Feminist Foreign Policy and Gendered Approaches to International Peace Mediation

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 10, October 2026 | pp. 29–42

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001317

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Feminist Foreign Policy and Gendered Approaches to International Peace Mediation

Names of Author: Fatma Al-Zahra¹, Henrik Lindström², & Chantal Kaboré³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Political Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt; ²Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; ³Institute of International Relations, University of Ouagadougou, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Abstract:
Over the past decade, several states and multilateral organizations have adopted explicit feminist foreign policy frameworks aimed at integrating gender equality into diplomacy, development aid, and conflict resolution. However, critics from the Global South contend that donor-driven gender initiatives frequently impose Eurocentric priorities while ignoring structural inequities such as arms exports, sovereign debt, and extractive trade policies that fuel regional instability. Furthermore, grassroots women mediators in conflict zones often receive symbolic recognition without substantive decision-making authority at formal peace tables. This paper interrogates the tensions between state-led feminist foreign policies and grassroots women’s peacebuilding priorities in the Sahel and North Africa. Grounded in postcolonial feminist international relations theory, the study analyzes diplomatic policy documents and interviews with 30 peace mediators and foreign policy practitioners. We argue for a decolonial feminist diplomacy that redistributes funding directly to local women’s coalitions.

Keywords: Feminist foreign policy, peace mediation, postcolonial international relations, diplomacy, women peacebuilders, Global South, Sahel, North Africa

Manuscript Timeline: Received: August 08, 2026; Revised: September 10, 2026; Accepted: September 14, 2026; Published: October 15, 2026.

Citation: Al-Zahra, F., Lindström, H., & Kaboré, C. (2026). Feminist Foreign Policy and Gendered Approaches to International Peace Mediation. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(10), 29–42. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001317

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