Learning from Germany's Experience in Shaping Feminist Foreign Policy

Recently, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany (Federal Republic of Germany) in Vietnam and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam jointly organized a seminar with the theme: "Shaping a feminist foreign policy - Germany's experience".

Học hỏi kinh nghiệm của Đức trong định hình chính sách đối ngoại nữ quyền

The topic of the discussion was related to the event of Germany announcing its “Feminist Foreign Policy” at the beginning of the year. This was a major turning point in the effort to promote feminism in this country and created momentum to raise the level of feminist foreign policy in the world.

Attending the seminar on December 7 were Deputy Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Vietnam Simon Kreye; Prof. Dr. Dang Hoang Linh - Deputy Head of Training Department, Head of Faculty of International Economics, Diplomatic Academy; along with staff, lecturers and more than 200 students of the Diplomatic Academy.

Speaking at the seminar, Prof. Dr. Dang Hoang Linh said that from ancient times to the present, women have always carried many responsibilities, not only taking care of the family but also playing a great role in society. Therefore, gender equality is a topic that attracts attention in Vietnam, becoming a suitable trend, promoting Vietnam's commitment to the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

At the seminar, Deputy Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Vietnam Simon Kreye shared Germany's experience in building and implementing a feminist foreign policy, thereby drawing valuable lessons for building similar policies in Vietnam in the future. Mr. Simon Kreye affirmed that Germany wants to further promote women's representation around the world, while enhancing social diversity within the framework of a feminist foreign policy.

Deputy Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Vietnam Simon Kreye shares his perspective on Berlin's feminist foreign policy and lessons for Vietnam.

The policy's objectives include: respecting and supporting the rights of women and girls worldwide, and promoting women's equal participation in all areas of society. The policy's implementation should be simple, reasonable and flexible based on actual circumstances, especially turning the declaration into practical action.

In addition, the Deputy Ambassador proposed solutions in the fields of peace, security, economy, culture and society. Accordingly, the government needs to integrate the perspectives of women and vulnerable groups into peace and security work, resolutely combat sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflicts; prioritize sexual and reproductive health; and fight for the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and sexual minority (LGBTIQ) community.

In the economic field, Germany focuses on promoting the participation of women and vulnerable groups in the international economic network, while empowering women more economically to help them assert their position. In the socio-cultural field, Germany emphasizes women's representation in society, the proportion of women participating in management positions, equal opportunities in the working environment such as: non-discriminatory working regime, flexible maternity/childcare leave regime...

Closing the sharing session, Deputy Ambassador Simon Kreye affirmed that developing a "Feminist Foreign Policy" needs to be accompanied by dialogue in order to promptly listen, evaluate and appropriately adjust policies.

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