Looking Forward

It remains to be seen whether this is simply a fleeting diplomatic trend, but the shifting of the stewardship of the WPS agenda to states like the UAE would raise questions about the agenda’s trajectory, given the region’s serious gaps in relation to women’s rights, along with the prevalence of authoritarianism. However, the more traditional stewards of the agenda—namely, the Nordic countries—do not have spotless records either. Despite their seemingly sterling reputations and consistent appearance at the top of international gender equality indices, rates of intimate partner violence, for instance, are disproportionately high in Sweden, Finland, and Denmark.

Perhaps because it is difficult to criticize a set of policies purporting to empower women to build peace, WPS is often covered as abstract do-gooding rather than the tool of political maneuvering it really is. That is not to say that the agenda’s lofty goals are not worthwhile, nor to ignore the possibility that the Arab region—one of the most conflict-affected in the world—could benefit from the implementation of WPS policies. Rather, to borrow a line from the new Swedish foreign minister, the WPS label could be more useful for the UAE than the content of such policies. Abu Dhabi’s embrace of the WPS label may allow it to carve out a niche at the UN, create a buffer against negative press coverage, make common cause with allies sympathetic to women’s issues, and, ultimately, distinguish itself from the rest of the Arab world—even if the region does not offer much in the way of stiff competition in this sector.

Kaitlyn Hashem is the Assistant Editor of Sada Journal at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she also produces Tamakon, an Arabic-language podcast focused on elevating women's perspectives on political, economic, and social issues impacting the MENA region.

Image: Reuters.