COVID-19 & feminist foreign policy: Canada’s comparative advantage

The global COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented attention to the relationship between gender inequality and global health security. Within this context, Canada is well placed, due to its foreign and domestic policy commitments to advancing gender equity, to take a leadership role in addressing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women and priority populations. We propose three ways Canada might exercise this comparative advantage, to both be a leader in the global COVID-19 response and to advance a feminist foreign policy: prioritize the care economy within international assistance, champion a feminist global health agenda, and sensitize the security sector to rights-based approaches to health emergencies.