Berlin 2025

The 41st annual EUFASA AISBL Conference brought together delegates from 19 EUFASA AISBL member associations in Berlin, Germany on 26-27. May, 2025. Twelve MFA Family Officers as well as representatives from the Norwegian partners’ association UD Partnerne, the Swedish foreign ministry and Swedish Association for Diplomats UPF, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (NZ MFAT), and the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spouses’ Solidarity Association DMEDD participated in the conference as guests.

Foreign Service partners’ work and employment took a central role during the conference, with the Work and Employment working group updating their reference document, and the EUFASA Research Department (ERD) reporting initial findings from their survey in fall 2024 to estimate employment and unemployment rates among Foreign Service partners and spouses. Using OECD definitions, the overall employment rate among respondents was found to be 48% (55% among male partners, and 45% among female partners, with a total of 1678 responses). Employment rates were higher among those at headquarters than among those posted abroad, and among partners who had been at their current location longer.

Family Officers briefly presented the employment supports that their systems offer, and the representative from the NZ MFAT presented on the New Zealand approach to supporting families in general, and partner employment in particular. Participants also brainstormed creative approaches to reduce barriers to partner and spouse employment.

Further presentations and exchanges were held on resources for foreign service children with language disabilities, an online platform to facilitate exchange among partners and the MFA, and UN sustainable development goals.