‘No success excluding half’: German FM says more women needed in conflict resolution
- ‘No society can be successful if you exclude half of your population,’ Annalena Baerbock told Mongolia meeting of female ministers from Asia, Europe and Africa
- South Africa FM Naledi Pandor told the group that when women are absent, focus is on power and structures but with women there, ‘equality is discussed’
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for more women to be involved in resolving international crises and conflicts at a meeting centred on feminist foreign policy in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar.
“No society on Earth can be successful if you exclude half of your population,” Germany’s top diplomat said on Thursday.
The meeting of women foreign ministers from Asia, Africa and Europe focuses on the role of women in promoting peace and security.
“We should organise more strongly to cooperate, but also to learn from each other,” Baerbock said.
Talking about universal human rights, she said, also means talking about women’s rights, which is “in line with three R’s – rights, representation and resources. And as long these three R’s are not being fulfilled as they are fulfilled for men, something is wrong in society”.
South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor also stressed the importance of including women in peace and diplomacy efforts.