The Unfinished Path Towards the Inclusion of a Gender Perspective in Bolivian Foreign Policy (2006-2022)

Abstract

In recent years, many states have incorporated gender perspectives into their foreign policies, and this has become a relevant topic in International Relations. This paper investigates the extent to which the Movimiento al Socialismo (mas) indigenist foreign policy has laid the groundwork for advancing towards the inclusion of a feminist approach in Bolivia’s international agenda. The case study is grounded in decolonial studies and community feminism. The main argument is that Bolivian foreign policy between 2006 and 2022 clearly influenced by Andean indigenous thought and the Buen Vivir cosmovision—provided the programmatic and discursive bases to envision the construction of an international agenda with a gender perspective that includes women and indigenous historical demands within a decolonial and communitarian vision. At the domestic level, Bolivia has promoted women’s inclusion and their claims, but at the international level, it did not generate programmes with a depatriarchalizing discourse. The article shows that a foreign policy based on Andean indigenous beliefs and demands has created an opportunity to integrate marginalised groups into the Foreign Ministry, but this integration has yet to materialise. This research is qualitative in nature, drawing on information from various sources: key informant interviews, archival work, and secondary sources.