Female students become diplomats for a day

To mark the International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022, a number of female diplomats and the director of the regional International Organisation for Migration (IOM) office in Doha organised yesterday the ‘Diplomat for a Day’ initiative for 20 female students.

The ambassadors of Austria, Canada, Greece, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain and the US, the deputy head of Mission of Brazil, Belgium, France, and Singapore were the diplomats involved.

The programme aimed at mentoring young female Qatari and international students from Albania, Egypt, India, Iraq, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe attending the Georgetown University in Qatar and expose them to real diplomatic life. Each head of Mission held a unique programme that highlighted their mandate and activities in Qatar. Students were a shadow-diplomat for the day, working side by side with their head of Mission and participating in various diplomatic activities. Some of these activities comprised meeting with the Consular Sections to witness the documentation process, interacting with other ambassadors, receiving briefings on the various policies being implemented, discussing programmes within Embassy Trade and Cultural Sections, meetings with other government agencies, participating in technical meetings and attending field visits. At the end of the day, a reception was organised at the Canadian embassy to allow all participants to meet and provide feedback on their experience. All Covid precautions were in place for the day. “The idea behind this initiative is to provide young women with exposure to some of the work we do, and to give them first-hand experience in diplomatic offices,” Canadian ambassador Stefanie McCollum said, speaking on behalf the female heads of Mission. “The experience was very enriching for us too, and the energy and enthusiasm exhibited by these amazing students was contagious,” she added.

Aisha Tariq al-Muhannadi, who spent the day with Mexican ambassador Graciela Gomez Garcia, said: “It is a great opportunity as a female studying culture and politics in Georgetown University to be shadowing Her Excellency the ambassador of Mexico. This learning experience will help me better understand the theoretical study of politics in practical spheres through living the real experience of a current diplomat. ‘Diplomat for a day’ will also allow me to get an insight into the hardships that women go through behind the scenes in politics and how they overcome societal pressures.”

This year’s IWD theme, “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, aims to celebrate the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in leading the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and response to build a more sustainable future.