Foreign, European and Security policy-related issues are debated at conferences in the Czech Republic. They help set the agenda for Czech Republic’s future in the EU and draw attention from across the EU. Despite a huge progress that the society has made in the last 30 years after the Velvet Revolution, we are still facing some unfortunate remnants of the past. The foreign and European policy related topics discussed are varied, but unfortunately female experts are much less than men involved in these debates. Quite often, panels on such conferences are “male only”. The practice of selecting only men to speak on panels on policy issues is unjust, as it excludes the voices of women. The network of women in Czech Foreign, European and Security policy aims at bringing more gender diversity to those debates.
We want women to participate in shaping the public debate and inspire future generations. Pursuing these goals, the Association for International Affairs (AMO) and the Representation of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Prague created the “Women Network on Czech European, Foreign and Security Policy”. The aim of this network is to provide female experts engaged in public administration, politics, diplomacy, international organizations, media, research institutions and non-governmental sector with the opportunity to share their specific experiences and discuss the main challenges they are facing in their professional lives. The ultimate goal of the network is strengthening the presence of women in the field of Czech Foreign, European, Security and Defence policy and the decision-making process in Czech international affairs. The network meets regularly for discussions with renowned female experts to talk not only about their specific topic of expertise but also about their experiences of being a female professional in the field of European, Foreign or Security policy.
One of the next steps was creation of a database of female experts in Czech Foreign, European and Security Policy to provide a practical tool to ensure greater participation of women in policy shaping and debating. The database is publicly accessible at https://databaze-expertek.
We will be happy if you are interested joining us in this network and thus support the idea for more gender diversity on expert panels. In case you want to become a member of the network, please let us know and we will get back to you with further information.