The Policy Dialogue was organised by STG research fellow Costanza Hermanin, coordinator of the STG initiative on Inclusive Leadership for Sustainable Governance. The initiative aims to provide incumbent political leaders, starting with men, with the competencies to achieve and promote a more inclusive leadership culture in the political sphere.
“We need different values in our life. Not only in our private life but also in our public life, especially in the public life because people holding public positions, they are the role models.” said MEP Robert Biedroń, Chair of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality. “They can create a space where we feel included, and very often we see that they create a space where we feel excluded (…) one of the obstacles is the lack of recruitment not of only politicians, but male role models, who understand, and who are conscious of the situation.”
The Policy Dialogue also saw the participation of the EU Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, who delivered a keynote speech outlining the European Commission's ambitions and actions to bring the European Union closer to a "Union of Equality":
“Equality and non-discrimination must apply at all times and must have a transformative social impact (…) Europe needs all of its talents and Europeans deserve the freedom to pursue their chosen career path in relation to any of their personal characteristics.”
During the two-day event, participants discussed the training programme of the Inclusive Leadership Initiative whose members are currently working on the organisation of an executive training on the topic to be held at the European University Institute this summer. They also explored how institutional reforms can be adopted to change the decision-making environment and make it more inclusive, for instance by setting conditions for the allocation of public funds to political parties and political foundations.
"We received an important political endorsement from the EU Commissioners and the members of the European and national parliament, as well as from experts,” said Costanza Hermanin. "Too often, male leaders who are committed to equality and diversity lack the necessary skills to achieve these goals, or the arguments and data to make their case to their colleagues and constituents. Based on the debates of the last two days, we will adapt our training programme to provide peer-to-peer learning, policy advice and mentoring to support leadership change and create inclusive environments in parties and governments that promote inclusiveness in politics."
The executive training will take place on 11 and 12 July at the European University Institute in Florence. More updates, as well as a Policy Brief on the outcome of the Policy Dialogue will follow soon.
Learn more about the STG initiative Inclusive Leadership for Sustainable Governance.