Women Diplomats

"Sustainable development is not an option; it is an imperative."

"It's very important that we don't withhold aid from people that it matters most to."

"And then the livelihoods of all these Maasai women and men that I met, their livelihoods, their cattle have died. You see the carcasses on the road. And we don’t want to talk about that much. But that’s assets that have just been taken away. And so when Kenya is dealing with that, they’re saying, ‘okay, right now, the private sector is coming in, and we’re asking them to put a fund together, so they buy the cattle before they die’. So there are resources for that community, for the hard times, and they can replenish stock. Then we have put things together that will help us to build back with a level of resilience."

"There are so many. Climate for me is the biggest challenge that we have, and opportunity. So when a farmer says to me that this is not about a flood, or temperatures, it’s about I wake up in the morning and my crop is gone because of a dust storm, and that dust storm has come because of drought, and my farm is gone, my livelihood is gone."

"The policy somersaults that we are feeling right now, I guess they feel them in the United Kingdom, they feel them in countries in Europe now that are going so far right from being so far left. So, it’s important, and then I think that, the more we educate people, the better constituencies we have for engaging. You can’t engage with one person, one vote, when there is quite frankly, a lack of education as to understanding why the vote, and what’s my vote worth? Is it $5? Or is it educational reform, and health services, and things that are my rights, that’s what my vote is. So it’s a little bit of a journey, as you know, the long road to freedom – the road is still being tracked."

"We need to think, ‘what is the low hanging fruit for a politician that is bound by a four or five-year cycle of democracy and elective office, to one that is longer?’ Longer term means you need institutional memory; that means that the services the institutions need to be able to carry us through these different cycles of elections."

"Then you hear what’s going on in South Africa with AI, and you’re thinking, ‘okay, what is the transition going to look like? How do we build that capacity? How do we look at the financial architecture, which was really built for another era, and not for our development – [what about] access courses or even profiting from the natural resources that we have, so that we can build?’ And so it’s going to be complex, because we are many, and our issues are very complex."

"I think we’ve been told what to do and what’s good for us. And we have to come back and determine what is good for us. That’s why I said for education, it’s really important we think about that. And we think about what skills are going to put a kid, from when they get into school for 15 years, to the workplace? Is it the skills of tomorrow?""

"So what common ground can they come together on to move us forward? And I think that the fact that we’re seeing no solidarity with Africa right now has actually empowered a conversation. I think the United Nations has been helpful for a sanguine Economic Commission for Africa that did a lot of work with the Minister of Finance. So they were able to take the issues in an international arena and argue them, and it’s quite difficult for our people to do that because essentially, they’re in their own bubble, fighting the day-to-day challenges of broken democracies and an incredibly different set of difficult situations, conflict, etc."

"Even I, as an African, say to people, ‘oo, I’m the United Nations’. That’s their conversation they need to have. I can have a private one as well, as a brother or sister conversation to them. But in this piece here, give them space, because every one of them has baggage, and that baggage is colonial. And many of them are tied to it inextricably, and it’s hard."

"We have a responsibility as followers to get behind them to do the right thing. So conversation, really serious conversation. Whether it happens in the African Union [AU], and I have to tell you that in the AU, when leaders try to get together to have a closed-door meeting, the international community wants to be in on it."

"Everybody’s got a closet, and some worse than others. But if that person takes a good message that does no harm, that brings people together, that forwards Africa, we need to find that community."

"I think people like the Arch and Madiba [Nelson Mandela] always recognized their failings. And so people didn’t have a chance to throw any stones at them. What came out was ‘okay, I’m not perfect, I’m not God, but these are the things that I believe in, these are the things that I will fight for’. So as human beings, what we look to is what they stood for. And I’m not sure today that we give so much grace to leaders. And I think that we have to think and listen to what the leader is saying and doing, rather than judge what’s in the closet."

"And this is our leaders, and I’m saying leaders at different levels, because the leaders that we point to and look to as inspirations and heroes, they’re all gone now. And I don’t know who we point to, to replace them. Because today, we’re so critical of the person, we’re so judgmental of the person, and we miss the message that that person carries."

