International Day of Women in Diplomacy and International Relations

🎙️ On the International Day of Women in Diplomacy and International Relations, TheoFem project wishes honour the legacy and ongoing contributions of women who have shaped global governance, peacebuilding, and dialogue —often behind the scenes and beyond official titles.

We pay special tribute to women of faith, including prominent Catholic figures such as Barbara Ward and Marga Klompé, as well as lesser-known laywomen like Catherine Schaeffer. Alongside them stand countless women from diverse faith traditions, religious NGOs, and international organisations whose work in diplomacy and advocacy remains under-recognised.

From TheoFem, we defend that it is vital a) to explore the intertwined histories of gender and religion, and b) to highlight the role of women who —though lacking formal diplomatic status— played essential roles in international institutions, including the United Nations. These women negotiated, mediated, translated, and proposed new ideas across borders, confessions, and institutional boundaries, they travelled extensively, were involved in policy making and in transmitting knowledge and facilitating development worldwide, often challenging the traditional limits of diplomacy and theology.

Their legacy reminds us of that diplomatic efforts of women have not always received an official recognition, and that many women continue to face, still today, marginal or invisible positions in politics, diplomacy and international relations.

As the archival phase of TheoFem advances, we look forward, in the next stage of the project, to sharing the lives and contributions of some these women. You can follow us in social media to stay tuned and to know aboutfuture publications.

(We thank the kadoc archive for facilitating one of the two images of this post).