Gender-responsive Diplomacy as ASEAN's Soft Power

Linda Dwi Eriyanti; Muhammad Hadi Makmur

doi:10.21512/jas.v13i2.14523

Authors

Linda Dwi Eriyanti Universitas Jember
Muhammad Hadi Makmur Universitas Jember, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21512/jas.v13i2.14523

Keywords:

ASEAN, Gender-responsive diplomacy, soft power, norm entrepreneurship

Abstract

This article analyzes how ASEAN articulates gender-responsive diplomacy as a soft power instrument through strategic communication and its role as a norm entrepreneur at the regional and global levels. In the last decade, gender equality issues have become increasingly prominent on ASEAN's agenda, marked by the launch of the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework (AGMSF) 2021–2025 and the Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace, and Security (RPA-WPS) 2022. This study uses a qualitative approach with discourse analysis of ASEAN documents from 2015 to 2025, including Chairman's Statements, Joint Communiqués, reports of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), and ASEAN speeches in global fora. Data was analyzed using document coding techniques using three categories: gender framing (equality, protection, empowerment, inclusion), ASEAN's strategic narrative (moral actor, partner, leader), and normative roles (agenda-setter, norm shaper, norm taker). The analysis reveals an evolution from normative rhetoric to more proactive diplomacy: in the 2015–2020 period, gender issues primarily emerged in protectionist and socio-cultural contexts, while since 2021, they have become a cross-pillar agenda emphasizing empowerment and regional leadership. However, a gap remains between diplomatic rhetoric and implementation at the national level, influenced by political disparities, limited institutional capacity, and norm resistance.

Dimensions

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