Canada Hosts First Meeting Of Women Foreign Ministers
Source: AFP
5 hrs. ago.
Women foreign ministers from around the world kicked off a first-of-its-kind meeting on Friday, bringing together more than half of the world's top women diplomats in Montreal. Women are "key to finding solutions to the political, economic and social challenges facing our societies," Canada's top diplomat Chrystia Freeland said Friday at the opening of the two-day summit.
The meeting will center on four topics: women in politics and positions of leadership; strengthening democracy; promoting peace and security and eliminating gender-based violence.
"I will always promote equal representation and respect for the rights of women and girls" Freeland said, because "when we are all involved in the decision-making process, our societies become stronger, our economies and our middle class become more prosperous and our countries safer."
Freeland is co-chairing the meeting with EU foreign affairs representative Federica Mogherini. At the opening session, both expressed hope that this meeting will mark the beginning of a tradition of cooperation between women ministers.
In addition to Freeland and Mogherini, the conference brings together ministers from 18 other countries: Andorra, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Namibia, Norway, Panama, South Africa, Rwanda, South Africa, Saint Lucia and Sweden. - End of article.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/canada-hosts-first-meeting-of-women-foreign-ministers/ar-AAAsLj5
(National Observer, Ca) In her opening remarks during the first session of the two-day event, Freeland said the meeting was “a historic moment,” and that, as far as she was aware, it was the first of its kind. “As foreign ministers, all of us play crucial roles in representing our countries in the world.
I think all of us appreciate very personally what a fraught job that is in the world today,” Freeland said. “We all know that prosperity and peace and security are more likely in places where women, and all people in society can actively participate.”
'Female Foreign Ministers Convene In Historic Meeting In Montreal,' National Observer, Sept. 21, 2018.
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/09/21/news/female-foreign-ministers-convene-historic-meeting-montreal
High Representative of the E.U. for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini (Ctr L) and Canadian Minister for Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland (Ctr R) sit at Women's Foreign Ministers Meeting in Montreal on Sept. 21, 2018. Photo by Josie Desmarais