What is a feminist foreign policy and does Ukrainian diplomacy take equality into account?
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On December 22, we celebrate the Day of Ukrainian Diplomacy. It is interesting to analyze the successes and difficulties of Ukrainian military diplomacy, but also to think about a new global trend – the feminization of foreign policy.
Feminist foreign policy is when the voice of women is heard at the negotiating table in political, security and peace-building processes, when the international justice system sees the real consequences of war crimes and takes into account the human rights work of women’s organizations, when an international trade agreement includes the needs and opportunities of women in business, and international aid is distributed fairly.
Does Ukrainian diplomacy take into account issues of equality and non-discrimination? Are you ready for such a trend? And what opportunities does feminist foreign policy create for the post-war recovery of Ukraine?
Build new bridges and partnerships
When we talk about feminist foreign policy, we mean not only equal opportunities for women and men in the system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The gender audit, which was conducted in 2020 by UN Women in Ukraine, revealed a number of problems and challenges in the diplomatic service in terms of creating equal opportunities for women and men.
However, the gradual increase in the number of female ambassadors and the involvement of women’s organizations in public diplomacy and international advocacy indicate a positive trend towards greater equality, and the public position of Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirms the presence of political will to implement changes in favor of non-discrimination.
When considering feminist foreign policy, we first of all have in mind a major global trend – to build a balanced and anti-discriminatory national policy in various areas, and therefore to offer cooperation with international partners based on the principles of equality and respect for human rights. A number of countries, in particular, Germany, Canada, France, Spain, Norway, Mexico, Chile, have already declared such views in their foreign policy.
This approach, on the one hand, opens another channel of communication in foreign policy – to tell the truth about the nature of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine in the circles of the women’s movement.
This approach also creates an opportunity for Ukraine to develop projects with traditional and new partners that will take into account the needs of different groups and contribute to achieving greater equality in societies.
We are talking about specific commitments and coordinated efforts of the state in the international arena to ensure equal rights and opportunities for women and men in various areas – from issues of security and defense, economic opportunities and trade to issues of education, urban planning and community development, climate change and migration. Such initiatives can be developed both in a bilateral format and on multilateral platforms, in particular, within the framework of Global Partnership Networks for Feminist Foreign Policy (Global Partner Network for Feminist Foreign Policy).
In order to formulate and propose to the international community our own vision of Ukrainian feminist foreign policy, it is worth turning to our experience of female leadership – during the years of Ukraine’s independence and, especially, during a full-scale war.
It is important to seriously ask yourself – are Ukrainian achievements in the policy of equality so great and irreversible that they can become a support for building a partnership with the world? The experience of the women’s movement in Ukraine shows that the answer is unequivocally yes.
Understand yourself and share your experience
On the eve of full-scale war, the issue of equal opportunities for women and men remained relevant on the national agenda. After 2018, Ukrainian women received 21% of the seats in the parliament, which was the result of the introduction of electoral quotas, women received the right to develop in previously prohibited professions, as well as the opportunity to hold officer positions in the military service and study in military academies.
This was facilitated by the systematic work of the parliamentary inter-factional union “Equal opportunities”leaders of the women’s movement, in particular, on the platform Ukrainian Women’s Congressas well as powerful advocacy activities of women’s organizations, in particular, Ukrainian Women’s Fund, Women’s veteran movement, initiatives Politics without sexism, Association of Women Lawyers “YurFem” and many others.
Today, out of more than 60,000 Ukrainian women in the army, 5,000 are gaining combat experience, and with it, a deep understanding of the features of waging and preventing war in the 21st century.
The unique experience of women in the Armed Forces, their practical knowledge of defense in a country that is facing a disproportionately larger enemy, as well as the vision of security processes in Europe needs to be deeply understood.
It is important to include the experience of Ukrainian women in the military in the discussion of national security policy, to take into account when developing veterans’ policy and to take into account negotiations with international partners, in particular, regarding Ukraine’s membership in the North Atlantic Alliance.
Ukrainian women support the country’s military economy. 56% of businesses created during a full-scale war are started and run by women. This is the creation of jobs and filling of the state budget. In addition, today women are increasingly mastering traditionally male professions, for example, in energy, IT or agriculture, as well as offering visions and strategies for development in urbanism and environmental protection.
Such experience is important to take into account when signing international trade agreements, because the participation of women in economic activity is changing, which requires understanding and proper support within the framework of the military economy of Ukraine.
Ukrainian women also remained with their communities during active hostilities and during the occupation. This gives them knowledge of how horizontal connections work and a deep understanding of the needs of regions particularly affected by war.
Women work with the traumatic experience of war – both with victims of violence and war crimes, and through the provision of psychological assistance and recovery of mental health to those who have gone through war, captivity or occupation.
Understanding this experience is also important for Ukrainian diplomacy, in particular, for working with partners to improve the international justice system, as well as for the proper planning and distribution of international aid for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.
Understanding the experience of Ukrainian women during a full-scale war should be recorded in government documents and taken into account in the implementation of policies in various areas – from the economy, the justice system and security policy to the social and humanitarian sphere. This is an important stage in order to form a vision of a feminist foreign policy.
In this process, it is necessary to ensure interdepartmental coordination and systemic dialogue between various Ministries in order to arrive at a holistic approach to feminist foreign policy. This is a task that can be ensured by the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy.
Better to rebuild
Feminist foreign policy is when the voice of women is heard at the negotiating table in political, security and peace-making processes, when the international justice system sees the real consequences of war crimes and takes into account the human rights work of women’s organizations, when an international trade agreement takes into account the needs and opportunities of women in business, and international aid is distributed fairly.
Taking into account the experiences and needs of women and men during the reconstruction of Ukraine should become a real approach to working with international partners to obtain support for recovery. The national policy in this direction is developing – from taking into account the principle of gender equality and inclusion in the final Declaration following the results of the Lugano Conference in 2022 and discussing the advantages and prospects of equality between women and men during the Conference in London in 2023 to the presentation of specific gender-sensitive initiatives and projects , which should be done at the reconstruction conference in Berlin in the summer of 2024.
It is important that gender-sensitive projects become part of the national reconstruction policy, and that women get equal access to international aid resources.
Such initiatives will change the structure of the internal political process in favor of equality and give more opportunities for women’s leadership in communities. This will create prerequisites for women’s political participation at the national level and their further effective involvement in peace negotiations and the development of a post-war society.
The projects that will be supported as part of such an approach will be inclusive, take into account different experiences and provide an opportunity to rebuild the country of a new quality (build back better).
There are no hard and fast rules for how a feminist foreign policy should be constructed. This opens opportunities for Ukraine to take its own path in this direction. In this process, it is necessary to take into account the experience of women’s organizations that continue their activities during a full-scale war, gain practical knowledge about working with various social groups, and also conduct international advocacy.
The dialogue between the state and the women’s movement in this direction is an important tool to develop a feminist approach to diplomacy and complement foreign policy with best practices for guaranteeing equality.
Iryna Drobovich, adviser of the “Ukrainian Women’s Congress” platform, especially for UP. Life
Publications in the “View” section are not editorial articles and reflect exclusively the author’s point of view.
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