Clara Cabrera, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this Thursday INMA FLORES / EL PAIS
Clara Cabrera (Madrid, 42 years old) has been an ambassador on a special mission for Gender Equality of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since August 2020. The function, although with a different name, was created by the Government of then-President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in 2007. Since then, there have been four women in charge of the position, which was initially called Ambassador for the Promotion of Gender Equality Policies, and also a period in which it remained vacant, between 2011 and 2018. The recent approval of the guide of feminist foreign policy in the ministry headed by Arancha González Laya, is one of the tasks promoted by Cabrera, a graduate in Law and Business Administration and Management from ICADE, who has been in the diplomatic career since 2007 and has been assigned to Cabrera or Bolivia .
During the interview, explain why this guide is important or what are the keys to your work.
Ask.
How is the day to day at work?
Answer.
It has many challenges.
The first, to coordinate the participation of Spain in everything that is happening in different parts of the world in terms of gender equality.
Also collaborate with the directorates that work on trips and visits so that in the messages and meetings of the Minister or Secretary of State with women from different countries there is a strong equality component that allows them to debate on how to move forward.
Q.
How do you guarantee that women will speak freely in countries where their rights are threatened?
R.
The first thing is to have a very close relationship with women's organizations.
I think that a good knowledge of the country does guarantee that there is a frank dialogue.
These meetings serve to meet the needs and interests of civil society and that nourishes our foreign policy.
I give you an example.
In the case of Tunisia, we signed a memorandum of understanding in the fight against gender violence that was the result of previous conversations, not only with the authorities but also with women's organizations.
Thanks to this, there is an agreement and Tunisia has a law against violence that is a benchmark at the regional level.
Q.
What would you highlight of your work since your appointment?
R.
An achievement, not mine but of the ministry, is the feminist foreign policy guide, which represents an advance in how to integrate the gender approach and allows us to take it to the field.
It serves so that we all know how to incorporate equality in all our actions, from security and defense to the fight against trafficking.
Q.
Do you find resistance within the ministry?
R.
Gender equality always has resistance, inside and outside.
There is some ignorance.
When presenting this policy, the minister herself said that she faced all kinds of reactions, from the perception that it only meant appointing more women or talking about equality only in speeches.
A feminist foreign policy is not just about appointing more ambassadors.
The last few years have taught us that not only can it be, but it must be applied and it has results.
For example, including female genital mutilation as a violation of rights in an agreement has a direct impact on the countries where it is practiced.
The new Foreign Action Strategy calls for a "feminist diplomacy"
Q.
In your field, women represent only 28% of diplomats and 21% of heads of mission.
R.
The woman joined the diplomatic career very late.
It is not a justification for the data not to improve.
Like any organization, we need an analysis of where the barriers are, the levels where there are more women or to know where they stagnate, what the selection and promotion processes are like.
Conciliation policies have to be reformulated so that they are not a barrier for women or men.
We are in a very good moment to promote the participation of women in the entire field of foreign action, also in international organizations.
Improving transparency and communication in the processes improves that participation.
Q.
Does the appointment of women guarantee a feminist foreign policy?
R.
Training in equality and participation of women is needed.
Not because it guarantees that there is a gender focus, it is that they have to be present in decision-making.
In the participation in peace processes, where they do not even reach 5%, it has been shown that when women participate in the negotiations there is an increase in provisions on gender equality and peace processes last longer.
There is a 25% more chance that they will last more than 15 years.
Q.
How can Spain help Turkey not to leave the Istanbul Convention [for the prevention and fight of violence against women] as it has announced?
A.
Despite the efforts of the Council of Europe, Turkey has decided to withdraw.
Spain has regretted this decision and has asked for a reconsideration.
I want to think that thanks to the action of Europe and others, there are members who have not withdrawn and others are ratifying, like recently Tunisia.
You have to put both things on the scale.
Q.
How could men be more involved?
R.
That is the great challenge at a global level.
It is a matter of education and visibility.
In many cases there has been a perception, not by men in general, but by some who do not share the vision of achieving gender equality, that this is a confrontation.
And it is not, but it is a matter of distributing and sharing power.
How to engage boys and men is one of the keys to how we move forward in the years to come.