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Societies in which women participate equally are more secure, more peaceful, more economically vibrant and more culturally imaginative, writes the German ambassador to South Africa, Andreas Peschke.
On 9 August, we celebrate Women's Day in South Africa. It reminds us of the tremendous and courageous contributions women made to the foundation of this country. It also highlights the indispensable role they play in society to this day. Importantly, Women's Day also reminds us of the necessity to reflect on the fact that true equality between women and men is still a long way to go.
"Freedom cannot be achieved unless the women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression." These words from Nelson Mandela ring as true today as they did when he said them in 1994.
Women and girls' rights at centre of German foreign policy
Women's and girls' rights are also at the centre of German foreign policy. Germany actively supports the UN Security Council agenda for Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS). It was one of the priorities of Germany's Security Council membership two years ago. During Germany's Presidency in the Council in 2019, Resolution 2467 was adopted, calling for victims of sexual violence to be supported and perpetrators to be held accountable. We were very grateful for South Africa's unwavering support in this matter.
As our Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock recently said at the German Bundestag:
This is one of the reasons why Germany, together with the African Union and the United Nations, has co-initiated an African Women Leaders Network. Through this initiative, we aim to support the leadership of women in the transformation of Africa, in accordance with the AU's Africa Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The vision of this initiative is "a peaceful and transformed Africa informed by the quantitative and qualitative leadership of women" – a vision we proudly share and support.
These are just two examples of Germany's commitment to advancing the rights, equal participation, and empowerment of women. Yet, we are convinced that we can – and must – do even more. The task is as pressing in Germany as it is in Africa. We, therefore, want to develop a more structured and deliberate approach to the cross-cutting task of involving women in our foreign and our development policy. In order to strengthen women's leadership, vision and wisdom, the German Foreign Office is working to institute a German Feminist Foreign Policy. Together with partners, we support projects specifically designed to protect against gender-based violence, to educate girls and young women and to support women entrepreneurs. We are glad that these objectives are also high on South Africa's political agenda.
Feminist Foreign Policy
We know that societies in which women participate equally are more secure, more peaceful, more economically vibrant and more culturally imaginative. And we know that many of our international partners, like South Africa, share this awareness. Together with them, as well as experts and civil society representatives, we want to embark on the journey towards a Feminist Foreign Policy. To this end, our Foreign Minister will host an international conference on 'Shaping Feminist Foreign Policy' in Berlin next month.
It is in this spirit that we celebrate Women's Day together with our South African partners. Remembering the women who were bold trailblazers in our histories, like the thousands of brave women who marched to the Union Buildings on this day in 1956. Or the mothers of our own German constitution, like Elisabeth Selbert or Friederike Nadig. But also thinking of the girls and young women today and our responsibility to build a brighter future for them by giving them the representation, the rights and the resources they deserve.
- Andreas Peschke is the German Ambassador to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini.
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