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Sex and Gender

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China’s forced invisibility of LGBTQ communities on social media

This week, Chinese multinational technology giant Tencent shut down hundreds of accounts on WeChat linked to LGBTQ groups. Suddenly millions of queer people in China were confronted by a blunt message on their favourite social media accounts: In response to related complaints, all content has been

By Ausma Bernot

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Lowy Institute Diplomat Database

This Lowy Institute interactive uncovers the changing face of Australia's diplomatic network, tracking 47 years of Australian diplomatic appointments overseas. The data reveals the way issues such as political affiliation, gender, family background, and education have shaped Australia’s

By Alex Oliver, Nicholas Bosworth

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Forgiveness not permission: A feminist foreign policy

China’s increasing attention to the Pacific region has created an uncomfortable bind for Australian foreign policy: should Canberra try to compete on economic grounds, knowing that it can’t outspend Beijing, or find another way to differentiate itself? Last week, former Department of Foreign

By Joanna Pradela, Alice Ridge

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Supporting the victims of sexual violence in Myanmar

Phyu Phyu Oo and Sara Davies Conflict-related sexual violence has been a feature of fighting in Myanmar for decades – a crime explicitly singled out by the UN Secretary General since 2012. In most cases, Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, is identified as the perpetrator of the crimes. Multiple

By Phyu Phyu Oo, Sara E Davies

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Standing with Afghanistan: Inclusion and women’s rights in peace talks

The agreement signed by the United States and the Taliban in February 2020 sought to end America’s (and Australia’s) longest-running war. After nearly two decades of conflict, the US and NATO allies committed to withdrawing all foreign military personnel from Afghanistan. In exchange, the

By Azadah Raz Mohammad, Jenna Sapiano, Felicity Gerry, Jacqui True

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Beijing could easily encourage people to have more children, but won’t

On 1 June, I woke up to the news that the Chinese government had announced that it will allow all couples in the country to have three children, an increase from two. I joked to myself, “Finally, I’m legal!” I was born illegally as the third child of my family. At the time, the notoriously

By Yaqiu Wang

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India’s failure to include enough women in politics

Indian politician Lathika Subhash smiled for the cameras last month and then shaved the hair from her head. Subhash was making a personal protest after being left off Congress party ticket for state elections in the southern state of Kerala. But her intent was not only to draw attention to her own

By Rajesh Trichur Venkiteswaran

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Legalising same-sex marriage in Japan

Last month, a Japanese district court for the first time ruled that not allowing same-sex couples to marry is unconstitutional. The verdict by the Sapporo District Court was a result of simultaneous lawsuits against the nation demanding marriage equality as well as compensation for psychological

By Akimoto Daisuke

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Australia must walk the talk on women’s rights – globally and at home

Last week, the United Nations held the 65th Commission on the Status of Women in New York, and virtually, with the theme “women’s full and effective participation and decision making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and empowerment of all

By Leanne Smith

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Afghanistan: When a song is not just a song

A recent ban on girls’ public singing has demonstrated the continuing struggle between modernising and conservative forces in Afghanistan. Speculation on social media suggested it might also be a sign of the government testing the public mood of what rights it is prepared to sacrifice in order to

By Gillian Howell, Susanne Schmeidl, Jawed Nader

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Female genital mutilation is still a risk – especially in a pandemic

One of the many consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic is that other critical heath issues have fallen off the agenda in Australia and globally – including female genital mutilation (FGM). A lack of attention to gendered healthcare issues over the last year, such as FGM, could have serious impacts

By Kit Catterson

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Food security and Covid-19: Recognising women’s leadership

“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” – this recognition was a central focus of the 1996 World Food Summit. Today, Covid-

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Private sector progress in women’s leadership in the Pacific

The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world” – a celebration of global progress towards women’s equal representation in leadership positions. For the Pacific, discussion of women’s leadership has focused on women

By Sarah Boxall

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Advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Australia

The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda is a global framework for the protection of women’s rights in conflict-affected settings, which encourages women’s participation in peace and security institutions and processes, and ultimately seeks to prevent armed conflict and thereby alleviate the

By Kit Catterson, Laura J. Shepherd

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Women, peace and security are not only wartime issues

Many women fight wars every single day within their homes. This is not the violence of wars that features on the nightly news, but something far more insidious – a hidden conflict that is far more costly. Domestic violence is rampant, within both developed and developing countries, yet is a

By Rose Khattar

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The G20’s existential crisis

2020 could be defined as a year of global crises – health, political, environmental and economic. The G20 is caught among all four, and how the forum responds raises questions about whether it is facing its own existential crisis. With a chaotic US election and presidential transition as well as

By Erin Watson-Lynn

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Iran’s year of reckoning

After sexual assault allegations calling out more than 100 men, including prominent members of Iranian society, first appeared on social media in August, women in Iran are having their own #MeToo moment, and the movement is gaining publicity. The latest high-profile figure to be accused of sexual

By Melissa George

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A backlash against the Women, Peace and Security agenda?

Twenty years ago, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1325, a landmark to formally recognised the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls. Yet this year, there is no new resolution to mark the anniversary of what became the Women, Peace and

By Patricia Salas Sanchez, Nuri Widiastuti Veronika, Irine Hiraswari Gayatri, Jacqui True

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Can Covid-19 advance gender equality in China’s health policies?

The Chinese government has officially encouraged women to have equal roles in social, economic and political life. Still, traditional culture and practice continue to subject women to lower social status inside families (especially in rural areas), in the media, and in employment, including in the

By Huiyun Feng, Connie Cai Ru Gan, Sara E Davies

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In Conversation with Richard Haass

Sex and Gender

China’s forced invisibility of LGBTQ communities on social media

Lowy Institute Diplomat Database

Forgiveness not permission: A feminist foreign policy

Supporting the victims of sexual violence in Myanmar

Standing with Afghanistan: Inclusion and women’s rights in peace talks

Beijing could easily encourage people to have more children, but won’t

India’s failure to include enough women in politics

Legalising same-sex marriage in Japan

Australia must walk the talk on women’s rights – globally and at home

Afghanistan: When a song is not just a song

Female genital mutilation is still a risk – especially in a pandemic

Food security and Covid-19: Recognising women’s leadership

Private sector progress in women’s leadership in the Pacific

Advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Australia

Women, peace and security are not only wartime issues

The G20’s existential crisis

Iran’s year of reckoning

A backlash against the Women, Peace and Security agenda?

Can Covid-19 advance gender equality in China’s health policies?

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