The FMUS podcast

European governments have belatedly realized that far-right actors routinely use attacks against gender equality, diversity and reproductive rights as cover for their anti-democratic agenda. Neil Datta of the European Parliamentary Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Rights outlines how, in 2022, the USA, Russia and Hungary poured $270 million into think tanks and litigation groups across Europe to generate anti-gender controversies t...

How are countries from the global South dealing with the sudden, massive cuts to foreign assistance enacted by the Trump Administration and by other donors? How are Trump’s Executive Orders attacking gender, diversity and abortion affecting reproductive health and women’s rights worldwide? Rajat Khosla of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health discusses with Françoise what is being done to fight back thr...

Brilliant feminist advocate Kemi Akinfaderin discusses with Françoise recent diplomatic negotiations on gender equality and SRHR: the UN Commission on the Status of Women, UN Commission on Population and Development, and World Health Assembly. Kemi analyzes the achievements and sticking points, how the global North’s reluctance to share technologies and pathogens prevents progress for women and girls, and where feminists stan...

More than a year after the dismantling of USAID by Elon Musk’s DOGE and the freezing of the $40 billion U.S. foreign assistance budget, how is global development faring? How is global health, and sexual and reproductive health specifically, affected by the Trump Administration’s evolving policies? Did you know that, in exchange for U.S. aid, Trump now requires U.S. access to global South countries’ mineral resourc...

In January 2026, the Trump Administration further weaponized U.S. foreign aid when it issued a new policy, cynically entitled “Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance.” Through three separate Executive Orders, the Administration now seeks to use $40 billion of U.S. assistance to bar Global South countries, the UN and any non-governmental organization (foreign or US) from speaking about or doing anything not on...

Democracy and human rights are under severe attack everywhere, including in Europe. Far-right actors use anti-gender and anti-abortion arguments to build their political base, win elections, and use their political power to adopt much broader authoritarian agendas. To defend justice and freedom, we must understand what these movements are up to. Roberto Kulpa of Edinburgh Napier University joins Françoise to examine anti-gender tac...

A growing body of evidence shows that we can prevent and stop violence against women and girls – from programs that reduce poverty, improve couples’ communication, question harmful gender norms or ban the corporal punishment of children. Avni Amin, of the World Health Organization, explains how RESPECT, a document that summarizes and evaluates available knowledge, can guide policymakers’ choices. Feminist movement...

 Can women's rights still be advanced at the UN? – With Gita Sen Gita Sen, feminist political economist and member of DAWN, explains to Françoise why she has resumed her activism and lobbying for sexual and reproductive rights at the UN. At a time when the effectiveness and relevance of the UN are being questioned, this may seem counterintuitive. But feminists from the Global South are determined to use multilateral nego...

Women’s Rights and Democracy in Poland – with Wanda Nowicka Two years after the far-right Law and Justice party lost control of the government in Poland, have progressives and feminists been able to reverse the damage to democracy and human rights, including women’s rights? Wanda Nowicka, member of the Polish Parliament and longstanding feminist activist, outlines what has been achieved despite significant challen...

Jessica Stern, former U.S. Special Envoy to Advance Human Rights for LGBTQI+ persons and founder of The Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice, discusses with Françoise the connections between feminism and LGBTQI+ rights, why politicians weaponize LGBTQI+ communities and especially trans rights at election time, and why she’s working to center human rights as a core principle of US foreign policy. Tune in to learn how defend...

Globally, girls experience adolescence very differently than boys do, explains Evalin Karijo, award-winning leader and Associate Director of the GIRL Center at the Population Council. 40% of adolescent girls (10-19) are neither in school nor in training or paid employment, as compared to 10% of boys their age. Early and forced marriage and early pregnancy still limit girls’ opportunities, and HIV incidence amongst girls remai...

Dr. Rebecca Steinfeld (PhD, Political Science) is a leading expert and campaigner on reproductive health and rights. In this conversation with Françoise, she explores the complex world of infant feeding — from the cultural and medical pressures around breastfeeding to the realities many new mothers face.

Is breastfeeding always best? Why do so many mothers feel judged no matter what they choose? A...

American researcher, medical doctor, and President of Gynuity Health Projects, Beverly Winikoff, tells Françoise Girard about the latest research into ulipristal acetate, also known as the emergency contraceptive Ella. Available over the counter in many countries, ulipristal can be used as a much-needed additional option for terminating pregnancy. But would its use as an abortion pill endanger its emergency contraception appli...

What if healthcare, including reproductive healthcare, education and housing were rights recognized in your country’s constitution? In South Africa, they are! Sasha Stevenson, a human rights lawyer based in Johannesburg and the Executive Director of SECTION27, talks with Françoise about the brave and passionate work her organization has done, in partnership with community-based groups, to turn those rights into reality. From ...

Dr. Satang Nabaneh, an award-winning legal scholar and Director of Programs at the University of Dayton’s Human Rights Center, discusses her recent edited volume, Female Genital Mutilation in Africa: politics of criminalization, that examines the role of criminal law in combatting this harmful traditional practice. Nabaneh reflects on legal strategies to end FGM, the situation in The Gambia and elsewhere in Africa, and how Af...

María Antonieta is a Mexican feminist, an advocate for women’s and youth rights with over 20 years’ experience as a leader in the struggle for sexual and reproductive health and rights. Early in her career, she founded Balance, a feminist organization that supports women and adolescents in Mexico to make free choices about their sexuality. Most recently, she was the Executive Director of Ipas Latin America and Caribbean...