Madrid: The Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, will represent the South African Government at the Financing for Feminist Futures (F4FF) Conference, which is being held at La Casa Encendida in Madrid, Spain, from 8-10 October 2025.
According to South African Government News Agency, the global conference is organized under the theme ‘Resourcing Resistance and Building Feminist Solidarities’ by the Walking the Talk Consortium. This consortium includes Hivos, Equipop, Restless Development, ODI Europe, and Deutsche Stiftung Weltbev¶lkerung, and is co-hosted by La Coordinadora, Spain.
The event gathers feminist leaders, funders, policymakers, and movement-builders to reconceptualize the future of feminist financing against a backdrop of significant global aid reductions and increasing opposition to women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights.
Building on previous discussions from the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) and the Compromiso de Sevilla, the F4FF conference advocates for increased investment in the care economy, prevention of gender-based violence, and sustainable support for feminist movements globally.
Letsike emphasized South Africa’s commitment to ‘walking the talk’ by implementing gender-responsive budgeting, fiscal policies, and investment frameworks that cater to women’s specific needs and promote gender equality, thereby encouraging inclusive and equitable economic development.
During the conference, Letsike will participate in two key sessions: The Strategic Session – Track 3, themed ‘Strengthening Feminist Funding for Gender Equality: Building on Financing for Development 4 and Exploring New Possibilities,’ and the Closing Plenary, themed ‘Resourcing Resistance and Building Feminist Solidarities.’
In both sessions, the Deputy Minister will emphasize South Africa’s leadership in advancing feminist economic justice and inclusive public finance, grounded in the principles of substantive equality and social transformation.
Her involvement highlights the essential role of feminist financing in achieving the National Development Plan (NDP 2030), the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
‘Feminist financing is not charity but structural reform. Every budget is a moral document that reveals who we value and what future we choose. Our task is to ensure that the global financing architecture reflects the principles of justice, care, and equality,’ the Deputy Minister stated.