Policy Updates

On September 15, 2025, a UN Women report revealed that progress on women's rights is stagnating and regressing due to conflict, aid cuts, and a backlash against gender equality, and called on governments at the UN General Assembly in New York to commit to renewed action, highlighting that the US$420 billion needed annually to advance gender equality is a fraction of the US$2.7 trillion spent on the military.

The report, a gender snapshot monitoring progress on the SDGs, found that 676 million women and girls lived near deadly conflict in 2024, the highest number since the 1990s. Women are also more likely to be affected by rising food insecurity. The report projects that climate change could push an additional 158.3 million women and girls into extreme poverty by 2050.

Director of UN Women’s policy division, Sarah Hendriks, contrasted the US$2.7 trillion in annual military spending with the estimated US$420 billion needed to advance gender equality. The report also noted a digital gender divide, which if addressed, could lift 30 million women and girls out of poverty by 2050 and generate a US$1.5 trillion increase in global GDP by 2030. UN Women is calling for renewed commitments at the UN General Assembly, 30 years after the Beijing Declaration.

On August 1, 2025, the French health ministry stated it could not legally intervene to stop the planned destruction of US$10 million in contraceptives held in Belgium, which were purchased by the USAID under former President Joe Biden and set to be destroyed by the administration of President Donald Trump, despite strong public outcry to intervene.

The US decision sparked criticism in France, with rights groups and left-wing politicians urging their government to halt the plan. France's health ministry, however, stated it had no legal basis to seize the products, as the products are not drugs of major therapeutic interest and no supply shortage exists in France. Multiple organizations, including MSI Reproductive Choices, offered to purchase the contraceptives at no cost to the US government, but their offers were rejected.

The contraceptives, mostly long-acting products like IUDs and birth control implants, were intended for countries in SSA and stored in Geel, Belgium. A US State Department spokesperson stated the decision to incinerate the unexpired products was based on the Mexico City Policy. The policy, reinstated in early 2025 by the Trump administration, prohibits providing assistance to NGOs that perform or promote abortions, though none of the products held in Belgium align with that description. The destruction was estimated by the US State Department to cost US$167,000.

On May 23-25, 2024, the G7 Ministers of Finance met at a summit in Stresa, Italy, where the ministers voiced support for contributions to the IDA, WHO, Gavi, and the Global Fund in the resulting communiqué.

The G7 ministers supported efforts towards a successful 21^st replenishment of the IDA by the end of 2024 through an ambitious policy and financing package. Notably, they did not give a concrete signal that the critical US$100 billion threshold requested by the World Bank will be crossed, nor any indication of the US$120 billion expected by African leaders.

The ministers reaffirmed their dedication to strengthening the governance and finance of the global health architecture and voiced support for refinancing processes of several GHIs, such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the WHO, and the Global Fund, and expressed support for the Pandemic Fund. The communiqué called on the donor community to coordinate efforts and increase investments in global health in line with their capacities to ensure sustainable funding and maximize the impact of available resources.

Following the summit, the C7 pointed out the G7's lack of ambition and financial commitment to international development, including climate adaptation. International civil society organizations criticized the lack of any reference to allocating SDRs to global solidarity.

On May 14-15, 2024, the C7 summit was held at the UN FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, organized by the Italian Civil Society Coalition that led, coordinated, and moderated the C7 2024 process.

Approximately 400 global representatives took part in the event, as well as international decision-makers, including FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, Italian G7 sherpa Ambassador Elisabetta Belloni, Cardinal, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Pope’s envoy for the Russian-Ukrainian conflict Matteo Maria Zuppi, and Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign Marina Ponti.

The official C7 communiqué that listed the international civil society recommendation to the G7’s Leaders around seven key issues was released at the event, which included:

• Economic justice and transformation;
• Climate, energy transformation, and environmental justice;
• Global health;
• Principled humanitarian assistance;
• Peace, common security, and nuclear disarmament;
• Human mobility and migration; and
• Food justice and food systems transformation.

