After the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, was not invited to the feminist foreign policy summit, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has finally decided to invite her. This summit is being held next week, June 2 and 3, and more than 700 people are expected to attend. It is “a high-level global meeting dedicated to feminist foreign policy, women’s rights and gender equality, not only as priorities in themselves, but also as fundamental principles and pillars for the advancement of global peace and the strengthening of democracy,” according to official information.
Minister Redondo has confirmed to EL PAÍS that she will finally be at the event, which is scheduled to be inaugurated by Pedro Sánchez, the President of the Government, and Minister Albares and that, in fact, she will participate in its closing. “I deeply regret the misunderstanding that has occurred around the Feminist Foreign Policy Summit,” said the minister. “I want to clarify that there is no problem between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Equality. We collaborate in harmony and closely, as it cannot be otherwise, especially with regard to feminist policies.”
The minister has also noted that “the important thing is that Spain is an international benchmark in equality policies and that feminist foreign policy is a hallmark of Pedro Sánchez’s government.”
The controversy occurred yesterday, after this newspaper published that, among the 700 attendees at the summit, Foreign Affairs had not invited the Minister of Equality. Foreign Affairs, asked yesterday by this newspaper about the minister’s absence, assured that “she communicated to Equality the composition and nature of this international conference weeks ago”, that “the participation of the Secretary of State for Equality and the director of the Women’s Institute was agreed upon”, and that “no objection was subsequently received”. And that the minister, Albares, had not “received any request other than Minister Redondo.”
This Friday, sources close to Equality explained to this newspaper that if Spain “is a benchmark in this area, it is thanks to feminists and the work that has been done by the ministry, this one and all the previous ones.” And they stated that “feminism cannot be claimed in foreign action or in anything else while those who represent equality policies are made politically invisible.”
