Page 10 - ICWA NewsletterOctober- December 2020
P. 10
INDIAN COUNCIL
OF WORLD AFFAIRS SAPRU HOUSE
ICWA-SAU Webinar on "Women and Power:
Gender within International Relations and Diplomacy"
15-16 October 2020
The Indian Council of World Affairs in Asian University. Talking
Acollaboration with the South Asian University, about the continuities in the long history of global
New Delhi, organised a two day Webinar on ‘Women transformation, he said that gender remains one
and Power: Gender within International Relations such continuity within broadly patriarchal societies,
and Diplomacy’. The Conference had a total of structures and economy. The themes and subthemes
22 speakers from India and abroad. The speakers of the conference are of great importance to the
constituted a multi-disciplinary group of academics, Department of International Relations, SAU both
policy makers, diplomats, and experts. in terms of teaching and research and serve very
Major themes discussed over five sessions and one well the overall mission of the University that is
panel discussion of the Webinar included: knowledge without borders.
• Gender Debates, IR and Diplomacy In the opening statement, Amb. Lakshmi Puri,
• Gender and International Human Former Assistant Secretary General, UN and Deputy
Rights Discourses Executive Director, UN Women, the United Nations
@75’s major achievement is as the fountainhead
• Gender, Development and International Relations of gender equality norms and gender debates in
• Gender, Security and International Relations
international relations. It can be credited with
• Gender, Culture and Soft Power taking the “personal is political” feminist dictum to
• Traditional Roles and Glass Ceilings its logical conclusion. It has been most influential
The Webinar began with introductory remarks in the incorporation of global norms on Gender
by Director General, ICWA, Dr. TCA Raghavan. He Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) and
highlighted that the idea of gender and diplomacy women’s human rights in national policies but also
within IR needs to be given serious thought as in diplomacy and foreign policy of member states.
part of ICWA’s mandate. This has come about as Since its creation in 2010, UNWomen has become
an inevitable result of discussions taking place the fulcrum of the new international feminist order.
in India today about women and development, It has sought to advance the creation of UNWomen
women and politics and the space available to centred gender equality global governance and
women in India today. The objective of the webinar institutional architecture - a locus of Shakti. It
is to discuss how ideas of gender shape and are is more integrated, strengthened, multi-sectoral
shaped by International relations and how does and equipped to promote GEWE in a focused and
gender figure in diplomatic agenda with regard to comprehensive way than any other in history.
Indian foreign policy. His remarks were followed by It is an axis for empowerment of and dialogue
introductory remarks by Prof. Sanjay Chaturvedi, among women affairs’ ministries and a catalyst
Professor and Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, for engendering all key institutions everywhere-
Department of International Relations South public and private including foreign ministries.
ISSUE : 23 | OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2020 10