On March 8, 2024, the MEAE organized an event entitled "Defending and promoting feminist diplomacy," in which it announced France would welcome the next edition of the shaping foreign feminist policy conference.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Stéphane Séjourné reiterated France's responsibility towards feminist diplomacy and the defense of women's rights around the world. He pledged that the right to abortion would be incorporated into the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights. He also praised the vital work of civil society, calling it the true architect of feminist diplomacy. Finally, he announced that France will organize the 4^th international conference on feminist foreign policy in 2025.

The new actions for 2024-25 were presented during the conference and include the launch of:

• France’s international strategy for a feminist diplomacy later in 2024;
• A campaign on women's right to vote;
• An international campaign to defend sexual and reproductive rights, building on the Generation Eqaulity Forum and France's designation as a "champion" of SheDecides;
• The "Women's Rights Lab" in the run-up to the in the run-up to the Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit; and
• The Francophone feminist alliance, in the run-up to Francophonie Summit in October 2024.

On March 4, 2024, a Constitutional Congress took place in France in Versailles to pass a vote on the historic inclusion of women’s right to abortion in the constitution, making it the first country in the world to do so.

The vote had been previously passed in both houses by a total of 760 parliamentarians, out of a total of 925. 493 votes came from the National Assembly and 267 came from the Senate.

The new constitutional provision confirms “the guaranteed freedom of women to undergo a voluntary interruption of pregnancy.”

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal attended the gathering in the presence of Jean Veil, son of former Minister of Health Simone Veil’s, who fought to decriminalize abortion during his tenure in 1975. Attal expressed that while equality has not been fully achieved, the vote marked a historic step towards a more equal world. He also paid homage to Veil and other advocates for women's rights.

On International Women's Day, which falls on March 8, the historic move will be celebrated by French President Emmanuel Macron during a ceremony with the Ministry of Justice in order to welcome the constitutional amendment.

The Vatican expressed the Catholic Church's opposition to the constitutional amendment.

On February 27, 2024, 102 French NGOs signed an op-ed published in Le Monde.

The article called out France’s February 2024 budget cut of EUR742 million (US$804 million). CSOs argued the cut goes against Macron's 2021 Development Law, which set France on the path to acheiving a 0.7% ODA/GNI ratio. The article stated that by reducing its financial commitments, France had reduced its influence on the international stage at a time when it should be reaffirming its support to multilateralism and CSOs.

The article also underscored the impact that the cut would have on the poorest countries, highlighting projects across sectors that would be reduced or cut due to diminished funding.

Led by Coordination Sud President Olivier Bruyeron, signatures included:

• UNICEF France President Adeline Hazan;
• ONE France President Najat Vallaud-Belkacem;
• Action contre la Faim President Aïcha Koraïchi;
• Oxfam Director General Cécile Duflot;
• WWF Director General Véronique Andrieux;
• Secours catholique Director General Adélaide Bertrand;
• Mouvement pour le planning familial Director Sarah Durocher;
• Handicap International Director Manuel Patrouillard;
• Global Citizen Vice-President for International Advocacy Friederike Röder;
• Equipop Executive Director Aurélie Gal-Régniez;
• CARE France co-directors Emanuela Croce and Alexandre Morel;
• AMREF Health Africa Josselin Léon;
• Friends of the Global Fund Executive Director Hélène Berger; and
• Action Santé Mondial Director Patrick Bertrand.

On February 8, 2024, the full details of the composition of the new French government were announced, including Chrysoula Zacharopoulou re-appointed as French Secretary of State for Development and Partnerships.

The announcement came following the reshuffle and appointment of Gabriel Attal as Prime Minister on January 9, 2024.

Zacharopoulopu, while re-appointed, no longer holds responsibility for the Francophonie.

