Development Policy Discussion Days 2023


07.06.2023   5.00 pm - 7.00 pm (CEST) - Online

Feminism, free trade and policy frameworks. How could a German Feminist Trade Policy contribute to fair North-South trade? 
Feminismus, freier Handel und politische Förderung. Wie kann eine deutsche feministische Handelspolitik fairen Nord-Süd-Handel vorantreiben?  (EN/DE)

 

Is trade gender-neutral? Global trade policies can reproduce, exacerbate or mitigate existing gendered asymmetries. Women* continue to face social, structural, and economic barriers such as an erosion of working conditions in feminized sectors like garment production, or lack of access to financial infrastructure. The intersectional struggle for fair wages, secure working conditions and necessary health care form key objectives of feminist trade. 

Nevertheless, the debate on feminist trade policy has yet to gain traction. While countries such as Sweden and Mexico have already committed to a feminist trade policy, the topic has yet only been discussed as a sub-issue of a feminist foreign and development policy in Germany.

With this panel discussion, we want to put gender-sensitive trade on the agenda and explore an intersectional approach and course of action for Germany’s feminist trade policy. We open the dialogue between relevant actors from Germany and the Global South to discuss how pitfalls of current trade policies, such as colonial continuities or neoliberal inequalities, can be avoided through a feminist approach. What could a German feminist trade policy look like?

Panel guests:

  • Christina Arkenberg, Co-Chair Supervisory Board Fairtrade Germany
  • Dr. forest Christoph Hoffmann, Member of the German Bundestag
  • Lebohang Liepollo Pheko, Trade Collective Think Tank, South Africa

 



08.06.2023   12.30 - 2.30 pm (CEST) - Online

Grabbing the sunshine? Perspectives of a just hydrogen transition in the context of Germany’s bilateral energy partnerships
Grabbing the sunshine? Grüner Wasserstoff im Kontext der bilateralen Energiepartnerschaften Deutschlands (EN/DE)

Green hydrogen is heralded as a cornerstone of global decarbonization efforts. As Germany’s production capacities are limited, energy partnerships with African countries - promoted under the slogan “shipping the sunshine”- form a crucial part in achieving the goals of the National Hydrogen Strategy (BMWi 2020). Yet the effects on producing countries remain unclear and need to be observed closely.

Together with civil society representatives and other energy transition experts from the Global South and German policy makers, we want to explore the complex web of relations between Africa and Germany in the context of this critical energy shift. Are energy partnerships a chance or a trap for African societies? Based on examples from African countries, our speakers will explore the following questions:

  • What are the economic, social, and ecological effects of green hydrogen projects on local communities?
  • Under which conditions can national economies and citizens in the Global South benefit from the production and export of green hydrogen – and which might be the costs?
  • What measures and policies do actors need to adopt, in order to guarantee a just hydrogen transition that leaves no one behind?

Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion on the intertwined subject of energy justice.

Panel guests:

  • Emanuele Bianco, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
  • Alexandria Hotz, WoMin African Alliance, South Africa
  • Anton Hufnagl, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action 



08.06.2023  5.00 - 7.00 pm (CEST) - Online

International cooperation in Afghanistan: A way forward with(out) the Taliban?
Geht es (nicht) ohne die Taliban? Die Zukunft der internationalen Zusammenarbeit in Afghanistan (EN/DE)

After the dramatic political resurrection of the Taliban and their takeover of the Afghan state in 2021, numerous civil rights achievements, such as women's rights to employment and education, have rapidly been revoked. Until now, given this appalling human and especially women’s rights situation, Germany in consultation with its European partners has put its bilateral development cooperation on hold. How can Germany in the future balance its own interests and values with the realities of the current political situation in Afghanistan, and what implications might this have for Germany's broader foreign feminist policy objectives?

The panel discussion will deal with the tied normative and political challenges for the future of German international cooperation in Afghanistan and its cooperation partners.

  • Can Germany still support the Afghan people without collaborating with the new regime?
  • Are there any other political pathways within the international community through which women and girls as well as other progressive parts of the civil society could be supported and perhaps actively protected?

Join us for this critical conversation with representatives from politics, civil society and academia.

Panel guests: 

  • Deborah Düring, Member of the German Bundestag 
  • Hosna Jalil, former Dep. Ministers of Women Affairs & Interior Affairs Afghanistan     
  • Dr. Arne Strand, Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway

Please note: All three events will be held online and will be streamed live. Register for free here: https://calendar.boell.de/en/event/development-policy-discussion-days-2023 The events will be translated simultaneously from English to German. Further information will follow soon. 

 


 

 

 

 

Click here for free registration to receive the link to online participation