To mark the International Day of Women in Diplomacy on 24 June, the European Union Delegation to Zambia and COMESA hosted an event bringing together senior female diplomats and leaders and some 130 students from the University of Zambia, University of Lusaka, the Copperbelt University, National Institute of Public Administration and the Zambia Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies, studying in their final year of international relations/global politics degrees and contemplating a career in diplomacy or in the public sector.

Inspiring panellists accepted our invitation: the Guest of Honour – Etambuyu Gundersen Permanent Secretary of the Zambian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anne Wagner-Mitchell, German Ambassador, Saana Halinen Finish Ambassador, İstem Cırcıroğlu, Ambassador of Türkiye, Linnisa Wahid US Chargée d'affaires a.i, Cissy Kabasuuga Country Representative of the World Food Programme in Zambia, Anderson Chibwa former Zambian High Commissioner and Loveness Mulimbika the Director of the Zambia Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies.

The objective of the event was to recognise the role of women in diplomacy and in senior leadership positions, inspire a new generation of female diplomats and leaders and showcase best practices applied in various foreign services supporting diversity and inclusion.      

With the help of the Zambian Women’s History Museum we put in the public light inspiring female figures throughout history who have had to break barriers and biases. Panellists shared their own inspirations and their stories of success, as well as recommendations for students on skills and mindsets to cultivate.

In the Panel chaired by EU Ambassador Karolina Stasiak, panellists exchanged best practices and possible structural solutions that foreign services can adopt to encourage more women to apply for diplomatic roles, and ways to support women’s career progression. The value of supportive networks, mentoring, pre-posting seminars,  training for all staff on unconscious bias and addressing harassment, initiatives for spouses in diplomatic posts, women’s representation in each selection panel, and other policy approaches applied in the EEAS and European diplomatic services were highly inspirational for the Zambian foreign policy representatives and training institutions.

Students engaged dynamically in the discussion and the questions showed the eagerness and motivation of young Zambian women to contribute and build a career for themselves, but also revealed biases and obstacles for women empowerment which still persist in Zambia. Students highly praised the opportunity to meet the inspiring female leaders and engage in personal bilateral conversations over a cocktail following the panel sessions.

The event was part of the #CountMeIn campaign promoting women and youth empowerment in Zambia, which the Delegation launched on the International Women’s Day on 8 March 2024.