Tanja Fajon: There can be no security without inclusive leadership and the equitable management of natural resources

SLOVENIA, February 14 - While the first day of Minister Fajon’s participation in the world's largest security conference focused on current armed conflicts, security challenges and humanitarian crises, the second was devoted to in-depth reflection on the long-term structural factors that contribute to peace, with an emphasis on women leaders and the geopolitics of water.

Minister Fajon participated in a panel discussion entitled ‘Power, Politics and Parity: Mapping the Way for the First Female UN Secretary-General’, during which she said: "I would like to see the UN appoint its first female leader after 80 years – not merely as a symbol, but as an expression of the organisation's credibility. However, the character of the future secretary-general is more important than their gender. I believe it should be someone capable of returning the organisation to its core mission of ensuring peace and collective security.” She recalled that during its second presidency of the UN Security Council, Slovenia had devoted special attention to this issue with a flagship event entitled 'Leadership for Peace'.

She went on to say that we must all do more to promote greater inclusion of women in decision-making processes. “I am glad that I have had the privilege of witnessing many ‘firsts’ for women in Slovenia in my lifetime: the first female prime minister, the first female president and the first female foreign minister. However, I am aware that not all women and girls enjoy such opportunities.”

She also mentioned that Slovenia's feminist foreign policy has achieved gender balance in leadership positions within the diplomatic service, with women currently occupying 50 per cent of such posts. “I am proud that the number of women ambassadors serving abroad is increasing, even in locations with challenging security or cultural conditions.”

At a panel discussion entitled 'The Geopolitics of Water', Minister Fajon emphasised that water is becoming an increasingly important security issue. She began by expressing her satisfaction that cooperation in the management of shared water resources has increased over time. “It is very encouraging that more and more countries are acceding to the UN Water Convention, which Slovenia proudly chairs. This reflects growing global awareness that cooperation on water is not optional but essential." 

At the same time, however, she warned that unequal access to water is a reality and that water is being misused in armed conflicts: “Water must not become a weapon. We need water diplomacy, and Slovenia is one of the few countries in the world to have enshrined the right to drinking water in its constitution. For us, water is not just a resource – it is a value, an identity and a matter of security.”

The panel on water also included the following speakers: Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy; Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Energy and Sustainability Affairs of the United Arab Emirates; and Aminata Touré, High Representative of the President of Senegal.

Minister Fajon also held separate meetings with Taras Kachka, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration; Luigi Di Maio, EU Special Representative for the Gulf region; and João Gomes Cravinho, EU Special Representative for the Sahel.