Réunion Island, host of CIFOI 2026 at the heart of the Indian Ocean

Réunion Island, a French territory in the southern hemisphere at 21°S and 55°E — 2,512 km², 911,000 inhabitants as of January 1, 2026, prefecture in Saint-Denis, GDP of 23.2 billion euros.

At the foot of Piton des Neiges, between volcanic cirques and coral lagoons, Réunion Island is preparing to host the International Conference of Indian Ocean Women from December 1 to 4, 2026. For the island, this gathering is no accident of calendar: it is the logical outcome of two decades of commitment to gender equality, regional cooperation, and an overseas model that intends to matter in the Indian Ocean conversation.

A bridge between Europe and the Indian Ocean

A French overseas department and region since 1946 and an Outermost Region of the European Union, Réunion holds a singular position: it is at once a territory of the French Republic, a gateway for European policies in the basin, and an associated member of several regional bodies. Its prefecture, Saint-Denis, hosts the consulate general of Madagascar and a diplomatic network unusually dense for a territory of this size.

The Regional Council, led since 2021 by Huguette Bello, steers a regional cooperation strategy articulated with the Indian Ocean Commission, whose General Secretariat is based in Ebene, Mauritius. The 5th IOC Summit, held in Antananarivo on April 24, 2025, confirmed Réunion's place in the "Indianoceania" framework and in the COI Horizon 2030 programme co-funded by the European Union and the French Development Agency.

An assertive gender-equality policy

Huguette Bello, the first woman elected as a member of the French National Assembly for Réunion in 1997, then the island's first woman to serve as both member of parliament and mayor in 2008, and now President of the Regional Council, embodies a lineage of activism that dates back to 1974, when she joined the Union des Femmes de La Réunion, serving as its general secretary before becoming its president in 1994 and later its honorary president. Her current regional agenda includes a real-equality action plan with dedicated chapters on women's entrepreneurship, prevention of domestic violence and recognition of female-dominated professions.

On the ground, the prefecture and the Regional Delegation for Women's Rights coordinate a network of associations — Union des Femmes de La Réunion, SOS Solidarité, GEFOI — that reaches from coastal neighbourhoods to the highlands.

An economy geared toward regional cooperation

With a GDP per capita of 27,300 euros in 2023 — around 64% of France's national average — Réunion combines demographic dynamism, a diversified fabric of SMEs and continued reliance on public transfers. The ERDF-ESF+ operational programme, the Interreg VI Indian Ocean funds and the Mozambique Channel Interreg scheme inject hundreds of millions of euros into cross-border projects: health, digital, ecological transition, youth, creative industries.

The Réunion University Hospital operates as a regional health platform, notably serving Mayotte and Madagascar after Cyclone Chido in December 2024. The University of Réunion runs joint research programmes with Mauritius, Seychelles and Mozambique, from marine biodiversity to agroecology.

An ambition for CIFOI 2026

By hosting the conference, Réunion intends to offer delegations a protected, independent and grounded space for dialogue. The island is mobilising its women-led civil society around a programme open to delegations from the Indian Ocean and Africa. The aim is to produce concrete, measurable commitments aligned with the agendas of UN Women, the Indian Ocean Commission and the framework agreement signed between the Regional Council and the Malagasy presidency. More than a summit, CIFOI is meant to become a lasting platform, with Réunion as its steward.