As the world order is shaken to its core, how to fight for women’s rights across the globe? What is France’s diplomatic policy towards women’s rights? We spoke to Michèle Ramis, Director of the American & Caribbean department and high official for equality of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Interview by Bernard El Ghoul (promo 99)
Edited by Anna Riolacci (promo 23) and Ryan Tfaily (promo 24)
Translated by Laurence Bekk-Day (promo 18)

Michèle Ramis, Director of the American & Caribbean department and high official for equality of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. (Copyright: Judith Litvine / MEAE)

Institutionally speaking, where are we worldwide when it comes to women’s rights?

They’ve improved drastically after World War II. In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a major step forward. These rights and the principle of non-discrimination then became legally binding with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), a seminal treaty adopted in 1979. Since then, other conventions were signed, for instance when the Council of Europe outlined a new policy framework to tackle violence directed at women, by making it a criminal offence. We’re championing extending that framework worldwide. Such conventions have comprehensive review mechanisms, so that their actual enactment by State Parties can be monitored. France has been assessed by the CEDAW Committee on October 17, 2023.

However, in the past couple of years, women’s rights are being increasingly challenged by conservative movements or coalitions, or are otherwise attacked by internal changes. In 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States has voted to overturn the federal right to abortion. This political reversal can be explained by the rise of conservative thought, by political turmoil or conflicts (the Taliban taking back Afghanistan, the protests in Iran, Russia invading Ukraine). Some states won’t join key international treaties, arguing that they would upset the foundations of their social order. We therefore need to unite — to create alliances in order to stem the tide of opposing forces.

What actions does France take to promote women’s rights worldwide?

Our country is clearly moving forward with its strategy for the empowerment of women and girls. President Emmanuel Macron has committed to making gender equality the great national — even international — cause of both of his terms. This meant adopting a feminist foreign policy in 2019. We’re trailblazers: France is the fourth country to adopt such a policy. As a result, in all areas of our foreign policy, we take a proactive approach to further equality as an overarching theme, for multilateral and bilateral diplomacy alike. And to support this policy, we have women in high-ranking diplomatic positions.

““We’re trailblazers: France is the fourth country to adopt such a policy. As a result, in all areas of our foreign policy, we take a proactive approach to further equality as an overarching theme, for multilateral and bilateral diplomacy alike.””

Fighting inequality, especially gender inequality, has been a central theme during France’s G7 Presidency in 2019. At the Biarritz Summit, we’ve launched the Biarritz Partnership for Gender Equality, to further the rights of women to freely make decisions. In 2021, in partnership with Mexico and under the global umbrella of UN Women, we organized in France the Generation Equality Forum — the first worldwide forum gathering states and civil societies since the 1995 World Conference on Women that took place in Beijing. The Forum pledged 40 billion dollars and created coalitions of action on several key themes.

The fight for equality has strong political backing. On March 8, 2023, Catherine Colonna, the [former — Ed.] Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, made some important announcements: the launch of France’s new strategy to strengthen frameworks on sexual and reproductive rights; increased contributions to the Global Survivors Fund (for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence) and to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to support Ukrainian police investigating rapes committed by Russian troops; the Simone Veil Prize of the French Republic has been awarded to a Salvadorian civil society organization fighting against the criminalization of abortion; and we proposed to appoint an emissary to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to further promote women in government roles and making sure they play a role in decision-making.

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, co-chairs a meeting of foreign affairs ministers from 18 countries that have adopted a feminist diplomacy during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 21, 2023. (Copyright: Jonathan Sarago : MEAE)

At the last United Nations General Assembly [September 21, 2023 — Ed.], Catherine Colonna co-chaired a meeting with 18 foreign ministers from countries sharing a feminist foreign policy, a group of like-minded countries whose expansion we are working on. She also announced France would double its support fund for feminist organizations worldwide, to 250 million euros over five years.

France also joined the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, and proposed building an international laboratory for women’s rights online. We are also working on building a dialogue between French-speaking feminist organizations, within the framework of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF); France will host its next summit, in 2024, in Villers-Cotterêts.

