One in five women: Humanity & Inclusion calls for truly inclusive feminist diplomacy

For truly inclusive feminist diplomacy

Feminist diplomacy can only be truly ambitious if it includes all women, including those with disabilities. While one in five women worldwide lives with a disability, their inclusion is too often overlooked in feminist foreign policies.

Feminist foreign policies (FFPs) aim to place gender equality, human rights and the participation of all women at the heart of states' external action, whether in diplomacy, development, trade or defence. These policies recognise the essential role of civil society organisations and women's rights defenders in all their diversity.

However, in practice, women and girls with disabilities remain largely invisible. Yet they represent 20% of the world's female population: a large minority, but one that is too often forgotten.
At the Paris Conference, Humanity & Inclusion reiterated that the inclusion of women with disabilities is not an option, but an essential condition for true equality. For feminist diplomacy to become a political and transformative reality, the commitments made in the Political Declaration signed by 31 countries must now be translated into public policies, targeted funding and concrete monitoring mechanisms.

Advocacy in Paris and beyond

Because feminist diplomacy cannot be limited to declarations of principle, Humanity & Inclusion has deployed its advocacy on several fronts:

At the Feminist Civil Society Dialogues, organised on 21 October by a collective of civil society organisations and hosted by the French Development Agency (AFD) under the title "Avec nous – Pour toustes" (With us – For everyone). These discussions brought together actors from around the world to address four major issues: rethinking feminist diplomacy as a lever for global transformation, linking economic, social, climate and gender justice, strengthening sexual and reproductive rights, and combating gender-based violence.
 
At the National Assembly, during the event "Sustaining our feminist diplomacy: guaranteeing rights, supporting civil society", HI representative Sophie Pécourt highlighted the double threats faced by women with disabilities from anti-rights movements, which simultaneously attack the rights of women and those of people with disabilities.

In these forums, HI defended the idea that truly inclusive feminist diplomacy must listen to and incorporate the voices of women with disabilities wherever policies on equality, development and peace are decided.

Testimonials and messages: giving a voice to those most affected

Sexual and reproductive health and rights: the fight continues

In Uganda, the situation of women with disabilities is alarming, and access to sexual and reproductive rights and health exists only on paper. Winifred Namukwaya, Vice-President of Disabled Women in Africa, gave a candid testimony in a video message shared during Feminist Dialogues:

"In our study Echoes of Hope, supported by HI, some women reported being tied to their hospital beds or forced to undergo contraception and sterilisation, sometimes at the request of their families and with the consent of doctors."

"These practices, which violate human rights, highlight the urgent need to make inclusion a reality in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights. As Winifred Namukwaya pointed out, "inclusion is not just a word, it must be intentional."

Climate: recognising women with disabilities as agents of change

The consequences of climate change disproportionately affect women with disabilities. Yet they play a crucial role in adaptation strategies.

Fridah Wawira Nyaga, Executive Director of Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW Kenya), reiterated this in her speech at the Round Table on climate justice:
"Women with disabilities are among those most affected by climate change, but they have also developed valuable expertise in resilience. It is therefore essential to include them in climate policies, not as beneficiaries, but as agents of change."

This message echoes HI's conviction: inclusion is certainly not an act of charity, but rather a strategic necessity for building a fair, sustainable and resilient future.

Political participation: inclusion as an obligation

From Senegal, Dieynaba Diallo, Vice-President of WILDAF Senegal (Women in Law and Development in Africa), reiterated that the political participation of women with disabilities is a major democratic issue:

"Inclusion is not an option, it is an obligation."

Without representation in decision-making spaces, women with disabilities remain excluded from policies that directly affect them. HI's advocacy therefore aims to strengthen their leadership and support organisations led by women with disabilities at national and international levels.

A large minority, doubly threatened

Women with disabilities represent one in five women worldwide. This often overlooked statistic highlights the extent of persistent inequalities.

In Paris, Sophie Pécourt warned of the rise of movements hostile to human rights:
"Women with disabilities face a double threat: attacks on women's rights and attacks on the rights of persons with disabilities."

In the face of these setbacks, HI calls for greater international solidarity, based on the recognition of all forms of intersecting discrimination — linked, among other things, to gender, disability, poverty and sexual orientation — and on concrete and inclusive responses.

A long-term commitment

The Paris Ministerial Conference on Feminist Diplomacy follows on from similar conferences held in Germany, the Netherlands and Mexico. It brought together states committed to advancing gender equality on the international stage.

For HI, this meeting marks an important step in a long-term advocacy effort. The organisation will continue its work to ensure that the voices of women and girls with disabilities are heard, recognised and integrated into all policies on equality, development, peace and climate justice.
"For feminist diplomacy to become a reality, the commitments made in Paris must now be translated into action. Inclusion must become institutional practice, not just political intention."

Towards transformative feminist diplomacy

Inclusive feminist diplomacy is not just a matter of fairness: it is a prerequisite for successful international policies. States that claim to be feminist s must lead by example by funding inclusive programmes, supporting civil society and systematically integrating disability into their cooperation policies.

Humanity & Inclusion calls for the development of transformative feminist diplomacy that recognises the diversity of women and acts in favour of all women, without exception.
Because there can be no feminist diplomacy when one in five women is ignored.