Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy

🗓️ Today marks three years since the Taliban's takeover of Kabul, a turning point that has deeply impacted the lives of Afghan women and girls. Since then, their rights and freedoms have been severely restricted. But on this significant date, there’s also hope and progress. Since 2022, the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy (CFFP), supported by OSF and GIZ, has been championing Afghan women’s voices through our project “A Feminist Development Policy Towards Afghanistan: From Theory to Practice III.” Our Steering Committee of 12 Afghan Women Human Rights Defenders is at the forefront, driving key initiatives such as: 🔸 Embedding Afghan Women’s Perspectives: Shaping international policies with their insights. 🔸 Advocacy and Stakeholder Engagement: Pushing for change with policymakers and global actors. 🔸 Maintaining Global Attention: Keeping Afghan women’s issues in the spotlight. Your support is vital in advocating for justice and equality. 👏 Support Us: Follow, share, and donate to amplify our impact. 📱 Advocate for Change: Use your platform to raise awareness. 💬 Engage: Join our events and discussions. Let’s honor Afghan women’s resilience and work together for a future where every woman and girl thrives. 💜 #August15 #AfghanResilience #HumanRights #WomenInAfghanistan #StandWithAfghanistan #notinvisible #standwithafghanwomen ##hearhervoice

🗳️🔍 What is the relationship between gendered disinformation and elections? 1️⃣ Gendered disinformation can deter women and sexual/gender minorities from politics, targeting them with aggression and intimidation. The goal? To limit their participation and undermine their careers. 2️⃣ Such disinformation often uses sexist stereotypes to discredit gender minority candidates, hitting particularly hard on Black, Indigenous, and Women of Colour with racist and religious attacks. 3️⃣ It also manipulates public opinion, deepens polarisation, and heightens group tensions. Disinformation is often state-backed and strategically deployed. 4️⃣ Anti-gender and authoritarian actors misrepresent feminist policies on abortion, gender-affirming care, and sexuality education to create moral panic. 5️⃣ These narratives, claiming feminism and “gender ideology” are societal threats, are spread by various groups including the Catholic Church and right-wing think tanks. Understanding and addressing gendered disinformation is crucial for a fair and inclusive electoral process. 🌍✊ Together with Microsoft, CFFP is implementing a project that will promote the integration of intersectional, feminist perspectives into the discourse and policy development on disinformation, allowing us to understand the scale of this threat in all of its facets and to develop the appropriate solutions. Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates on this important work! 📲🔍 #GenderedDisinformation #FightDisinformation #Equality #HumanRights #StayInformed #Feminism #DigitalSafety

👩⚖️ Ready to fight Gender-Based Violence? Great! We’re looking for you! 🫵 Strategic Advocacy for Human Rights (SAHR) is calling for civil society leaders to apply for the Gender Justice Accelerator, a 12-month mentorship programme to end Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). This programme will provide legal mentorship, workshops, and peer collaboration to equip leaders with the skills needed for effective law and policy reform. (🔗 Link in comments / Deadline 14.09.2024) SAHR focuses on empowering marginalised groups, particularly women, by using strategic legal approaches to address injustices. Their work includes promoting women’s rights, legal reform, and access to justice. ⚖️✨ The Background: We are better together 🤝 The Center for Feminist Foreign Policy (CFFP) is supporting Strategic Advocacy for Human Rights (SAHR). SAHR, an NGO dedicated to advancing human rights and gender equality through strategic legal advocacy. SAHR and CFFP share foundational values centred on justice, equality, and the empowerment of marginalised communities. Both organisations are committed to combating systemic injustices and advocating for the rights of those most affected by inequality. This alignment in core values is a key reason why CFFP is proud to support SAHR's important work. By supporting SAHR, CFFP aims to enhance their impactful efforts and contribute to the broader struggle for human rights and equality. We are excited to back an organisation whose mission resonates deeply with our own values and goals. 💪💜 #CFFP #SAHR #HumanRights #FeministForeignPolicy #StrategicAdvocacy #Support #Equality #Justice

