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Women and Foreign Policy Program
The Women and Foreign Policy program analyzes how elevating the status of women and girls advances U.S. foreign policy objectives, including global peace, prosperity, and security. The program informs policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public about issues related to gender equality and U.S. foreign policy through scholarship, roundtable discussions, briefings, and the Women Around the World blog.
129 million girls remain out of school
Featured
Find out where women around the world wield political power—and why it matters.
The 2024 U.S. presidential election could be the first election clearly decided by women, in a landmark assertion of power by the majority.
A discussion with Ambassador Rao Gupta on women’s political representation, violence against women, and new U.S. policy initiatives to advance gender equality and UN Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.
Peace negotiators often overlook a proven strategy to reduce conflict and advance stability: include women.
Sustainable Development Goals (UN)
Without accelerated efforts, there is no chance of getting anywhere close to eliminating FGM/C by 2030.
As a record number of countries hold elections in 2024, panelists reflect on the substantive policy achievements of women political leaders, needed measures to achieve increased women’s leadership, and recommendations for bridging divides and governing effectively in a time of turmoil.
This meeting is part of the Council on Foreign Relations Roundtable Series on Women's Global Leadership.
The president of Women in Africa (WIA) Initiative, Hafsat Abiola, shares her experiences for International Women’s Day under the theme “Invest in women: Accelerate progress.”
Under Republican leadership, the House of Representatives is doubling down on their efforts to slash U.S. funding for gender equality initiatives—and climate justice hangs in the balance.
Program Experts
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Find out where women around the world wield political power—and why it matters.
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The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the constitutional right to abortion for almost fifty years. How does regulation of abortion in the United States compare to that in the rest of the world?
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The world’s nations are lagging woefully behind in meeting targets for achieving gender equality by 2030, but a new round of initiatives has stirred hope of progress.
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Gender equality is a crucial missing piece of the climate puzzle. If governments want a fighting chance of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and shifting to renewable energy, they must give women more access to inputs, education, and capital.
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As a journalist, book author, and sometime adviser with frequent visits to Afghanistan between 2002 and 2015, I offer this distillation of lessons that we might learn from the United States’ longest war.