Empowering Voices: Insights from the International Women’s Day Forum on Global Challenges

On March 6, the Atlantic Council, a think tank in the field of international affairs, hosted the International Women’s Day forum, exploring how women are tackling global challenges.

A particular panel discussion, titled “The 2024 Election Year: Risks to Democracy and Its Impact on Women,” underscored the universal importance of championing women's rights as fundamental human rights. The diverse perspectives offered by accomplished women from various backgrounds highlight that closing the gender inequality gap is a collective endeavor that transcends gender lines. The event served as a compelling reminder that fostering women's rights worldwide contributes to building robust democracies. 

The event was moderated by Alyse Nelson, the President and CEO of the Vital Voices Global Partnership, and brought together several distinguished speakers including:

• Amanda Ellis, the former Ambassador to the United Nations for New Zealand and Senior Director of Global Partnerships and Networks for the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University;

• Alena Popova, a Russian opposition politician and Fellow for the Vital Voices Global Partnership;

• Wai Wai Nu, the Executive Director of the Women’s Peace Network;

• Muqaddesa Yourish, a Visiting Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University and a Former Deputy Minister of Commerce, Afghanistan

Below are some of the most important takeaways from the panel discussion.

ELLIS

Women leaders are often the victim of misinformation and disinformation campaigns, noted Ellis, who pointed to the case of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as an example of a woman who stepped down due to repeated attacks against her. She cited research that concluded that in the year before Ardern stepped down, “93% of the online hate was directed at her personally.” That kind of pressure can make it “extremely difficult” for women, especially those who, like Ardern, have young children. Moreover, the rise of authoritarian movements is “linked to attacks on women.”

Ellis is an economist by training and used to work for The World Bank. Research shows there could be an extra $7 trillion in the global economy if the playing field were leveled, which is around the amount that subsidizes fossil fuels at the moment. This is “impacting everyone and is among the hardest arguments to convey to men that this is not a zero-sum game” but about “creating stronger economies and stronger societies that benefit us all.” 

Ellis, who is passionate about and champions efforts to address climate change, pointed out that where there are women leaders, whether “in parliaments or in boardrooms,” there is a greater emphasis on sustainability and climate issues.

POPOVA

Popova said women form “the vast majority of” Russian society and that “70% of all the activists” against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing war against Ukraine are women (and points out that some of her own family members are in Ukraine, which has only complicated familial relationships but nonetheless makes talking things out an imperative). Additionally, many women have been arrested and are in exile. 

Women have also been branded “national traitors” after being declared “foreign agents” by the Russian government. The Russian state has used technology to shut down protest movements, she stressed, noting that she was in fact arrested after protesting against the government due to the use of facial recognition technology. She then filed the first lawsuit in Russia against facial recognition, which has landed before the European Court of Human Rights. She also experienced “digital cyber-harassment” and threats against her life to silence her protest campaign. However, these same tools can be used to safeguard democracy, and she encouraged those in attendance to join the effort to make this possible.

It is imperative to have allies, she said, to “communicate the truth about what is going on in our own countries,” she said.

NU

Nu was imprisoned in Burma for seven years, which Nelson said demonstrates that she “paid the ultimate price” for her activism. She said women “should not be stereotyped as doing work “only for women regardless of their “passion, skills, qualities, or interests.” She said this has the effect of conveying the message that women are not necessarily impacted by larger political issues. She acknowledged her privilege as the daughter of a politician and expressed that her experiences as a teenage activist really opened her eyes to the challenges faced by women globally. Women have been “at the forefront” of the movement against Myanmar’s current military dictatorship, she said, taking a strong stance against “manipulation of elections” and attacks against democracy. While elections are “powerful tools to consolidate democracy,” they should nonetheless be ‘free and fair and credible and inclusive.”

“Both women and men need to recognize their own agency to get involved to get involved in social causes and global causes,” she said. Women of unique backgrounds should be able to recognize their own agency “to create their own futures.”

YOURISH

Yourish, who has campaigned for women’s rights in Afghanistan,” said there is “a link between the backsliding of democracy” worldwide and “the rise of violence against women.” She noted that she resents being seen as just a “gender activist” because the label undermines the larger work that she’s done and continues to do because men are not explicitly defined or limited by their gender. She encouraged those in attendance to reflect that women’s rights are interconnected with everyone’s rights and “should be connected to the bigger agenda around the globe.”

“It’s difficult for me to fully comprehend what it means for me to be a woman from Afghanistan in the U.S. when the abortion debate is being used as a tool or strategy to push forward certain agendas around elections,” she said. “I think it’s really important to note that the playing field is not level but I have noticed that everybody knows very well how to strategize around our areas of progress.”