Rabat — Morocco has been embarking on an “irreversible path” toward gender equality over the past 25 years under King Mohammed VI’s leadership, according to Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
The minister made the statement on Wednesday at a major international gathering on feminist diplomacy.
Speaking at the opening of the 4th Conference on Feminist Diplomacies in Paris, Bourita told foreign ministers from around 50 countries that Morocco’s reforms have gone beyond changing laws — they have transformed how an entire generation thinks about equity and modernity.
“Our confidence stems from the choice made by His Majesty King Mohammed VI to make women’s rights and equality priorities of His Reign,” Bourita said at the conference, which drew nearly 450 participants, including France’s Jean-Noël Barrot and Spain’s José Manuel Albares.
From domestic reform to diplomatic priority
Morocco joined the Feminist Foreign Policy Group (FFP+) to work with countries that share its values and place equality at the center of their diplomacy. Bourita spoke of how the country’s internal transformation naturally extended to its foreign policy.
“Our feminist diplomacy is, above all, a diplomacy in the service of peace,” he said.
The minister pointed to Morocco’s first National Action Plan, adopted in March 2022, which implements UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. The country has extended the plan through 2026 to strengthen women’s roles in prevention, mediation, and reconstruction.
Morocco ranks as the world’s ninth-largest contributor to peacekeeping operations. Of its 3,400 deployed peacekeepers, 120 are women — a number the country plans to increase.
Training women as peacebuilders
Beyond deploying peacekeepers, Morocco trains women mediators who work at the community level to defuse tensions and rebuild trust. “Empowering them gives peace a human face,” Bourita said.
The country also trains election observers through its African Union partnership. Between 2022 and 2025, Morocco trained several hundred African observers, including 175 women out of 300 graduates.
Morocco’s feminist diplomacy extends into the religious sphere through its morchidates — female religious guides who serve as “powerful agents for preventing violent extremism,” Bourita told the gathering.
The minister recalled the North African country’s migration policy as another pillar of feminist diplomacy. Women make up nearly half of Morocco’s regular migrants, and two regularization campaigns in 2014 and 2017 granted them protection and dignity.
Making history at the UN
In April, Morocco introduced a historic resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva titled “Women, Diplomacy and Human Rights.” The resolution strengthens the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, focuses on women’s underrepresentation in diplomatic roles, and calls on states to guarantee equal access and prevent discrimination.
Morocco also practices feminist diplomacy bilaterally. The minister noted that equality forms a pillar of Morocco’s partnership with France and comes up regularly in political consultations with Spain.
The country also cooperates with Japan on the Women, Peace, and Security agenda and exchanges ideas with Latin American countries.
The economic and security case for equality
Bourita backed his arguments with compelling data. Women’s participation in peace negotiations increases by 20% the likelihood that an agreement will last at least two years, and by 35% the chance it will endure for 15 years.
Economically, closing the gender gap could increase global GDP by more than 20%, according to World Bank figures the minister cited.
Studies show an inverse correlation between gender equality and radicalization, Bourita noted. More equal societies face less exposure to extremist tendencies.
On climate change, while women count among the first victims, investing in gender equality could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 15% by 2050.
Walking the talk at home
“Because feminist diplomacy cannot thrive externally without internal coherence,” Bourita said, Morocco has opened paths within its own diplomatic system that “prejudice or bias had once obstructed.”
The numbers tell the story, as women now make up 43% of the ministry’s staff and hold 47% of central leadership positions. Women lead one-third of Morocco’s diplomatic and consular posts — 45 out of 155 total, including 21 embassies and 24 consulates.
The transformation has been dramatic, with women serving as Consul Generals rising from 3% to 40% between 2004 and 2024. Women now represent 21% of ambassadors, up from 4% of the overall diplomatic corps, and lead some of Morocco’s most strategic embassies.
“It is neither about compensating through favoritism nor balancing by numbers, but about doing justice through excellence,” Bourita said. “Women have never fallen short.”
A southern voice in feminist diplomacy
Bourita acknowledged that while the concept of feminist diplomacy originated in the Global North, it doesn’t belong exclusively to any region. The diplomacy gains strength from diverse experiences and trajectories.
He proposed three ways to strengthen the FFP+. First, the network must listen, include, and expand without losing focus.
The Moroccan chief diplomat then added the need for concrete action backed by evaluation and accountability mechanisms as the second way.
Thirdly, he indicated that FFP+ should connect with other major global issues through partnerships and alliances.
The minister suggested creating a joint training program on feminist diplomacy and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, establishing exchange spaces for women diplomats from all regions, and promoting bilateral and triangular partnerships to share best practices.
“Feminist diplomacy is not a model to export, but an experience to share,” Bourita concluded.
The Paris conference follows previous gatherings organized by Germany in 2022, the Netherlands in 2023, and Mexico in 2024.
According to France’s foreign ministry, the conference gives states and partners a chance to collectively reaffirm their commitment to women’s rights, equality, and justice — and to reject any regression.
