Gender equality pillar of Swedish foreign policy: Envoy

Swedish Ambassador to India Klas Molin has said that gender equality is a pillar of Sweden's foreign policy and his country backs allocating resources and securing representation at all levels. While speaking in a virtual event titled 'Women in Parliament: Experiences from Sweden', Molin said, "Gender equality and equal rights for all is a pillar of Swedish foreign policy. It means respecting rights, allocating resources and securing representation at all levels. "

"We are proud to support the mission of Femme First and the fellowship program Women in Government as an example of how to work constructively to increase and improve participation in politics and government by women," the Swedish Embassy in India quoted him as saying said in a statement. The Embassy of Sweden, in collaboration with Femme First Foundation, organised the event.

It was a virtual discussion between women Members of Parliament from Sweden and aspiring women politicians from India. The event, which was held on September 4, was a first of its kind and was conceptualised against the backdrop of Sweden's Feminist Foreign Policy.

Femme First Foundation, a nonpartisan non-profit organisation working for women's leadership in India, as a part of their ongoing Women in Government Fellowship - a six-month programme that is focused on capacity-building, training, and mentorship of women in politics, the statement added. It seeks to enhance and improve the quality of political participation of women in India.

Founder of Femme First Foundation, Angellica Aribam said, "The Swedish government prides itself on being the first feminist government in the world. They have almost 50% women representation in their parliament, and that reflects in their policymaking. Through today's exchange, Indian women in politics learned first-hand from the lived experiences of women MPs of Sweden and forged lasting friendships. It's one step towards a gender-equal world." The statement added that the event was engaging and proved to be beneficial to both sides. The fellows were well informed and eager to learn more from the experienced Parliamentarians, who in turn were impressed by the questions and enthusiasm of the young women. Their key advice to aspiring politicians was to look out for each other and support other women, despite different parties and political leanings and alliances. (ANI)

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