🇲🇽 As highlighted by Lyric Thompson, founder and CEO of the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative, in her recent article (🔗 Link in comments), Mexico made history in 2020 by becoming the first Latin American country to adopt a Feminist Foreign Policy. Under the leadership of Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena and President Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico continues to push this agenda forward, overcoming political challenges. In July 2024, it became the first non-European country to host the annual FFP conference, demonstrating their commitment to gender equality. Mexico's efforts include advocating for women's and LGBTQ+ rights and promoting gender equity in climate action, paving the way for a more equitable future. 👉 Swipe through to learn more about Mexico's progress and the global movement for feminist foreign policy. Join the conversation and share your thoughts below! 💬 #FeministForeignPolicy #GenderEquality #Mexico #GlobalLeadership #FFP #Intersectionality #ClimateAction #HumanRights

🔍 An Eye on the Future of Cybercrime Regulation: The Future Looks Dark for an Open, Global, and Interoperable Internet — Feminist Demands Remain Overlooked Since Monday, 29 July 2024, CFFP Junior Project Manager Vivienne Kobel has been following the reconvened concluding session of negotiations on a potential new UN Cybercrime Convention at the United Nations Headquarters in New York as part of the delegation of the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. 💻 While global regulation of cybercrime is undeniably necessary, it is equally important to uphold and protect digital human rights. After more than two and a half years of negotiations, the outlook is bleak for an open, global, and interoperable internet — especially regarding feminist concerns that have largely been overlooked. Despite the tireless efforts of civil society organisations, activists, and stakeholders since the start in 2022, critical language on gender and human rights has been diluted throughout the negotiation process. 📉 Evidence shows that many national cybercrime laws have been misused to criminalise vulnerable groups and suppress political dissent. A notable report by Paloma Lara Castro from Derechos Digitales and Association for Progressive Communications, titled “When protection becomes an excuse for criminalisation - Gender considerations on cybercrime frameworks”, highlights instances where women have been prosecuted under cybercrime legislation for activities such as advocating for civil society protests, raising awareness about online sexual harassment, or criticising government policies. As the final negotiations conclude on 9 August, it is crucial that democratic states ensure the remaining human rights safeguards are retained in the Draft text. As Raman Jit Singh Chima from Access Now has rightly stated in digital rights organisation’s intervention during the 4th meeting of the reconvened session: “A UN Cybercrime Convention should not be used to delete or unjustly alter the last two decades worth of international law on human rights and privacy in the digital age”. Even as the negotiation phase draws to a close, CFFP remains committed to advocating for feminist perspectives in the global discourse on cybercrime regulation. With generous support from the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung | Global Unit for Human Security, we are launching our new project, "Feminist Perspectives on the Regulation of Cybercrime." Stay tuned! 🚀

🚨 The rise of AI has supercharged the spread of gendered disinformation, making it easier than ever to amplify hateful content. This digital menace targets gender minorities and fuels harmful stereotypes. 🌐🤖 How Does Gendered Disinformation Interact with Artificial Intelligence? 1️⃣ The weaponisation of gendered disinformation is not new, but AI has dramatically increased its scope and scale. AI exacerbates this issue by amplifying hateful or misleading content and accelerating its spread. 🔄💻 2️⃣ Social media algorithms, driven by AI, prioritise content that boosts user engagement. As a result, inflammatory or manipulated posts are often promoted over accurate information. This can lead to the widespread dissemination of harmful narratives. 📈📰 3️⃣ A 2024 study by the University of Kent and UCL found that TikTok’s algorithm was pushing misogynistic content towards young people. As users engage more, they encounter increasingly extreme and hateful content about women, often disguised as humour. 📱 4️⃣ The availability of generative AI tools has made it easy for anyone to create misleading or manipulated content at scale. A major concern is the rise of "deepfakes." 🤖🔍 5️⃣ Deepfakes, which use AI to alter or mimic someone's face or voice, are often pornographic and predominantly target women. These harmful tools can create false dialogue or inappropriate contexts, impacting gender minorities, especially those in authority or high-profile positions. 🎭 As we navigate this evolving landscape, it's crucial to understand and mitigate the impact of AI-driven gendered disinformation. Together with Microsoft, CFFP is implementing a project that will promote the integration of intersectional, feminist perspectives into the discourse and policy development on disinformation, allowing us to understand the scale of this threat in all of its facets and to develop the appropriate solutions. Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates on this important work! 📲🔍 #GenderedDisinformation #FightDisinformation #Equality #HumanRights #StayInformed #Feminism #DigitalSafety

