On March 4 the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion, titled “Who Is the Weaker Sex? The Role of Women in World Politics and Conflict Resolution.”
The role of women in all areas of society, including world politics, is constantly increasing. According to The Global Gender Gap Index, a World Economic Forum report, the Scandinavian countries traditionally lead in terms of the status of women in public life. The top twenty countries include not only European states, but also nations in other regions, including Latin America and Africa. A recent example of this trend is a native of Nigeria Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who became the first female WTO director in the organisation’s history.
In many countries around the world, women head ministries of social responsibility. More and more women are fighting for the top positions in power. Some countries have already chosen the path of introducing special gender quotas to increase the participation of women in political life. However, the career ascent of women, even in the most seemingly democratic states, is often fraught with a number of difficulties. For example, the United States has never had a female president, and the first female Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, came to power only this year.
How important are gender problems in world politics? Can we talk about a special female approach to solving international problems and resolving conflicts? Are gender quotas a real instrument of equality? These and other questions were answered by the participants of the expert discussion.
Speakers:
- Tatiana Valovaya, Director of the UN Office in Geneva
- Inga Yumasheva, Member of the State Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children
- Norma Bertha Pensado Moreno, Ambassador of Mexico to Russia
- Victoria Panova, Managing Director of the National Committee for BRICS Research and Academic Supervisor of the BRICS Russia Organising Committee Expert Council, Russia's Sherpa in the W20
- Orietta Moscatelli, Foreign Affairs Desk Chief at multimedia agency Askanews
- Raghida Dergham, Founder and Executive Chairman of Beirut Institute, Columnist for The National and Annahar Al Arabi
- Ekaterina Orlova, Head of International Projects at the Department of Foreign Affairs of RTR, Member of EBU TV Committee and EBU Gender Equality Group
Moderator:
Working languages: Russian, English.