Franck Riester now holds responsibility for the Francophonie as Delegated Minister responsible for Trade, Attractiveness, Francophonie, and French living overseas. The appointment came as a surprise to the development community, as Riester had been working on a significantly different portfolio concerning relations between Parliament and the Prime Minister's office. Riester will oversee the organization of the Francophonie Summit, which is slated to be held in France on October 4-5, 2024.

Also announced was Aurore Bergé as the newly appointed Delegated Minister responsible for gender equality and the fight against discrimination.

On July 3, 2023, ahead of the forthcoming CICID, Coordination SUD, the French national umbrella organization of NGOs, published its recommendations for an ambitious development policy.

Coordination SUD formulated six guiding recommendations for France's new strategy:

• France should reaffirm its commitment to reach 0.7% ODA/GNI ratio, as formulated in the 2021 development bill;
• 15% of France's ODA should be channeled through multilaterals to reach the OECD donor average;
• France should increase the volume of its grants to focus on LDCs and the most vulnerable population through the support of water and sanitation, education, health, social protection, and other essential services;
• 75% of bilateral ODA should be allocated to gender equality as a significant objective and 75% as a principal objective;
• The development policy should reaffirm its commitments to support children and the youth as central actors of social transformations; and
• Development policy should be guided by the principles of global solidarity and should not be subject to political or economic instrumentalization.

On May 24, 2023, Civil Society 7 released its review of the May 2023 G7 Hiroshima Summit.

The report looked at six topics, including the nuclear disarmament, climate and environmental justice, the transition to a fair economy, global health, humanitarian aid and conflict, and a resilient and open society, and presented the following findings:

• Nuclear Disarmament: The G7 summit did not focus on nuclear disarmament, and its leaders did not show any commitment to starting time-bound negotiations. While condemning Russia’s nuclear threats, they justified their own nuclear weapons as being for defense and deterrence;
• Climate and Environmental Justice: The G7 summit acknowledged the need to strengthen adaptation measures, enhance resilience support for vulnerable groups, and increase support to the most vulnerable countries for avoiding, minimizing, and addressing losses and damages. It emphasized the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, including non-CO2 gases, and reaffirmed commitment to global methane reduction efforts. However, the report argued that the G7’s approach to climate change, in particular its descriptions of fossil fuels, is far from ideal;
• Transition to a Fair Economy: The G7 summit prioritized “economic security” from its perspective rather than focusing on resolving challenges faced by partner countries. It aimed to decouple supply chains from China, but such decoupling could impose additional burdens on developing countries. The summit lacked strong commitments regarding debt restructuring, international negotiations, and debt cancellation. It also weakened the organization's stance on business and human rights;
• Global Health: The G7 summit fell short of expectations due to time constraints and limitations imposed by Japan. It failed to address intellectual property rights as a key factor in addressing the pandemic and ensuring equitable access to therapeutics. The summit lacked specific commitments, and its focus was more on ordering and reaffirming previous pledges rather than providing the required funding and technological contributions;
• Humanitarian Aid and Conflict: The G7 summit's commitment of US$21 billion in support, with particular focus on addressing food crises and prioritizing education, was welcomed. However, apart from this financial commitment, the summit lacked clear and concrete commitments. It failed to mention the importance of strengthening local leadership and access to humanitarian aid and protection; and
• Resilient and Open Society: The G7 summit did not address the concept of an open society or democracy in its statements. It neglected to discuss civic space and shrinking civil society, and its focus on democracy mainly revolved around countering information warfare. The summit did not address issues like digital space safety, fake news, freedom of expression, or topics covered in previous G7 meetings. The treatment of non-regular immigrants and their dire situations was a significant problem. The summit lacked references to freedom of expression and did not improve citizen participation or support for civil society organizations.

C7 aims to achieve a society envisioned by the SDGs that leaves no one behind, and its criticism of the G7 Hiroshima Summit was presented as a means of holding leaders to account for their role in building a better world.