Page 42 - A Gender-Sensitive Indian Foreign Policy- Why? and How?

Indian Council
of World Affairs

Amb. Nirupama Rao I think that is an important point, how do we go beyond strict regimes of
(Chair and Moderator) nationalism – to have a more integrated approach to some of these issues
concerning women, their livelihoods and their aspirations.

Dr. Bindhulakshmi Can I just add one thing? I am sorry, if I am not taking much time.

Amb. Nirupama Rao Yes.
(Chair and Moderator)

Dr. Bindhulakshmi There are number of stories I have with me. So this one woman whom I met.
She is from the southern state of Kerala and I decided to go and meet her
mother. I was with her mother. That is the time when I get a call from her
and she says that she is waiting to get an exit pass, the Embassy declared
that her name is not there, because in the document it says that she has
already left the country. And she is there in Dubai, and there is this practice
of someone confiscating her passport. And here is a woman who has to now
prove her existence without relevant documents. So how do we talk about
a Nation State, how do we talk about migration in that context? There are
multiple stories emerging.

Amb. Nirupama Rao Absolutely. And women’s rights are human rights as you say. Let me come to
(Chair and Moderator) one question which has come to us by Whatsapp. And maybe Soumita, you

may like to tackle this question. As one speaker rightly pointed out about
certain western countries promoting feminist norms on the one hand and
high arms exports on the other, are there any radical progressive narratives of
feminist foreign policy that can emerge from the non-western states? Would
you like to tackle that Soumita?

Dr. Soumita Basu Sure, I mean that is a pretty broad question. But what I would say, even with
my critic of, specifically in that case of Canada and Sweden, we need to keep
in mind the contradictory aspects of these policies. I mean these countries are
also promoting issues relating to women’s rights. They are also giving money
for this. So I am critiquing these countries, but also pointing that, this is not
to say that they have not done important work. As far as the non-western
ideas, possible policy contributions are concerned, I think there was a related

How do we go beyond strict regimes of nationalism – to have a
more integrated approach to some of these issues concerning
women, their livelihoods and their aspirations?
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Indian Council of World Affairs An ICWA Conversation