Malwina Talik at the CEE Her Workshop at GLOBSEC/Bratislava

Is there still a need to talk about gender equality in certain sectors in particular and in the society in general? What are the barriers faced by women in the professional environment? What role do female diplomats play in foreign policy? These were some of the leading questions of the CEE Her Workshop organized in Bratislava by GLOBSEC (12-14 September 2022).

The widespread perception is that gender equality is a soft and secondary topic, a problem long solved. A quick glimpse at the statistics proves gender equality is still far from being achieved, also in the most progressive societies. Foreign policy and parliaments are no exception to that trend. To challenge the status quo the Slovak think tank GLOBSEC launched the initiative “CEE Her” which aims to “promote gender equality and to raise female expert presence in CEE policy-impact debates and beyond.” GLOBSEC launched a database of female experts, which is meant to help conference organizers and journalists to quickly find female experts in various fields. Additionally, GLOBSEC organizes multiple events and carries out research projects related to this topic. 

Our colleague Malwina Talik was among 14 female professionals from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Western Balkans (WB) invited by GLOBSEC to a three-day workshop on gender equality and female empowerment. During this time the participants had a chance to discuss the women’s role in diplomacy and foreign service as well as feminist foreign policy with State Secretary Ingrid Brockova, Ambassador Gabriella Sancisi and Ambassador Lorea Arribalzaga Ceballos. The participants also attended a workshop with a seasoned debater and former Slovak MP Martin Poliačik. Finally the female professionals worked together on a policy paper addressing challenges that women face especially in CEE and WB and offering solutions. You can read it here.  

This could be of interest to you: 

 – CEE Her Database of experts

–  Our colleague Malwina Talik was together with Linda Tothova (SK), Zsofia Biro (HU) and Nikoleta Nemeckayova (CZ) a co-author of GLOBSEC report led by Sofiia Shevchuk: “Women’s Voices in the Media: A Look at Central Europe” 

–  Opinion Piece (CoFoE) by Malwina Talik: Knocking at the Glass Ceiling: Women in the EU Politics

–  Podcast about women’s rights in CEE with the IDM team members (Daniela Neubacher, Malwina Talik, Emma Hontebeyrie Federica Mangiameli) and Judit Acsády