Exploring best practices in government-civil society collaboration

What has been achieved by Feminist Foreign Policy

In the framework of the Feminist Foreign Policy Progressive Voices Collective (FFPPVC), led by FEPS in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, we partnered with esteemed organisations for the 4th Feminist Foreign Policies Ministerial Conference.

This event also launched the new policy brief under the FFPPVC, “Beyond values: How Feminist Foreign Policy serves strategic interests“.

Under the initiative of the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative, we joined several other organisations from around the globe for a NGO-organised concurrent session as part of the official programme. The session brought together a wide network of partners, including FFPPVC member organisations, Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative, Equipop/Alliance Féministe Francophone, Walking the Talk, and International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA), as well as many other organisations from around the world, namely CREA, Latinas en Poder, Fundacion Multitudes, Kubernein Initiative, Fundacion para Estudio e Investigacion de la Mujer (FEIM), Karama, SEDRA-FPFE, Footage Foundation, University of Pittsburgh, Feministas sin Fronteras, and Red Dot Foundation.  

FEPS supported a concurrent session at the Ministerial on “Exploring Best Practices in Government-Civil Society Collaboration – What has been achieved by Feminist Foreign Policy”. 

This dynamic and participatory session, moderated by Spogmay Ahmed, explored how governments and civil society can work together to advance Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) through collaboration that is principled, inclusive, and sustainable. 

Through a series of focused conversations with leading practitioners and advocates, the session highlighted diverse case studies of co-governance and partnership. Filomena Ruggiero opened by sharing Spain’s experience with the Orientaciones para una Cooperación Feminista and the Marco de Relación – a landmark framework that embedded civil society participation in law and ensured continuity of feminist cooperation beyond political turnover. Marie Billoud then examined how the French-speaking multilateral initiative, the Francophone Feminist Alliance, is expanding feminist collaboration across borders, offering insights into how to overcome persistent barriers and strengthen accountability frameworks. 

From Latin America,  Arlene Tickner discussed Colombia’s integrated approach to developing its FFP alongside the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security – anchored in sustained civil society consultation and leadership. Mabel Bianco reflected on Argentina’s experience in co-developing its FFP and convening the first Latin American and Caribbean Regional Summit on Feminist Foreign Policy, shedding light on how power dynamics and shared priorities shape the global feminist agenda. 

Finally,  Kristen Ali Eglinton connected feminist research and participatory practice, demonstrating how methodologies like needs assessments, co-design, and voice-based reflection can model equitable collaboration between governments and civil society. Participants engaged in an interactive exercise using reflection cards to contribute their perspectives and help inform future feminist policy collaboration. 

The session concluded with an open Q&A and closing reflections, summarising key insights and outlining next steps for global coordination, including a collective survey and feedback to guide future Feminist Foreign Policy ministerial hosts. 

For more information regarding this event, please do not hesitate to contact Laeticia Thissen, Senior Policy Analyst on Gender Equality, FEPS (laeticia.thissen@feps-europe.eu) or Julia Wild, Project Officer, FEPS (julia.wild@feps-europe.eu). 

The Feminist Foreign Policy Progressive Voices Collective (FFPPVC) questions traditional approaches to foreign policy to enable an alternative account of foreign relations from the standpoint of the most disadvantaged. The work of the Collective provides insights into what might be the most challenging questions regarding feminist foreign policy today. You can explore our Policy Brief series HERE. 

The Collective is co-chaired by Ann Linde, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden and Machris Cabreros, Co-Chair of the network and Coordinator at Progressive Alliance.

The project aims to advance concrete policy recommendations and builds on a multistakeholder feminist foreign policy community, which will gather feminist policy experts 

Strategic partners