Australia makes gender equality key to foreign policy and aid

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong attends a joint press conference during the 2024 Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, U.S., August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Gender equality will become central to Australia's foreign policy, diplomacy, trade and aid programmers under a new international strategy, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Wednesday in Canberra.

Gender equality is a "stronger predictor of peace than a nation's wealth or political system", Wong said in a speech at a U.N. Women event at parliament house.