By Jörg Blank, dpa
More equal societies suffer less from hunger and poverty and are more stable, German Development Minister Svenja Schulze said on Wednesday as her ministry proposes policies to better support women.
That’s why it’s simply a matter of common sense to pay particular attention in development policy to ensuring that women also have rights, that they have resources and that they are also represented,” Schulze told public broadcaster ARD.
She said her aim was to make women visible as the strong force in society that they are.
Schulze’s concept envisages that by 2025, more than 90% of newly committed project funds will flow into programmes that advance gender equality.
That figure was about 64% in 2021.
The concept of feminist development policy is to be anchored in cooperation with partner countries.
Her comments come ahead of her planned presentation of ways to promote a stronger feminist policy alongside Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
Both want to make public statements together in Berlin after a meeting of the federal Cabinet around noon. A Cabinet decision is not necessary for the concepts; It is about guidelines that apply to the ministries in each case.
In the foreword to the 80-page catalogue of guidelines for a feminist foreign policy, Baerbock writes that women’s rights are an indicator of the state of societies.
The concept is an integral part of a values-based foreign policy and should also be reflected in the planned National Security Strategy “in the sense of a comprehensive understanding of security.”
From the summer onwards, a “Foreign Office ambassador for feminist foreign policy” will be in place, with what is seen as a primarily internal impact.
At home, meanwhile, at least 50% of the leadership positions in the ministry are to be filled by women.