French MEP Chloé Ridel (S&D), a member of the Human Rights Subcommittee (DROI), is calling for the creation of a European fund to support women’s organisations around the world. On Wednesday 9 April, she and Marit Maij (S&D, Dutch) launched a round table on ‘feminist diplomacy’ and European funding at the European Parliament. Faced with the decline in women’s rights around the world, Chloé Ridel calls for a stronger political and budgetary commitment from the European Union. The event, organised in partnership with several NGOs and foundations, brought together members of parliament, diplomats, representatives of European institutions, researchers and women working in the field. (Interview by Nithya Paquiry)
Agence Europe: You are proposing to create a European fund for feminist organisations around the world. How would this initiative differ from existing instruments such as NDICI – Global Europe, which you mentioned? Are we talking about a brand new fund, an expansion or a redirection of existing funding?
Chloé Ridel: The NDICI is not specifically targeted at gender and feminist organisations. It finances all kinds of things. It is the main instrument of the European Union’s external policy. The creation of a European funding scheme for feminist organisations is really something new.
Are there any indicators that could measure the impact of the fund you are proposing?
Yes. The number of women in work, taking on social and political responsibilities... That’s the objective. But to achieve this, they need access to contraception, education and work. It’s all inextricably linked.
Do you think you can put together a political majority? And which states could support this initiative on the EU Council side?
We’ll need the Council’s support. First, we need a coalition here, a majority here in Parliament. I think it’s possible. We’ll have to go and bring the EPP on board. I don’t want to politicise the issue of this fund because we’ve reached a point where any NGO is considered to be a leftist movement. When we talk about feminism now, we’re not even allowed to say the word in the Council.
But we can talk about responsibility, access to work and efficiency. France supports this, of course. There’s also Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. Sweden is also a pioneer in this field, as are Denmark and Finland. And once again, we’re not talking about astronomical sums. If we can get a billion, two billion over the next financial framework, that would already be considerable.
You talk about a backlash against women’s rights, and you describe a highly organised counter-offensive.
Yes, and it is very well funded. This is what was said during the event: according to the website of the EPF – the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights – between 2009 and 2023, one billion euros were spent on conservative movements in Europe. This funding comes from conservative philanthropists, Russia and the United States. We had someone whose job is to research the funds that are allocated to these conservative, religious movements, with civil society organisations that are attached to churches and that, on the ground, push back against gender equality, women’s right to contraception, to have control over their bodies, to abortion and promote a model of society that takes us back to the 19th century.
And there is a lack of resources to counter that. Wasn’t it pointed out at the event that less than 1% of international funding dedicated to gender issues goes to grassroots feminist organisations? Added to this are the difficulties mentioned by smaller organisations in accessing funding. How can we guarantee their access to funds?
The solution is to have intermediary organisations that act as a link with the organisations on the ground.
There are many in Brussels, such as ActionAid. These organisations have the administrative capacity to respond to calls for European projects and can then redistribute the funds.
This is also what France has put in place with its support fund for feminist organisations, as part of its ‘feminist diplomacy’.
Politically, spreading funds across lots of small organisations has much more impact than signing cheques for billions in a government department.
You mentioned the French support fund for feminist organisations. What do you think is special about it?
It provides funding for many very small organisations in remote areas. These are organisations that do not have access to major EU programmes and which, politically, are particularly effective. There is also inclusive governance: an annual steering board with civil society. And a bottom-up approach. It’s the women on the ground who know what they need.
On an international scale, can the European Union really influence these issues?
With the withdrawal of American aid (see EUROPE 13562/21), there is a huge gap to fill. But it’s also an opportunity. Europe can advance its own agenda, to replace the United States. We are the most advanced region in the world in terms of gender equality. This is shown by a world ranking drawn up by UN Women: half of the leading countries are EU Member States. And it’s not just a question of principles or values. Science shows that the more women are included in the world of work, the more developed and stable countries become.