Welcome to The Gender Diplomat! 🇺🇦

Having just returned from Prague, where I spent literally the best four days of my professional life, I thought I'd start this rentrée with a recap and behind-the-scenes look at the high-level 2024 GLOBSEC Forum. It was absolutely extraordinary to cross paths with some of the world leaders I read about every day in the news, or to hear directly from political prisoners, or to ask difficult questions that I wouldn't otherwise be able to ask elected representatives or journalists.

GLOBSEC, which is now one of the world's leading geopolitical conferences, is also ironically based in one of the regions under most pressure since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine: Central and Eastern Europe. And since I'm usually in Portugal, far (ish) from Putin's threats and direct influence or pressure, there's nothing like being in that region in person, in Central and Eastern Europe, listening to people directly, learning from their experiences and returning home enriched in knowledge and ideas.

GLOBSEC was a life-changer for me. Here’s why (with backstage moments):

BEHIND THE SCENES @ GLOBSEC 2024

From CNN journalists to elected presidents: the coolest VIPs I met in Prague

The Presidents of Slovenia and Finland were undoubtedly the most stimulating interactions at GLOBSEC for me. Both discussions were held within the framework of Chatham House, so although I can't say too much, President Nataša Pirc Musar got me thinking about what it takes for a political leader to be able to build bridges in an ever-polarised world (not just between left and right wings, but also between democracies) and what it can be like for a woman (a very powerful woman) to be the leader of a country. Women in politics do have it harder, and digital advances (including AI) are going to make their experiences worse.

Then President Alexander Stubb led us to consider the urgency of a renewed values-based realism in international relations and EU foreign policy, given our current geopolitical landscape in Europe and even beyond our borders – ideas you can also read about in his oped published by The Economist. I also had the opportunity to exchange views with CNN's Kim Dozier, who was absolutely lovely and gave me useful career advice for someone starting out in geopolitical analysis, and then I got to moderate a panel with Portuguese Secretary of State for National Defence Ana Isabel Xavier and Dr. Maha Yahya on the mediterranean security context and its interlinks with the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. It was a good opportunity to speak 1-1 with a political figure from my country and to show the important work that Portugal is doing in NATO's southernmost and westernmost territory. Fun fact: Portugal was Chair of the NATO Secretary General's Group of Experts on the Alliance's Southern Neighbourhood between 2023 and 2024.

Most inspiring talks and my recommendations list

I really enjoyed seeing Von der Leyen in person and live for the first time. I thought her first public speech since taking office was direct, assertive and forward-looking. The President of the European Commission clarified her vision for the Union, our common security and defence challenges and how to tackle them. Her speech created a great atmosphere of hope and focus for the years ahead of us in the EU – a turning point that was defined as Europe’s make or break moment.

Then, never in a million years did I think I would see Vladimir Kara-Murza, just a few metres away from me, describing his detention in Putin's Russia and his prisoner exchange experience, as well as his phone call with President Biden. It was all surreal and very moving. Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison for criticising the Kremlin, which reminds us all that freedom cannot be taken for granted and that history will show who fought for it on behalf of entire nations.

Also, not necessarily inspiring but I defiantly recommend watching the following speeches and debates: Mircea Geoană, Deputy Secretary General of NATO’s Rising Threats, Timeless Resolve: NATO’s Next Chapter (good for an overview of what NATO’s priorities will look like in the next SG mandate); Simon Radford, Director for Policy & Programming, Milken Institute in Europe’s What the West Gets Wrong in Engaging with the Global South; Katarzyna Pisarska, Founder & Chair, Warsaw Security Forum’s Ukraine’s NATO Membership: We’ve come to the Bridge, Let’s Cross it.

The full 2024 GLOBSEC Forum playlist is available on YouTube for free.

Lessons learnt from attending a ministerial conference

I think perhaps the most important lesson I take away from this conference is that if you work hard, life will take you to heights you never dreamed of. I like to remind myself that I (and everyone else around me) started on a small scale: a few years ago, organising panels in civil society or university projects, then as a moderator and panellist in think tank debates, this year as a geopolitical analyst on television and now as a participant in a major ministerial conference. The best things in life are usually the rewards of the hard work that you put into anything you do, so the bottom line is: start slowly and small and work your way up to the grown-ups game.

The second lesson learnt is that you will inevitably make an impact on literally everyone you meet, so I always make an effort to show people my best. It's better to make 5 solid contacts than to meet 50 people without really engaging and absorbing what they have to offer. Networking at large conferences with 2,300 attendees can be exhausting, so I've been very strategic about investing my time. Doing my homework before these events also helps: who will be there? what debates will I see live? Is it worth contacting important people before the conference? (this is a tricky one, because speakers and attendees will also feel overwhelmed on the day). On the 2024 GLOBSEC Forum I made room for spontaneity and ended up meeting the coolest people and making the coolest work contacts out of the blue.

Lastly, the invitation to attend GLOBSEC came mainly because and through my work with The Gender Diplomat, and I had the opportunity to present it to dozens of leaders and journalists in Prague and to discuss the next stages of the project. If you work hard, love what you do and believe in yourself, it's impossible for other people not to invest in you, not to like to see you thrive and not to believe in the potential of your work. This is the corniest cliché, but the thing about clichés is that... they're true.

Growing in and out of your 9 to 5

BRAIN FOOD & TOOLS

• Call for AI Projects @ Paris Peace Forum

• Espresso, the daily news app, is now free for students @ The Economist

• I lead a major bank in Kenya. Here’s why we invest in Africa’s women entrepreneurs @ Fortune

• Von der Leyen set to miss gender-balance target for EU top jobs @ The Guardian

• Training on human rights at international borders: Exploring new technologies, their risks and opportunities @ OSCE

• The Nordics in NATO: Women, Peace and Security and Regional Defense @ PRIO

• Why do autocrats survive? Anne Applebaum and experts explore how autocratic regimes operate and their threat to democracy @ Chatham House

• 2024 GCSP Prize for Innovation in Global Security @ GCSP

• School on Politics, Leadership and Advocacy @ ODIHR/FES

JOBS

• Country Manager, Ukraine @ BBC

• Senior Political Affairs Officer @ UN OSESG

• Senior Policy Analyst MENA @ EUISS

• Research Specialist on Gender and Climate Consultant @ UN Women

• Senior Manage, EU Employment and Social Policy @ ICF

• Political Affairs Officer @ UN DPPA-DPO

• Executive Assistant @ Small Arms Survey

• Fellows or Senior Fellows @ Centre for Global Development (CGD)

say hello
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and see you next week!