Coalition for a Feminist Foreign Policy in the United States

The Coalition for a Feminist Foreign Policy in the United States is a collective effort to develop a vision for the highest standard of U.S. foreign policy that promotes overarching goals of gender equality, human rights, bodily autonomy, peace and environmental integrity, while prioritizing the articulation of concrete policy recommendations.

About the Coalition  | Our Vision for a Feminist Foreign Policy in the U.S.  |  Our Commitment to Dismantling Racism, Discrimination and White Supremacy

What is Feminist Foreign Policy?

Feminist foreign policy is the most recent policy innovation aiming for a transformative and rights-based approach across all auspices of a nation’s foreign policy. Following formal announcements of feminist foreign policies in a number of countries, starting with the launch of Sweden’s Feminist Foreign Policy in 2014, followed by a Canadian Feminist Foreign Assistance Policy in 2017, announcements by France and Luxembourg in 2019 and, most recently, the launch of a Mexican Feminist Foreign Policy in January 2020, the time has come to consider what approach the United States could take.

What is our vision for the United States?

In August 2019, a group of U.S. foreign policy experts and advocates for global gender equality came together over the course of three days to sketch out an initial draft of a U.S. feminist foreign policy. This discussion benefited from a research review of other countries’ feminist foreign policies, as well as insights gathered through a series of global consultations with more than 100 feminist activists from over 40 countries as to what a global template or gold standard for feminist foreign policy should entail. Through months of extensive consultation, the group gathered new insights on topics that had been omitted or underdeveloped at the time of drafting: humanitarian assistance, immigration policy, nuclear policy and points of intersection between feminist agendas at home and abroad.  The resulting publication, launched in May 2020, includes a proposed definition, key principles and policy recommendations that provide a visionary approach for a fundamentally different way of conducting foreign policy in a manner that places people and planet above profit and individual interest.

Coalition Steering Committee

Akila Radhakrishnan, President, Global Justice Center

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Andrew Albertson, Executive Director, Foreign Policy for America

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Gary Barker, President and CEO, Equimundo

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Elmira Bayrasli, CEO & Founder, Interruptrr

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Sundaa Bridgett-Jones,

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Bridget Burns, Director, Women’s Environment and Development Organization

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Tarah Demant, Director – Gender, Sexuality, and Identity Program, Amnesty International

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Ellen Friedman

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Seema Jalan, Executive Director, Universal Access Project and Policy, United Nations Foundation

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Memory Kachambwa, Executive Director, The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)

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Latanya Mapp Frett, President and CEO, Global Fund for Women

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Susan Markham, Smash Strategies

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Megan O’Donnell, Assistant Director, Gender Program and Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Global Development

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Hibaaq Osman, Founder and CEO, Karama

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Gayatri Patel, Vice President, External Relations, Women’s Refugee Commission

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Kavita Ramdas

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Serra Sippel, Chief Global Advocacy Officer, Fòs Feminista: International Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice

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Lyric Thompson, Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Strategy, ICRW

Ritu Sharma, VP of U.S. Programs and Policy Advocacy, CARE

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Caitlin Horrigan, Director of Global Advocacy, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA)

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Julie Dorf, Co-Chair, Council for Global Equality

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Related Publications

Toward a Feminist Foreign Policy in the United States

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Defining Feminist Foreign Policy: A 2021 Update

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Feminist Foreign Policy: A Memo to the Next Administration (Oct. 2020)

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Coalition scorecard to track U.S. progress toward launching the world’s next feminist foreign policy

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The Biden-Harris Administration earn a 50% on Feminist Foreign Policy 1-year scorecard (Jan. 2022)

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