Ethics & International Affairs Volume 30.3 (Fall 2016): Swedish Feminist Foreign Policy in the Making: Ethics Politics and Gender

Sep 14, 2016

By Karin Aggestram and Annika Bergman-Rosamond

In 2015 the world’s first self-defined feminist government was formed in Sweden. As part of that ambitious declaration, Sweden also became the first state ever to publicly adopt a feminist foreign policy, with a stated ambition to become the "strongest voice for gender equality and full employment of human rights for all women and girls." To be sure, launching a feminist foreign policy is a radical policy change. At the same time, this policy is embedded in the broader global efforts to promote gender equality in the international arena, which we have seen evolving over the past few decades in the aftermath of the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. The resolution "reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response, and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security."

To read this essay in full, please click here.

You may also like

OCT 16, 2026 • Podcast

Multilateralism By and For the People

New America’s Heela Rasool-Ayub discusses pathways toward a more inclusive and responsive international system.

Roman baths in Bath, England. CREDIT: Shutterstock.com/Boris Stroujko.

OCT 9, 2026 • Article

The Contest of Attraction: Soft Power After Its Liberal Moment

ICR Research's Stuart MacDonald examines how major political traditions understand attraction and how those differences play out today. How can states ethically pursue soft power?

Digital networks. CREDIT: Adobe.stock.com/miss irine.

OCT 7, 2026 • Report

Their Data, Whose Decision? The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Humanitarian Response

This report from the second CEF cohort focuses on the integration of AI into humanitarian response, proposing an ethical framework to respond to these challenges.

Not translated

This content has not yet been translated into your language. You can request a translation by clicking the button below.

Request Translation