Albares, together with 14 colleagues from around the world, reaffirms his commitment to women's rights

The Minister stressed that ‘advancing equality means advancing justice, democracy and a safer world’ and encouraged continued progress alongside international partners.

Reaffirming its international leadership, Spain will host the International Conference on Feminist Foreign Policy in Madrid on 2 and 3 June 2026, an event that will bring together Governments, multilateral organisations and civil society to strengthen alliances and move towards transformative diplomacy guided by equality.

Spain's Feminist Foreign Policy integrates equality across all of the State's external actions and promotes the full, safe and meaningful participation of women in international decision-making processes. The Ministry took the opportunity on 8 March to condemn the oppression suffered by women, especially in countries such as Iran and Afghanistan.

Feminist Foreign Policy is implemented as a State policy that incorporates gender equality in all areas of foreign policy, from bilateral diplomacy and action in the European Union to participation in multilateral forums and development cooperation. To strengthen its implementation, in 2021 the Ministry created the position of Ambassador on Special Mission for Feminist Foreign Policy, responsible for coordinating this agenda throughout the foreign network and promoting the integration of the gender perspective in the Ministry's positions and actions.

The priorities of this policy include promoting a feminist foreign agenda; equality in the foreign service by promoting parity and women's access to positions of responsibility; coordination between institutions to ensure a comprehensive approach to equality; and accountability through monitoring and evaluation mechanisms that enable progress and results to be measured.

As one of the many initiatives stemming from this policy, in 2025 the Ministry created the Isabel Oyarzábal Award, which will annually recognise the excellence of women and organisations in diplomacy and international relations. The award is named after Isabel Oyarzábal, Spain's first female ambassador, and in 2025 was presented to Rebeca Grynspan for her outstanding work in strengthening multilateralism and defending the rights of women and girls.

In January 2026, the Ministry presented the first Feminist Cooperation Strategy, which consolidates the focus on equality in cooperation policy and establishes priorities aimed at effectively transforming the lives of women and girls through international development cooperation. 

The Strategy emphasises the empowerment of women, the elimination of structural inequalities, the eradication of all forms of violence, the guarantee of sexual and reproductive rights, access to essential services and the participation of women in decision-making.

The Foreign Ministry's commitment to equality is also reflected in the Women, Peace and Security agenda. On 2 March, the Minister presented the new National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2025-2030, a central instrument of Spain's foreign policy and Feminist Foreign Policy, drawn up with the participation of thirteen ministries and feminist organisations, networks of mediators, human rights defenders and international organisations. This Plan focuses on achieving the full participation of women in decision-making and in all phases of conflict prevention, management and resolution. 

With regard to its foreign service, the Ministry points out that its network of embassies and consulates provides assistance to Spanish women who are victims of gender-based violence outside Spain, strengthening information, protection and coordination with the competent authorities, in line with the commitments made at interministerial level to combat this form of violence.

Spain also promotes initiatives that amplify the voices of women in vulnerable situations, such as Afghan women, and promote accountability for human rights violations. Among these initiatives is the HearUs conference, held annually at the Foreign Ministry headquarters, which brings together Afghan activists and representatives of the United Nations and civil society.

Spain also promotes initiatives that amplify the voices of women in vulnerable situations, such as Afghan women, and promote accountability for human rights violations. Among these initiati​ves is the HearUs conference, held annually at the Foreign Ministry headquarters, which brings together Afghan activists and representatives of the United Nations and civil society to agree on an agenda for justice, protection and meaningful participation of Afghan women in all political processes related to the future of their country. 

In line with this, in early 2026, the Minister unveiled a plaque at the Ministry in recognition of Afghan women and girls and the organisation that represents them, Women for Afghanistan, with the aim of raising awareness and supporting their work in the fight for their rights and freedom. 

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