25/06/2024, 16:00 - 18:00, Essen
in cooperation with the Institute for Development and Peace (INEF)
Numerous governments around the world want to pursue feminist goals in their foreign and development policy, including the German government. However, this paradigm shift is controversial. The question arises as to how much added value feminist principles actually bring to issues of war and peace. There is also a danger that development policy will become overloaded with normative considerations, which partners in the Global South often resist.
The trailblazer, Sweden, adopted a feminist foreign policy (FFP) in 2014. It was followed by a range of countries, including Argentina, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Slovenia, and Spain. In Germany, the current traffic light coalition (“Ampel”) also established a feminist development policy alongside a feminist foreign policy. After the election of a new government in 2022, Sweden tellingly became the first country to rescind its feminist foreign policy.
In the panel, which was open to the general public, four experts from government and academia addressed various facets of feminist foreign and development policy. The discussion was followed by a Q&A session with members of the audience.
The organisers are Stephen Brown, Professor of Political Science at the University of Ottawa and current Senior Fellow at the College, and Tobias Debiel, Professor of International Relations and Development Policy at the University of Duisburg-Essen and Deputy Director of the Institute for Development and Peace (INEF).