Feminist Foreign Policy

The feminist foreign policy agenda places gender at the center of the foreign policy decision making process. Historically, women are treated as a special interest group in international politics. Rather than treating women as an afterthought, feminist foreign policy advocates placing gender at the forefront of the decision making process. A growing body of research suggests that women's economic, political, and social participation can lead to a richer and more peaceful world. This has implications for not only gender equality and humanitarian programming, but international security as well.

Several countries, including Sweden, Canada, France, and Mexico have self-proclaimed feminist foreign policies. The official foreign policy of the United States affects the status of women around the world. Countries interact with one another through trade, diplomatic relations, and international institutions. The United States will soon have a presidential election which could lead to significant changes in U.S. foreign policy. This panel will explore the implications of feminist foreign policy for the global balance of power and how leadership can shape the evolution of a more gender-inclusive foreign policy.

Moderator:
- Stephenie Foster: Co-founder and partner at Smash Strategies. She oversaw the US Department of State's efforts to implement the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, was formerly the senior Advisor/Counselor in the Secretary's Office of Global women's Issues (S/GWI), and before that, worked at the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, focusing on women and civil society.

Panelists:
- Jamille Bigio: Senior Fellow on Women and Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. In the Obama administration, she was the director for human rights and gender on the White House National Security Council staff. Prior to that, she worked at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in New York, Ethiopia, and Iraq.

- Dr. Toni Haastrup: Senior lecturer in international politics at the University of Stirling and has a research background examining the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda in the African and European Unions. She is the co-author, with Jamie J. Hagen of "Global Racial Hierarchies and the Limits of Localization via National Action Plans" in the book "New Directions in Women, Peace, and Security."

- Judicaelle Irakoze: Feminist activity, community organizer, and social entrepreneur with a record of advocating for children, women's rights, and overall human rights. She is the 2019 European Commission Young leader on migration, the G20 young global Changer on Gender Equality, a delegate at the International Congress of Youth voices, a published author, and a contributor writer at African Feminisms.

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