France's foreign ministry unveils two-year gender equality strategy

RFI

16 September 2024 at 0:52 am·2-min read

France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has adopted a new ‘action plan’ for professional equality between men and women for the period 2024-2026, which is intended to be ‘more ambitious’ than a previous gender parity programme.

The ministry, known as the Quai d'Orsay, says it is committed to ensuring that more women are nominated for major posts and to supporting the career advancement of female staff.

In a report published on "feminist diplomacy" in July 2023, France's High Council on Equality – an independent French consultative body reporting to the Prime Minister – lamented that within the foreign ministry, men still occupied the most prestigious positions.

In setting new targets, the ministry is now aiming for a proportion of 40 percent of female first-time nominees by 2026 and intends to reach a proportion of 40 percent of women in senior positions by 2027.

According to the ministry, this year more than 45 percent of ambassadors appointed for the first time will be women, while among newly-appointed consuls-general, over 40 percent will also be women.

Particular attention will also be paid to salaries.

Women's health 'key issue'

Starting in January, the Quai d'Orsay will endeavour to identify the functions where gender imbalance is most glaring, with a view to redressing the situation.

The ministry says it will ensure that women have fairer access to posts abroad where the residence allowance is highest.

"The plan has been drawn up in full consultation with the trade unions," the ministry said.

Manchester Evening News
'Sex work isn't worth it. If I could take it all back, I would'
'It was either that or a random Amazon warehouse'
The Guardian
At 12 she was abused by a friend’s father. Police told her parents she was asleep so there was no need to let her know. The problem? They were wrong …
Franky Dean’s story highlights the moral dilemmas of crimes with ‘unknowing victims’
Hereford Times
I'm so disappointed by these small-minded Herefordshire people
I WAS very disappointed to see the small-minded comments on social media with regards to the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit to Herefordshire on October 1.
The Argus
Two pedestrians hurt as armed moped riders crash and brawl on the seafront
Two people have been taken to hospital after being hurt in a moped crash.
Manchester Evening News
Gang war on the wards: How Gooch gang and Longsight Crew clashed in hospital
The warring gangs faced off in Manchester Royal Infirmary causing terrified medics and patients to 'flee for their lives'
The Independent
‘I’m never coming home’: Fears for prisoner denied parole in landmark public hearing over indefinite jail term
Exclusive: IPP prisoner Nicholas Bidar’s heartbroken family say he is losing hope of ever getting home as he languishes in a cell with only a bucket for a toilet
Hereford Times
Warning to farmers after mud forces Herefordshire road closure
A WARNING has been issued to farmers after mud on a Herefordshire road forced its closure.
Bromley News Shopper
Most wanted in London by Crimestoppers including wife stabber and 'rapist'
The charity Crimestoppers named the most wanted men and women in London.
The Independent
Mysterious buried rug found by TikToker prompted police search — here’s what they found
‘This has been the most absurd, insane experience of my life,’ said Santry
The Telegraph
Saudi executions hit record number under ‘reformist prince’
Saudi Arabia has reached a record high for executions despite pledges to cut down the death penalty.
Wales Online
Body found during search for missing Welsh man in Turkey
The Foreign Office has confirmed the tragic news
The Guardian
‘We’re living like wild animals’: Europe’s largest shantytown waits in vain for power
Four years after the lights went out in the Cañada Real, outside Madrid, people plead for electricity as another winter approaches
Bradford Telegraph and Argus
Furious mum puts banner up telling new McDonald's restaurant 'we're not loving it'
A furious mum has put up a banner saying she is 'not loving' a new McDonald’s in Ilkley - after claiming its builders 'destroyed' her fence.
The Telegraph
One of UK’s most prolific shoplifters avoids jail for 172nd conviction
One of Britain’s most prolific shoplifters has avoided prison for her 172nd conviction.
The Telegraph
Watch: Boy, 10, ‘drives stolen car around playground’
A 10-year-old has been arrested for allegedly driving a stolen car around a crowded school playground.
Manchester Evening News
Coronation Street's DS Swain gets death shock as Joel Deering's laptop holds evidence
The solicitor is currently missing - and presumed dead - but Kit Green will find something Swain needs to see
Manchester Evening News
A hushed up scandal ruined a brave Greater Manchester Police officer's career
Ten days before he lost his left eye when it was shot out by a Saudi royal bodyguard during a training exercise Gary had been part of a team that arrested two men armed with a sawn-off shotgun who were about to commit a robbery on a family home
People
Inside the Twisted Case of a Stepdad Who Poisoned College Student to Death, Then Tried to Frame Her Friend
AJ Hadsell's stepfather continues to maintain his innocence while serving life in prison for her murder
Associated Press
Exiled from Russia centuries ago, a religious group is on the edge of vanishing in Georgia
A 10-year-old boy proudly stands beside his father and listens to the monotone chanting of elderly women clad in embroidered headscarves and long colorful skirts. It is Ilya's first time attending a night prayer meeting in Gorelovka, a tiny village in the South Caucasus nation of Georgia, and he is determined to follow the centuries-old hymns that have been passed down through the generations. It's just men and women praying together, as the Doukhobors have done since the pacifist Christian sect emerged in Russia in the 18th century.
The Telegraph
‘A cyclist killed my father with one punch - but he could be back on the street in three years’
When Nathan Pilling appeared in court last month to plead guilty to the manslaughter of pensioner Michael Dawson, the pensioner’s family hoped they would soon see justice done.

Women's health 'key issue'

Latest stories