Feminism
Foreign policy – and politics in general – is still a male domain. Yet we know that peace agreements last longer when women are involved in key positions during the negotiation processes, or that economic growth and gender equality are closely linked. And yet we are not making much progress – neither in the proportion of women in European missions abroad nor in the proportion of women in our own political institutions.
I want to change that. In the Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) and the Security and Defence Committee (SEDE), I am campaigning for more women in leadership positions and for a European foreign policy that takes equal account of all people. In European domestic policy and local politics, I encourage women and minorities to get involved: I fight for them to be heard and to have a say in decision-making. Peace can only last when everyone has a seat at the table.
The European Court of Justice confirmed last year that the systematic oppression of women by the Taliban constitutes persecution under asylum law. Why Member States fail to implement:
In Iran, courage is punished with death. Pakhshan Azizi and Verisheh Moradi risked their lives to help others. Now they face execution. Not as an isolated case, but as part of a targeted crackdown on women and the Kurdish community.
The case of Ahoo Daryaie shows how the Iranian regime defames women as mentally ill simply because they bravely stand up for their freedom. This is the European Parliament's position in this regard:
Screening of The Sharp Edge of Peace at the European Parliament: The film follows four Afghan women—Fatima Gailani, Fawzia Koofi, Habiba Sarabi, and Sharifa Zurmati — in their courageous peace negotiations with the Taliban, showing their relentless fight for peace and justice under challenging circumstances.
Der Aktionstag „Revolution und dann?“ brachte Menschen am historischen Ort der ehemaligen Stasi-Zentrale zusammen, die sich weltweit für Demokratie und Menschenrechte einsetzen – darunter die russische Protestband Pussy Riot.
An increasing number of authoritarian regimes are using these methods to persecute dissidents abroad. A particularly striking example is Iran.
The resolution passed by the European Parliament in response to the Taliban’s adoption of the law on the “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice”.
We urgently need to work on a Plan B: a regional security architecture that deals with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and prepares for new attacks by the Iranian regime.
In December, together with the Delegation to the Arabian Peninsula, I travelled to Yemen - a country suffering from a terrible war that receives almost no international attention. This was the European Parliament's first official visit to Yemen since 2009.
We need a feminist foreign policy in Europe right now. But where do we stand and where are we heading? We discussed this at a conference I organised. The keynote speech was given by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
On the anniversary of Jina Mahsa Amini's death, we brought insights into the long struggle for freedom in Iran to the stage in Berlin.
A year ago, the death of Jina Mahsa Amini triggered a new wave of protests in Iran, against which the regime is responding to with brutal violence. The EU's Iran policy needs a new approach.