On a bilateral level, our political leadership as well as our embassies advocate and take cooperation actions for women’s and girls’ rights. France’s share of gender-sensitive development aid now reaches 50%. We aim to promote greater gender diversity across civil societies, with the goal of improving efficiency and women’s representation.

As you can tell, France’s diplomacy is at the forefront of women’s rights. Feminist foreign policy is a powerful tool to ensure a fairer globalization, more peaceful civil societies and better crisis management.

At the Quai d’Orsay, how does this feminist policy take shape internally?

The Quai d’Orsay has made great strides these past years, and is fully committed to appointing more women to leadership positions, both in and out of France. Parity has yet to be achieved; among our 183 ambassadors, 31% are women — although that is double the 2012 percentage —, and 45% of central administration directors are women. This is because quotas were put in place (with the “Sauvadet law” of 2012), but also because the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has a proactive policy and has a strong culture of equality. We need a diverse pool of talents to approach the challenges of foreign policy. Women have their part to play in diplomacy and their contribution is of the utmost importance.

““Parity has yet to be achieved; among our 183 ambassadors, 31% are women — although that is double the 2012 percentage —, and 45% of central administration directors are women.””

All ministerial departments now have a senior equal rights officer, who oversees the implementation of public and human resources policies. Within this framework, I work with different agencies to strengthen our pool of female candidates, making sure women don’t self-censor — which keeps them from applying.

In a career that requires traveling, we’ve improved our work-life balance immensely, especially by entering into 80 agreements with foreign countries to facilitate employment opportunities for diplomats’ spouses. We also launched a new “Tremplin” (“Springboard”) program aimed at finding female talents, training women and improving their access to senior management positions. We put in a place a robust system to combat sexual harassment, supported by a “zero tolerance committee” that acts on reports.

We also strive to encourage women being appointed in fields once considered “masculine.” We challenge gender stereotyping: for the second time, it is a woman who’s the Permanent Representative of France to NATO; there are female ambassadors in Arab countries, including in Gulf States. Of note is that female ambassadors in these countries have more access than their male counterparts, as they can deal with male decision makers, but they’re also admitted to strictly feminine circles of influence. And last but not least, within all of our embassies and departments, a diplomat is in charge of gender equality.

What about the pay range?

Since 2016, the gender gap has decreased by 25% and is now settling around 13%. Even though we have a principle of equal pay for equal work, the fact remains that men are more likely to hold senior positions or high-risk positions abroad, which have higher pay. Family and child-rearing responsibilities still weigh more heavily on women, and this impacts women’s careers.

What drives you in favor of this feminist foreign policy?

I joined the Quai d’Orsay in the early 1980s, after graduating from Sciences Po. The admittance list was strictly equal, but not all women then had a career at the Quai d’Orsay. Although I didn’t find the environment to be hostile to women, I did notice some behaviors, when women were appointed to the most important ministries or when they were on maternity leave, that would be inconceivable today.

What perhaps drove my commitment was women facing violence; it seriously impedes their autonomy and their ambitions. After being appointed, I became aware of how I could help by shining a light on the scourge of violence against women, and by finding solutions that could be enacted worldwide. I also sat on the board of “Femmes et Diplomatie” (“Women and Diplomacy”), an industry association that led some of the changes at the Quai d’Orsay. My position as high official for equality, in addition to being director of the American department, enables me to be involved in all aspects of the issue. Under the authority of our minister, we have a deep commitment towards such issues; I also want to commend the action of Delphine O, ambassador-at-large and Secretary General for the Generation Equality Forum, who also promotes feminist foreign policies abroad.

Do you have a word for women studying at Sciences Po?

The Quai d’Orsay needs female talent! Young women shouldn’t hesitate to take our exams, or to apply for a position; they should get involved, do an internship or an apprenticeship, or choose us for their international volunteer program, to discover the many and exciting diplomatic professions, tailor-made for those who like action!

This interview was initially published in French, in the 29th issue of Émile magazine, released in novembre 2023.