A Global North-South Dialogue on Feminist Foreign Policy

Speakers: Thandi Matthews, Leonie Hopgood

Special guest: Kavita Ramdas

In the first episode of our mini podcast series “Hear Her Roar” host and feminist foreign policy fellow Sabrine Dao leads a discussion on the understanding and limitations of the concept of feminist foreign policy from a Global South perspective. She is joined by two of her co-fellows, human rights attorney Thandi Matthews and German parliamentary advisor Leonie Hopgood. This episode’s special guest is the renowned gender equity and justice advocate Kavita Ramdas.

Kavita and Thandi call for a much broader and decolonised understanding of the concept of a “feminist foreign policy” that effectively ensures intersectional and equitable justice.The current world order led by the Global North has its roots in colonialism, white supremacy and the patriarchy, thus an informed struggle for a just world needs to take all of these underpinnings into account. An all encompassing feminist foreign policy should challenge existing power structures, and, as Leonie put it, be an invitation for the Global North to be held accountable and confront the ways these systems uphold inequality. To learn more about an intersectional approach to feminist foreign policy, listen to our new episode.