain persistent in our fight for a more equal society, in which women and men can rely on their economic, social and cultural rights.
Feminist Foreign Policy and Strategic Interests
Beyond values – How feminist foreign policy serves strategic interests. Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) is often championed for its normative promise — advancing gender equality, and exploring best practices in government-civil society collaboration. In the framework of advancing feminist cooperation in justice, peace and security and the EU budget framework (2028–2034), several key themes emerge:
- Defending democracy, empowering women.
- Exploring best practices in government-civil society collaboration.
- Advancing feminist cooperation in justice, peace and security.
The Care Economy and Social Contracts
On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2024, we have updated our EU Care Atlas. Public spending—such as on public transport—remains a vital component of social infrastructure. As noted in the FEPS book "A new Gender Equality Contract for Europe", which is dedicated to imagining a new gender contract for the climate, a credible future beyond growth has to be feminist.
The following table summarizes key initiatives and thematic focus areas based on the provided materials:
| Initiative / Publication | Primary Focus |
|---|---|
| Promoting Women’s Rights in MENA | Defining challenges in times of transition and achievements since the Arab Spring. |
| Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) | Advancing gender equality and serving strategic interests through cooperation. |
| EU Care Atlas | Monitoring public spending and addressing the "Lack of care". |
| Roadmap on Women’s Rights | European Commission presentation on future gender equality strategies. |
Challenges in the Digital Age and Society
At a time when LGBTIQ+ rights are under attack across Europe, staying silent is complicity. Across Europe, ‘anti-gender’ movements are on the rise, and feminist struggles in the digital age face being silenced or censored. A credible future beyond growth has to be feminist to ensure that progress remains resilient against these emerging threats.