Minister Joly to co-host women foreign ministers’ meeting in Toronto

September 19, 2024 – Toronto, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that she will co-host a women foreign ministers’ meeting (WFMM) in Toronto on September 19 and 20, 2024, with Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica.

The WFMM will bring together women foreign ministers from around the world to discuss women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in governance and public life. The meeting will draw on participants’ lived experiences and formal positions to broaden the global dialogue on the importance of women in public spaces and highlight the challenges they face. It will also address critical issues such as combatting disinformation and online violence targeting women leaders.

Minister Joly, Minister Johnson Smith and their counterparts will also engage with civil society representatives and academics to exchange ideas and explore solutions.

The WFMM will build on global efforts to promote gender equality and reinforce it as a core principle in both national and international agendas in the context of an ongoing backlash against women’s rights, gender equality and LGBTQ2+ rights.