Welcome to the November 2024 newsletter of the Australian Feminist Foreign Policy Coalition! |
Thank you for being involved in this growing community advancing feminist foreign policy in Australia.
In this bi-monthly newsletter, we share updates from the Australian Feminist Foreign Policy Coalition (AFFPC) and the global Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) space. Please direct all enquiries, suggestions and feedback to Liz Gill-Atkinson at research@iwda.org.au. |
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Join us on Wednesday 27 November, in partnership with the Australian Institute for International Affairs Victoria, for the launch of IWDA’s new research, “A Decade of Feminist Foreign Policy: Changing trajectories of adoption and accountability over time".
Ten years ago, the world’s first Feminist Foreign Policy was announced by Sweden, followed by a further 14 governments who have – at some point – also committed to this approach. In 2021, IWDA published new research exploring how four of the early feminist foreign and international assistance policies had come about. This research led to the creation of the Australian Feminist Foreign Policy Coalition (AFFPC).
Since 2021 the FFP landscape has changed dramatically. Some countries have dropped their commitments, nearly half of all FFP commitments have now been made by Majority World countries, and geopolitical events are informing critical debates, questions and tensions about the scope, shape and implementation of FFP.
The world is rapidly changing, and the sense amongst FFP stakeholders, including those who participated in the research, is that the FFP movement is at a tipping point. Without action by feminists both inside and outside of government, we risk erosion by election cycle, policy evaporation, and ultimately the hollowing out of FFP’s transformative potential.
These findings from 29 interviews with key stakeholders from civil society, academia and government across 12 countries, hold implications and considerations which can help strengthen discourse and action on FFP to connect more distinctly with feminist underpinnings and rebalance future trajectories towards the transformative.
In this event hosted by AIIA Victoria, panel members Joanna Pradela (IWDA), Alice Ridge (IWDA), Dr Liz Gill-Atkinson (IWDA), Daniela Philipson Garcia (AFFPC member, Monash University, Melbourne; and Internacional Feminista, Mexico) and Niha Pandney (Monash University; and Tribhuvan University, Nepal) will discuss the research findings and implications for the future of FFP – both globally and in our region.
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September AFFPC Issue Paper: |
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In this latest AFFPC Issue paper, Elise Stephenson (AFFPC member, ANU) and Isobel Barry (ANU) argue that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly gained global momentum, with technological developments spurred on by generative AI and increased automation across military, medical, humanitarian, and educational domains, hastening the need to prioritise good international governance. To realise the gains whilst mitigating the risks of AI, robust governance frameworks, relevant to FFP approaches, are required. AI regulation that focuses on mitigating harms toward minoritised groups, particularly women, should be a critical priority for governments and international organisations. Failing to address these issues risks disenfranchising half the global population, ultimately leading to missed opportunities for gains in productivity and efficiency driven by AI advancements.
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Thursday 21 November 2024.
As part of the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review, join IWDA and co-organisers for an exciting Side Event exploring the potential of FFP to advance the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This session will share lessons from global dialogues and regional processes in order to further discussions on a regionally contextualised FFP approach for Asia and the Pacific. Speakers include senior government officials from Mongolia and Nepal sharing their approaches to advancing women’s rights through foreign policy; Lopa Banerjee, Director, Civil Society Division, UN Women; and a panel of civil society perspectives from across the region.
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December 12, 2024 - 18:00 - 19:00 AEDT.
In their latest book, Professor Jacqui True (AFFPC member, Monash University) and Professor Karin Aggestam (Lund University) critically examine how feminist scholarship can advance the field of foreign policy analysis to better understand contemporary foreign policy actions and challenges. The authors have brought together contributors from around the world to offer new analyses of foreign policy topics, including diplomacy, trade, defence, environment, peacebuilding, disinformation and development assistance. AIIA Victoria invites you to join Professor Jacqui True and Professor Karin Aggestam for a panel discussion on this exciting new scholarly field. Copies of the book will be available for sale.
