New Atlanticist

Mar 8, 2022

Swedish foreign minister: Women, girls disproportionately affected by conflict

By Katherine Walla

Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde spoke at the Atlantic Council on International Women’s Day about supporting Ukrainian women and girls and advocating for feminist foreign policy globally.

Conflict Northern Europe

The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security hosted a virtual public conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, H.E. Ann Linde, on “International Women’s Day 2022: Mainstreaming gender in security,” on March 8, 2022.

Today, strategic competition is being realized as Russia wages war against Ukraine alongside the continued challenge of China, raising larger questions of how Western democracies operate in this new geopolitical era. Ongoing transnational threats like climate change and persistent instability in places like the Sahel, as well as the renewed Taliban capture of Afghanistan, bring the gendered consequences of security to the forefront now more than ever. Integrating gender into Western democracies’ foreign and security policy is not only a moral imperative, but a strategic one.

On International Women’s Day, Minister Linde discussed how to mainstream a gender perspective across all areas of foreign and security policy given her experience implementing Sweden’s feminist foreign policy. She shared her perspective on why gender is an essential facet of international security and what actions need to be taken to transform the foreign policy debate, redefine an inclusive rules-based world order, and empower people of all genders. The conversation also addressed how Minister Linde recommends addressing gender in security policy in the face of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The theme for 2022 International Women’s Day is how we can #BreakTheBias of gender stereotypes. Minister Linde addressed how to change perceptions of gender as a “soft” issue in “hard” areas like international security and also took questions from the audience.

The Scowcroft Center presented this live event as part of the Atlantic Council’s #ACFrontPage event series, our premier ideas platform spotlighting global leaders and championing constructive solutions to global challenges.

An #ACFrontPage event

Atlantic Council Front Page is our premier live ideas platform for global leaders to discuss the defining challenges of our time. #ACFrontPage is a high-level event series featuring top newsmakers across multiple digital platforms. Harnessing the convening power and expertise of the Council’s sixteen Programs and Centers, #ACFrontPage leverages the Council’s capabilities in social media, press, and digital outreach to spotlight the world’s most prominent leaders and the most compelling ideas across sectors and engage new audiences eager for nonpartisan and constructive solutions to current global challenges. This widely promoted program features the Council’s most important guests and content serving as the highlight of our programming.

A conversation with

H.E. Ann Linde

Minister of Foreign Affairs
Sweden

Related program

Gender and Security

At the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, we work to develop sustainable, nonpartisan strategies to address the most important security challenges facing the United States and its allies and partners. We do this by proactively shaping intersectional strategies to address the impact of gender on international security while supporting early- and mid-career professionals in national and international security and defense.

In partnership with

Our Secure Future

Learn more

The Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security works to develop sustainable, nonpartisan strategies to address the most important security challenges facing the United States and the world.

Learn more