"I think essentially, we’ve got to have a few conversations with ourselves. And there has to be a huge amount of courage that what you’re doing is shaping the future. I mean, concretely, shaping that future for your people with what you know is the right thing."

"And that’s what really draws me to the Arch [Desmond Tutu]. Because I think he really taught us how to respect what’s behind our skin. It’s us, it’s human beings. And as you’re born, you’re incredibly free of everything, and depending where you land, is what shapes you."

"And as such, each thread matters, each thread makes the fabric stronger, not weaker. So the less threads we have, that we leave behind, the weaker that fabric. And I think if you say that to people, then they see themselves in the fabric. It’s not you against us."

"The diversity piece has lost its meaning, because we’ve sort of pigeonholed different parts of our society that are different, and will choose to live differently. And what we need to see is healthy respect, and that these are the threads of our human fabric."

"And I think that we are richer for it if we identify with what we really are. The question of diversity for me is far deeper than the narrow, silo approach that we are seeing on diversity now."

"I do this because I was part of an education system that did this, although I have to say that we had a broader education. But as years have gone on, that curriculum has become loaded. It has lost its core. And I think people are struggling with who they are, and who they are is such a contradiction to people who want us to join this global family."

"What I’m trying to say is that as we learn to have pride and independence of one’s being, how that contributes from the inside out. So you’re not just looking at capacities and skills to connect to the outside world without understanding anything about who you are, and the part that you play in your own ecosystem."

"Our ambition is for each child, as a global citizen, and not just an African citizen, but to bring that whole technology and learning into an environment."

"And that we move on from things that we did not know were so harmful because they were so cultural, or so male-vested. And we need to move on. But there are some good things there."

"Then, building on that, the primary and secondary education that we need. One that really looks at that intrinsic value of education to a person, a person’s identity from their cultures, their religion, the good practices – so we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater – we’re always referring to harmful cultural practices, and we never look at it from the positive side."

"Empowering women would result in improving the lives of many households in the country and ultimately deal with pockets of poverty."

"My ministry is aware of the multiple challenges faced by women, which seriously impede their progress in life."

"It's about time that each and every health minister looks at sustainability as part of the modelling of any approach or any initiative."

"In the distant past, in India as in many other countries, all recognized branches of learning had had a religious and philosophic bias. Education was not merely a means for earning a living or an instrument for the acquisition of wealth. It was an initiation into the life of spirit, a training of the human soul in the pursuit of truth and the practice of virtue."

"There are many people who have capacity and perhaps better energy to take on the Parliamentary role and it is important that they too are supported and encouraged to move forward. I, therefore, hold no grudge against the party for choosing to move forward without me"

"I have always believed that submitting to a party means submitting to being deployed where the party feels you are best suited"

"I was able to bring issues I felt were at the heart of the women I represented, was able to speak on the issues of Matebelaland without being apologetic, and in all this, at no point did the party seek to restrain or censor me, for that I remain indebted"

"In fact it was only the MDC that had a woman as its chief negotiator. I will remain grateful for that opportunity"

"The fact remains that during both the Inclusive Government negotiations and the Constitution making process, the MDC remained the only party that deployed a woman to the table"

"For all the differences I may have had with some people in the party, this is one party that allowed me as a person to grow in many areas of what has become my political experience"

"Thankfully, I’ll be in South Africa soon and will meet with authorities there. If I had any doubts that some claiming to be democrats are simply replicating Zanu PF tactics, the threats and cyberbullying I’ve faced over the past 48 hours have erased them. It’s truly disappointing and sad to realize that people I’ve trusted for over two decades are turning out to be the very things they oppose."

"On March 8 on the occasion of International Women’s Day, Hon. Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, MP & Vice-Secretary of PGA’s National Group in Zimbabwe, moved a motion on the Unlawful Practice of Child Marriage, which was seconded by the Chair of the group, Hon. Jessie Majome, MP, to celebrate the recent landmark judgment of the Constitutional Court clarifying and emphasizing the constitutional ban on child marriages."