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November 25, 09:00 - 20:00 AEDT, ANU, Canberra.
This in person event brings together a range of experts and practitioners to discuss innovative ways Australia can support Afghan women's rights in the current context. Speakers come from large and small NGOs, from academia and the diaspora. After a series of engaging panel discussions, attendees will break up into small groups to develop recommendations for the Australian Government that will be compiled into a report for publication after the event. Key speakers include: Minister Penny Wong, Ambassador Wahidullah Waissi, Liz Broderick and Virginia Hausseggar.
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| Galvanizing the Pact for the Future for a Feminist Implementation of the 2030 Agenda: FFP+ Group Minister meeting at UNGA79.
On September 25, the Feminist Foreign Policy Plus Group (FFP+) held an event to discuss strengthening and renewing their political commitments to feminist foreign policies. The speakers – including Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong – emphasised the need to foster the full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership of women and girls in decision-making processes and to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, including in the digital environment.
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Bi-regional FFP meeting between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean.
On October 1 and 2, the EU-LAC Bi-regional Feminist Foreign Policy Forum took place in Barcelona bringing together government authorities, civil society representatives, international organisations and experts from the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean. After two days of discussions and sessions, the event concluded with a closing session in which concluding remarks were presented, reaffirming the commitment to the promotion of a FFP that contributes to a more equitable and sustainable development in both regions.
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| Bi-regional FFP meeting between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean. On October 1 and 2, the EU-LAC Bi-regional Feminist Foreign Policy Forum took place in Barcelona bringing together government authorities, civil society representatives, international organisations and experts from the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean. |
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After two days of discussions and sessions, the event concluded with a closing session in which concluding remarks were presented, reaffirming the commitment to the promotion of a FFP that contributes to a more equitable and sustainable development in both regions. |
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Prioritizing Debt Justice in Feminist Foreign Policy. |
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Inclusivity in Action - Evolution of Feminist Principles in India’s Foreign Policy |
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This report, published by FEMNET and authored by Nicole Mumala Maloba and Lucia Makamure looks at some of the initiatives undertaken by the Global South, exploring how FFP intersects with debt relief, sustainable development, and social justice. The authors critically examine FFP’s efficacy, assess its impact, and consider recalibrating its course towards achieving sustainable development and gender justice. |
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Ambika Vishwanath, Aditi Mukund and Hritik Bhasin from the Kubernein Initiative investigate the development and importance of FFP principles within India’s foreign policy framework. While India has not officially embraced an FFP, gender mainstreaming initiatives in its foreign and domestic policies have become increasingly prominent over the past 10-15 years. This paper analyses these initiatives, which have gained traction in recent years, to better understand their impact on India’s policy landscape.
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Voices from Palestine: Building Feminist Solidarity. |
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What Feminist Foreign Policy Alliances Should Deliver in Times of Crisis. |
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This blog post by We Are Feminist Leaders centres testimony and research findings shared by Kifaya Khraim, International Advocacy Coordinator at the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC), in Ramallah, Palestine. One of the first feminist organizations established in Palestine, it offers legal aid, counselling, and psychosocial support for survivors of domestic violence, and also documents Israeli violations of Palestinian women in various areas through a network of field researchers. As an act of deep listening and feminist solidarity, this blog recounts Palestinian women’s experiences of war crimes in Gaza, and calls for increased solidarity of feminist movements.
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In this article for Internacionale Politik Quarterly, Leonie Stamm argues that rather than congratulating themselves for simply adopting a feminist foreign policy, countries should focus on how it can serve as a practical tool for responding to crises and addressing threats to human security—such as the current war in Gaza. At a time when several different crises are affecting the international order, a growing number of states are committing to FFP, signalling an increasing appetite for alliances between FFP countries. However, criticism is mounting and the strength of FFP lies in its focus on cooperation.
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The Australian Feminist Foreign Policy Coalition acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work and live. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present, and the Aboriginal Elders of other communities.
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