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On International Women’s Day 2025, the push to roll back feminist progress is intensifying. From the far right’s explicit anti-feminist agenda to security and defence policies that erase gender justice, these threats are now embedded in global institutions.

The stark gender divides in voting patterns underline the deep ideological battles over rights and democracy itself. The backlash against feminism is not happening in a vacuum; it is deeply intertwined with democratic regression, socio-economic inequalities, and militarised policy responses that marginalise feminist perspectives.

This is not a moment for resignation – rather, it is a call to mobilise. Women’s rights have always been won through struggle. Gender equality is not secondary but a cornerstone of democratic resilience, social justice, and a future free from authoritarianism and inequality.

On this day, we send a clear message: the fight for gender justice is far from over. Collective action – at the ballot box, in the streets, and within institutions – remains our most powerful tool and we will continue to push forward.

This International Women’s Day, let’s push for a security agenda that doesn’t rely on arms races but instead invests in peace, justice, and equality. 

We highlight five urgent considerations: 

• Feminist considerations for EU security and defence
• Reversing cuts to feminist movements
• Learning from Latin America’s Feminist Foreign Policy
• Placing Feminist Foreign Policy at the heart of EU External Action
• Embedding FFP into EU Foresight Practices

For those short on time, all recommendations from the series are synthesised into a single comprehensive document.

Do you want to better understand why FFP matters in less than one minute? Listen to Ottilia Anna Maunganidze‘s clear explanation. 

In light of the CWS69 theme reviewing the Beijing Declaration, this parallel event will look into how far we have come in the implementation of the Declaration and how we must confront new challenges through the lens of feminist foreign policy. 

Feminist movements face mounting threats from rising authoritarianism and Big Tech’s growing role in shaping public discourse.  In this episode, Asha Allen, Director and Secretary General at the Center for Democracy and Technology Europe speaks with Laeticia Thissen, FEPS Senior Policy Analyst on Gender Equality about the increasing censorship of feminist and LGBTQ+ advocacy by platforms like Meta and X, the rollback of diversity and inclusion commitments by major tech companies, and the growing wave of online gender-based violence.

Rejane Sénac, CNRS Permanent Senior Research Fellow at the CEVIPOF, demonstrates how gender equality is not just an issue of representation but a fundamental pillar of a functioning democracy. As political backlashes against gender justice intensify, her work serves as a timely reminder that undermining women’s rights weakens democratic institutions themselves.

The far right’s push against gender equality and women’s rights – especially sexual and reproductive health and rights –, has become the cornerstone of its narrative and its strategies to promote its authoritarian, nationalist, xenophobic and austerity-driven agenda. But faced with this offensive, we cannot let feminist demands be pushed to the periphery of our political strategy, just because, as the excuse goes, it is a divisive issue.

During this event, we’ll examine and address the barriers to women’s participation in political life. It will provide a platform for women to speak up, engage in political discussions and contribute meaningfully to shaping European public policy.

Ahead of the start of the EU long-term budget (MFF) negotiations, experts from across the EU, at federal and municipal levels, convened in Vienna to explore the pathways to gender-equitable fiscal and budgetary policies. Among them was Professor Diane Elson, a globally renowned economist and leading authority on gender-responsive budgeting, who explained that most governments approach gender budgeting too narrowly.

“They focus only on expenditures explicitly targeted to women, and they don’t look at taxation and macroeconomics.” She also highlighted the broader societal and economic benefits of investing in social infrastructure to advance equity.

A key priority is guaranteeing that Ukrainian women play a central role in rebuilding their country. 

Women have been at the forefront of humanitarian response, community resilience, and economic drivers, yet their perspectives and leadership remain underrepresented in decision-making spaces.

You can now watch again the event and check the policy series ‘Progressive Ukraine‘, which includes a total of six publications by Ukrainian women academics and policy experts on crucial social issues including labour rights, housing, education, gender equality, healthcare and social protection. 

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