"I haven’t had a full night’s sleep since my interview with Star FM. I’ve received numerous abusive messages; while I initially dismissed them as political banter, I’m now genuinely concerned for my safety. I’m taking two actions: posting the numbers of those contacting me on my page and reporting this to the police, both here and in South Africa, as some of the numbers are South African.""

"If I don’t go back into the House I do hope that the women who go in will build on the little steps we have climbed and just remember, if you need tips we will be there, and don’t mind the bullies; it gets better"

"If any, I should take including how they see me playing that role. I will remain an activist on women’s issues and remain convinced that the issue of marginalisation of Matabeleland should take center stage in the national discourse"

"Misihairabwi-Mushonga was only ever loyal to one constituency: women and girls"

"The military-political struggle on the battlefield creates a favorable environment for the diplomatic struggle, the international political-diplomatic struggle in coordination with the domestic political-military struggle, combines the strength of the strength of the nation with the strength of the times, increasing the fighting strength of our army and people."

"We resolutely defend the country's sovereignty, but advocate the settlement of territorial disputes by peaceful means."

"When I realized that it was something I had to do, for the country, for myself, nothing I did when I was young, I don't continue to do now. I am still as enthusiastic as when I joined the resistance against the French. Of course, my enthusiasm now is for another purpose. Having been independent and unified, I hope the people will be happier and the society will be better."

"I have not made any mistakes. The path I'm on is absolutely right, there are just some things I could have done better to contribute to the common work."

"We had hope that the struggle on all the three fronts, the diplomatic front, the political front and the military front, would help us reach our goal."

"When I signed the Paris Agreement, I was extremely moved, thinking of my compatriots, comrades, friends in both the South and the North, thinking of those who have fallen and can no longer know. This momentous event brought tears to my eyes. That is probably the most profound memory in my diplomatic life."

"The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said last month that there was a “reasonable basis” to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip as well as Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank. She also asked the court to determine whether she has territorial jurisdiction before proceeding with the case. Her request to the court, which exceeded the 30-page limit, was accompanied by a request to extend the page limit to 110 pages, citing “the unique and complex factual and legal circumstances in this situation.” ... According to Haaretz, the ruling means a decision on Bensouda pushing ahead with the case will be delayed by several months. International law expert Nick Kaufman wrote.. that the decision was a “slap in the face” of Bensouda"

"Bensouda... concluded there was “reason to believe” that crimes were “committed in the furtherance of a policy or policies … which would support US objectives in the conflict of Afghanistan.” Bensouda requested that the ICC’s Pretrial Chamber approve an investigation into these allegations. The Trump administration threatened to deny visas to ICC judges and prosecutors and warned it would retaliate with sanctions if the court opened an investigation. On April 5, 2019, the U.S. government revoked Bensouda’s visa to travel to the United States. A week later, on April 12, 2019, the Pretrial Chamber apparently succumbed to U.S. pressure and declined to authorize Bensouda’s investigation. Although agreeing with Bensouda that there were reasonable grounds to believe that CIA members had committed war crimes, the Pretrial Chamber denied her request for an investigation... But in a landmark decision, on March 5, 2020, the Appeals Chamber overruled the Pretrial Chamber’s determination and authorized Bensouda to initiate an investigation....."

"On Friday The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) welcomed the news that the International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda reiterated her position that Palestine is a state for the purposes of transferring criminal jurisdiction over its territory to The Hague, Wafa News Agency reported. Bensouda confirmed her position that the ICC has jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem."

"Palestine is a state and the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction involving its cases, the ICC prosecutor ruled Thursday, which could pave the way for a war crimes investigation against Israel. A three-judge panel of the ICC Pretrial Chamber must now affirm the decision by Fatou Bensouda. Israel has been accused of committing war crimes in the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip... Under Bensouda’s 60-page decision, the ICC may exercise its jurisdiction in “territory” that “comprises the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza.”"