Since 2022, the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy (CFFP), supported by OSF and GIZ going forward, has been working tirelessly to ensure that Afghan women experts play a crucial role in shaping crisis responses and policies following the Taliban’s takeover. Our project, “A Feminist Development Policy Towards Afghanistan: From Theory to Practice III,” is a continuation of this essential work. At the heart of this project is our Steering Committee of 12 leading Afghan Women Human Rights Defenders and their expertise. This follow-up project focuses on: 🔸 Embedding Afghan Women’s Perspectives: Integrating their insights into Germany's feminist development policy and international engagement strategies. 🔸 Advocacy and Stakeholder Involvement: Engaging with policymakers, civil society, and international stakeholders to drive change. 🔸 Maintaining Global Attention: Ensuring that the issues affecting Afghan women remain at the forefront of international discussions and actions. Our goal is to address structural inequalities and develop sustainable solutions that promote justice, equality, and long-term impact. Want to get involved? 👏 Support us: Follow our work, share our updates, donate and spread awareness. 📱Advocate for change: Use your platform to raise awareness about the challenges faced by Afghan women. 💬 Engage with us: Participate in our events, conferences, and discussions. Together, we can make a difference and advocate for a world where every woman and girl has the opportunity to thrive. 💜 #FeministPolicy #AfghanWomen #GlobalJustice #WomenInLeadership #EqualityForAll

🤔 What is gendered disinformation? It's the deliberate spread of false information to deceive the public, often including hate speech, rumours, and propaganda. 📢 Feminist research shows it disproportionately impacts women and gender minorities, using misogynistic stereotypes to silence them. 🚫 It also causes societal harm, creating moral panic and targeting policies related to gender and sexuality. Together with Microsoft, CFFP is implementing a project that will promote the integration of intersectional, feminist perspectives into the discourse and policy development on disinformation, allowing us to understand the scale of this threat in all of its facets and to develop the appropriate solutions. Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates on this important work! 📲🔍 #GenderedDisinformation #FightDisinformation #Equality #HumanRights #StayInformed #Feminism #DigitalSafety

How can we make foreign policy more inclusive and just? 🌍✨ Introducing "Walking the Talk," a groundbreaking project aimed at implementing feminist foreign policy across Europe and supporting feminist organizations in the Global South. Our goals include aligning government policies and strategies with feminist priorities, improving access and quality of financing for gender equality, and strengthening networks of bad-ass feminist researchers and advocates. CFFP is joining hands with Hivos, Equipop, and Restless Development, to call on governments to “walk the talk” on feminist foreign policy. 💪 #FeministForeignPolicy #WalkingTheTalk #FinancingFeministFutures #GlobalPartnership

🌍🗳️ 2024 is a historic year for elections. Globally, more voters than ever in history will head to the polls with at least 64 countries holding elections. Representing almost half of the world’s population, these elections will have a significant impact on the state of democracy around the world. 🌐 While increasing attention is being paid to the threat that (AI-driven) disinformation can pose to the integrity of electoral processes, crucial gender-sensitive and feminist perspectives are largely missing. The absence of feminist perspectives in prominent discourse and legislation on disinformation will only exacerbate the gendered harms caused by disinformation before and during elections and its impact on women and LGBTQI* candidates. In addition to this, neglecting the gendered nature and implications of disinformation poses a threat to the health of our democracies. 🔍 As CFFP’s research on the transnational anti-feminist movement has demonstrated, key actors have been instrumentalizing disinformation as part of a larger effort to increase polarisation within and between states and to weaken our multilateral structures. Authoritarian leaders and anti-gender actors have weaponized gendered disinformation as a tactic to unsettle faith in democratic institutions, to hinder human rights advocacy, to sow division, and to deter governments from pursuing particular policy goals. Together with Microsoft, CFFP is implementing a project that will promote the integration of intersectional, feminist perspectives into the discourse and policy development on disinformation, allowing us to understand the scale of this threat in all of its facets and to develop the appropriate solutions. Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates on this important work! 📲🔍 #Elections2024 #Democracy #Disinformation #HumanRights #Intersectionality #CFFPxMicrosoft #GlobalElections #GenderedDisinformation