Scotland has become the first nation in the UK to adopt a
feminist approach to its international relations, with the
publication of a new paper today by Europe and International
Development Minister .
‘Taking a Feminist Approach to International Relations’ (FAIR)
sets out the Scottish Government’s commitment to address
inequalities like poverty and access to education with a focus on
understanding and addressing the root causes of those issues and
shared global challenges such as conflict, climate change and
environmental damage.
As part of this, the policy sets out that the Scottish Government
will continue to strive to give those most affected by these
challenges a platform to speak for themselves, and to influence
and make decisions. The paper commits to speak out for meaningful
change, to ensure Scottish Government funding is allocated in
line with feminist principles, and to support women’s
organisations, feminist networks and other grassroots movements
to influence decision-making and participation in all levels of
government.
Ms McKelvie said:
“The global challenges we all face today – climate change,
pandemics, conflict – are a reminder that what happens in the
Global North impacts the predominantly less-developed countries
of the Global South, and vice versa.
“We know these challenges affect women, girls and marginalised
groups more than they do others. This can be seen in poverty,
gender-based violence and barriers to accessing education. That’s
why Scotland is taking a leadership role in tackling these global
and widespread inequalities in line with our commitment to good
global citizenship to push for a fairer and more equal world.
“In this paper, we are committing to an international approach
that ensures our efforts to address these issues abroad are in
keeping with our efforts to address them here at home – whether
that is through Scotland’s efforts in international development,
trade, climate justice or peace and security.”
Background
Ms McKelvie will speak to the paper while in attendance at the
Reykjavik Global Forum on 13 - 14 November.
The concept of feminist foreign policy was introduced in 2014 by
Sweden and is now being pursued by an increasing number of
countries around the world, including Canada, Mexico, France,
Luxembourg, Spain, Libya, Germany, the Netherlands and Chile.
In its 2021-22 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government
committed to developing a feminist approach to foreign policy
following a manifesto commitment.
Taking a feminist approach to international relations publication
can be found at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835215982
