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HeForShe Community Quarterly Webinar: The Role of Men and Masculinities in Advancing Feminist Foreign Policy
30 June 2026 - “How can engaging men and boys strengthen efforts to advance gender equality, both nationally and globally?”
This question was at the heart of the latest HeForShe Community Quarterly Call, which brought together Alliance members, National Chapters and partners for a discussion on "Men, Masculinities and Feminist Foreign Policy: Advancing Male Allyship for Gender Equality." The conversation built on momentum from the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policy: Building Peace and Democracy, hosted by the Government of Spain in Madrid on 2–3 June 2026. Among its key discussions was the side event "Masculinities under Dispute: Men and Boys as Key Actors in Feminist Foreign Policy," which underscored the growing recognition that engaging men and boys is an essential component of advancing gender equality.
Building on these discussions, the HeForShe community explored how efforts to transform harmful gender norms and promote equitable masculinities can strengthen both domestic and international commitments to gender equality. Participants reflected on the close connection between national action and global leadership, recognising that countries' commitments at home shape the credibility and impact of their engagement on the international stage.
The discussion featured presentations from the Government of Spain, MenEngage Alliance, and the Government of Iceland, each offering complementary perspectives on engaging men and boys as partners for gender equality.
The Government of Spain shared key outcomes from the Fifth Ministerial Conference, highlighting why work with men and boys is increasingly recognised as an important dimension of Feminist Foreign Policy. The presentation explored how transforming harmful gender norms can contribute to preventing violence against women, strengthening democratic resilience and promoting more inclusive leadership, while also sharing reflections from Spain's Bróders initiative, which focuses on youth masculinities and prevention in digital spaces.
“We have realized that what is important now is the growing recognition that the discussion on masculinities is relevant for our domestic policy and international affairs. And it also includes a point of view of peace building, building on democracy and on foreign policy. This recommendation was reflected in our 5th ministerial conference on Feminist Foreign Policy” - Ambassador Ana Maria Alonso, Ambassador Feminist Foreign Policy, Government of Spain
Drawing on its 2025 report Men, Masculinities, and Feminist Foreign Policy, MenEngage Alliance presented an overview of how governments are integrating work with men and boys into Feminist Foreign Policy frameworks. The presentation emphasised that engaging men is most effective when grounded in feminist principles, accountability, structural change and the leadership of women's rights movements.
we can clearly say engaging men and boys and especially or including men in positions of power, working to transform not just the individual, but the patriarchal masculinities norms that are deeply embedded in culture, institution, ideology is a key to achieving FFP - Jennifer Rodriguez Bruno, Advocacy Manager, MenEngage Alliance
The Government of Iceland, a long-standing partner of UN Women since its establishment, contributed to the session by sharing insights on the development and evolution of the Barbershop Toolkit. Marta Brína from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland reflected on Iceland’s journey in designing the original toolkit, including the intentions behind it as a practical instrument to support meaningful change through engaging men in leadership in advancing gender equality. She also reflected on how the Government of Iceland views more recent developments, including the updated and revised Barbershop Toolkit, which was launched at the UN General Assembly in September last year.
“Based on our experience, we found that it was time to update the barbershop due to pushback that continues to persist. This new version is very much a response to this global context that we find ourselves in when it comes to pushback on women's rights and on gender equality. This new toolkit, like the previous one, offers practical guidance on addressing issues such as harmful gender norms, online misogyny and misinformation, fatherhood and care responsibilities and leadership with accountability.” - Marta Brina Baldursdottir, Specialist, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland
The webinar reinforced the importance of collaboration across governments, civil society and international partners to advance gender equality. By connecting national experiences with global policy discussions, the HeForShe Alliance continues to provide a space for partners to exchange knowledge, share practical tools and strengthen collective action in support of a more equal world.
The resources from the webinar are shared below for further reference and continued engagement with the topics discussed.