The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, has stressed that feminism is not only "the most just cause" but also "a matter for everyone," considering that "there is no democracy without equality."
With this message, he has put an end to the two days of the V Conference of Ministers of Feminist Foreign Policy, in which nearly 60 countries participated — only two represented by their Foreign Minister — and about 300 people, and which concluded with the approval of a political declaration.
"We have shown that feminism is the indispensable path to building the world we want, a peaceful world, a just world, a sustainable world," highlighted the head of Foreign Affairs, who reiterated that this is "the most just cause" because it is the "cause of justice, of freedom." "It is the cause of humanity," he concluded.
As he explained, the Madrid Declaration "incorporates an explicit defense of democracy, the rule of law, and the multilateral system as indispensable conditions for gender equality and for the effective enjoyment of Human Rights" in a context in which, he warned, "we are witnessing setbacks" in women's rights.
"There is no democracy without equality, nor is there a rule of law or a rules-based multilateral system without equality," he added, lamenting that today "the agenda of war, the reactionary agenda, wants to take us back to times we thought were probably overcome."
For Albares, feminism "is a matter for all men and women." "It is a common project that calls on all of us," he stressed. Therefore, the declaration incorporates "an innovative dimension that recognizes the role of men and boys as allies, as beneficiaries, and as agents of change."
"Feminism is for everyone, it is the progress of all of society. It makes us all more just, more advanced, more dignified. When women's rights advance, the rights of all of society advance," he reiterated.
"We conclude here this V Conference of Feminist Foreign Policy," said the minister, who has handed over the baton to Morocco for the next edition, "knowing that there are more of us who believe in this feminist path that conquers rights." "There are more of us who say that feminism improves lives, and there are more of us who will continue working day by day so that future generations live in real equality."
Madrid Declaration and signatory countries
The meeting held in Spain, a continuation of the conferences previously organized in Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, and France, has concluded with a declaration that 28 countries have signed for now, three fewer than those that supported the text agreed upon at the last meeting in October in Paris.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the states that have adhered are Spain, Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Belgium, Cabo Verde, Canada, Cyprus, Colombia, Estonia, France, Ireland, Iceland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, Rwanda, Thailand, East Timor, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Uruguay.
Among their commitments, the signatories undertake to "defend the right of women and girls in all their diversity to bodily autonomy to make informed decisions about their lives and bodies, free from coercion, discrimination, and violence and to continue guaranteeing and advancing in sexual and reproductive health and rights as essential for achieving gender equality."
The Government of Andorra, whose Minister of Foreign Affairs was present at the conference, has specified in a footnote to the declaration that it interprets this section "in accordance with its Constitution, its international law, and its existing international commitments," taking into account that abortion is illegal in all cases in the Principality.
Likewise, the signatory countries commit to "adopting appropriate measures to create a safe and violence-free environment for all women and girls and adopting, financing, and implementing national action plans towards the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls," expressly citing rape, harassment, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and femicide.
In the same way, they recognize "the existence of diverse forms of families, which must be protected by states and respected by societies as a lever for gender equality."
Finally, the declaration advocates for "establishing a just and lasting peace, based on full respect for the sovereign equality of all member states, the principles of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and the obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State."