This week, host Julie Ballangarry – a Gumbaynggirr/Dunghutti woman – yarns with James Blackwell, a Research Fellow in Indigenous Diplomacies at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at ANU, and Alice Ridge, Senior Research Policy and Advocacy Advisor at IWDA, to discuss what First Nations foreign policy and feminist foreign policy have in common, and how they can help us rethink the way we interact with the world.

Download transcriptFurther Reading:

Indigenous Foreign Policy: a new way forward? by James Blackwell and Julie Ballangarry, AFFPC Issue Paper #1, April 2022⁠

⁠Australian Feminist Foreign Policy Coalition⁠

In this episode we yarn with Dr Sheryl Lightfoot – an Anishinaabe woman, citizen of the Lake Superior Band of Ojibwe, enrolled at the Keweenaw Bay Community.

Dr Lightfoot talks about potential for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to inform a First Nations foreign policy. She also gives an insightful global perspective on the aftermath of Australia’s failed referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Dr Lightfoot is Chair and North American member on the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP).

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Further reading:

Caring feminist states? Paternalistic feminist foreign policies and the silencing of Indigenous justice claims in Sweden and Canada

Publications by Rauna Kuokkanen

In this episode we yarn with Ambassador Justin Mohamed, a Gooreng Gooreng man and Australia’s inaugural Ambassador for First Nations People.

Ambassador Mohamed explains what he means by a First Nations approach to foreign policy, the broader context of the Voice to Parliament Referendum, and the need to move beyond tokenism.

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We’ve explored the theory, now let’s talk about practice.

In this episode we yarn with two development practitioners – Jenna Hawes – a proud Wiradjuri woman, and Alice Tamang – a proud Dharug woman. Jenna and Alice explain how their experiences and knowledge as First Nations women strengthen their work in international development.

Plus, they explore how a First Nations approach can support others in  decolonising their development practice.

Further reading:

How will a First Nations Foreign Policy turbocharge development? – Alice TamangWatch: Indigenous voices in development – current perspectives and future directions

New network focused on supporting First Nations Australians in the Development Sector

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Executive Producer and Editor: ⁠Pariya Taherzadeh⁠

Co-producers: Julie Ballangary, Alice Ridge, Carla Kweifio-Okai and Annelise Lecordier

Special thanks to Joanna Pradela

Artwork: ⁠Humanize Media⁠

Created by the International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) and the Australian Feminist Foreign Policy Coalition.