When Canada hosted first-ever meeting of women foreign ministers, Japan sent a man
Foreign Minister Taro Kono found himself the only man at a photo session dominated by women
Female foreign ministers meeting for the first summit of its kind have vowed to bring a “women’s perspective” to foreign policy.
The two-day meeting bringing together more than half of the world’s top women diplomats in Montreal, which began Friday, focused on topics such as conflict prevention, democratic growth and eliminating gender-based violence.
“This meeting represented a historic occasion,” Canada’s top diplomat Chrystia Freeland said.
“This is not about creating a pink ghetto. This is quite to the contrary. This is about highlighting the importance and the role and the rights of women and girls in the world.
“It’s about talking about the ways women in leadership positions can be particularly engaged in championing those rights.”
The ministers will share their takeaways from the talks during meetings taking place as part of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.