Supporting women as bridge-builders

How is the situation of women’s rights and roles as bridge-builders today, connecting the multilateral and local settings? A recent seminar at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hosted by its International Studies Center, elaborated upon the situation in a world that is witnessing tumultuous changes.

- Vittit Muntarbhorn

Notably, there has never been a woman UN secretary-general, nor, for Thailand, a woman minister of foreign affairs. Only less than 20% of key politicians are national and local levels in this country as women. Yet, there has been some progress due to the welcome changes of laws, policies and practices, such as the country’s Gender Equality Act. Of course, the country’s prime minister is a woman, but the fate of her seat, after a PM was overturned by a coup d’etat, should not be overlooked.

There is fickleness in international and national politics that interplays with the fate of women’s rights, especially their simple mentation. Currently, the post-World War II multilateral framework is being compromised, if not dismantled, by rampant nationalism-cum-transactionalism, with an introspective vibe at the apex of the situation level. There is an ideological war current that seeks to stifle a more liberal interpretation of women’s rights and upstage the gains that have been enjoyed by all, including the impetus from the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Because of the tumultuous chaos originating from key international players, whether in peace or in war!

The global community and friends of women’s rights need to be more strategic in these fluctuating times. The most prominent instrument safeguarding women’s rights is the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw). This was the first human rights treaty to which Thailand became a state party in the 1980s.