What you probably already know: An international women’s coalition of more than 260 organizations from 62 countries has issued a sharp warning on gender inequality to the Group of 7 nations (G7), an intergovernmental and political forum consisting of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada. The Women 7 (W7), a coalition of feminist civil society organizations, activists and nonprofit organizations (one of the official “Engagement Groups” of the G7) calls the global backlash against the rights of women, girls and LGBTQIA+ people an “organized, planned and well-resourced phenomenon supported by anti-rights movements and conservative political parties,” including the private sector and “Big Tech.”
Why it matters: As France prepares to hold the G7 presidency, the coalition notes that the country has framed its mission around fixing “global imbalances,” mostly economic. The 12-page “Women 7 2026 Declaration” says that lens is far too narrow, calling the deliberate erosion of gender inequality a core geopolitical crisis “that could intensify in the near future.” When feminist organizations are targeted and weakened, the coalition says, civic spaces contract, democratic check-and-balance systems fail and authoritarianism takes hold. The W7 notes that the United States will assume the G7 presidency in 2027, warning that the political environment could shift drastically and negate any positive action or consensus on gender issues.
What it means: “Recent policies adopted by certain G7 member states are seriously undermining gender equality, human rights, multilateralism and democratic principles,” the Declaration says. “In this context, France’s presidency of the G7 must be a moment of important clarification between the states that are orchestrating the backlash, those that are turning a blind eye and those that are actually fighting it.” It highlights the explosion of online misogyny and the exclusion of women from major AI decision-making roles as emerging threats that will widen social divides. The Declaration calls on France to put human rights at the center of its G7 agenda.
What happens next: The coalition emphasizes four key priorities:
• Acknowledge the crisis by explicitly stating that the systemic rollback of rights for women and minority communities threatens global democracies.
• Formally recognize that grassroots feminist organizations are essential lines of defense to protect democracy.
• Commit substantial public funding to supporting those organizations “at a time when such funding is at an all-time low,” particularly in the Southern hemisphere.
• Amplify the message to coordinate actions across the private sector, media and other international organizations.
“Funding human rights organizations, promoting international solidarity and protecting civic space are concrete levers for strengthening social resilience and democratic stability,” the document notes. “Ignoring this reactionary offensive will not make it go away. On the contrary, it will become more deeply and durably entrenched.”
