France's Gender Equality Minister Visits Morocco to Help Boost Women's Empowerment
Rabat – France's Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination, Aurore Bergé, will visit Morocco from June 23-25. The trip aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation on feminist diplomacy, human rights, and social issues, building on the strategic dialogue launched after President Emmanuel Macron's state visit in October of 2024.
Central to the visit is the goal of promoting economic empowerment for women. In Rabat, Bergé is scheduled to meet with Naïma Ben Yahia, Morocco's Minister of Solidarity, Social Inclusion, and Family, to discuss joint initiatives aimed at preventing violence against women. A joint declaration of intent is planned to outline the shared objective of integrating women's rights into public policy.
In Nouaceur – a province near Casablanca known for its industrial zones and home to the Mohammed V International Airport – the minister will visit the Safran Nacelles industrial site along with the Institute of Aeronautics Trades to examine the role of women in the Moroccan industrial sector, focusing on vocational training and professional integration programs.
Bergé will also meet with Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Minister of Economy and Finance, Amina Bouayach, President of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), and Ahmed Abbadi, Secretary General of the Rabita of the Ulemas – Muslim scholars – to discuss gender-related issues across governmental and institutional levels.
The visit will include a review of field projects supported by the French Development Agency, such as the 'Ajyal Égalité' program, which provides support for women affected by violence. The trip may also facilitate Morocco's participation in the international conference on feminist diplomacy scheduled in Paris in October 2025.
In Marrakech, Minister Bergé will visit social institutions including the Lalla Amina Center for children deprived of family care and facilities focused on women's economic empowerment. The visit aims to promote coordination among institutional, economic, and associative actors related to social inclusion and gender equality.
The visit comes as Morocco ranks 137th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Gender Gap Report—second in the Maghreb and tenth in the Arab world. Despite slight gains in education and political representation, Morocco remains near the bottom globally in economic participation and health. By contrast, France ranks 35th and holds fourth place among G7 nations.
The visit's focus on feminist diplomacy and women's empowerment reflects an official effort to advance gender equality on an international level. However, some of Bergé's previous statements expose deeper tensions within white Western feminism—where orientalist biases and selective political narratives can undermine solidarity and inclusivity.
Following the murder of a Muslim man at the Khadija mosque in La Grand-Combe, southern France, Minister Aurore Bergé sparked controversy by dismissing the use of the term 'islamophobia' to describe the attack.
'I understand those who might spontaneously use it, because they see it as a way (…) to express support and empathy. But I believe it is not an appropriate term,' Bergé said.
'I also discussed this with the Prime Minister. Sometimes, we must allow for nuance. This nuance is crucial to me because I know those pushing to impose this term today do so with questionable intentions,' she added.
Simultaneously, Bergé demanded a firm break from the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) over allegations of antisemitism. Yet, these accusations are less about hostility toward Jewish people and more about LFI's outspoken condemnation of the Israeli state and its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza—a pressing feminist issue and a litmus test of genuine political and social commitment to justice.
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