Lourdes Zozaya from Mexico under the Alumni Spotlight
Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković” manages to spark long lasting connections and creates alumni network that is of vital significance.
We will put some additional light on alumni from different corners of the globe and find out, through 10 questions, what they are doing now and what perception they have about contemporary international relations but also what kind of messages they have for future Summer School participants.
We are pleased to have Lourdes Zozaya from Mexico under the spotlight.
- Describe your career path in 100 words.
I began my diplomatic career in 2010 in the communications office of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs when I was 24. I attended the Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković” during that period. In 2012 I was appointed as the Cultural Attaché of the Mexican Embassy in Austria concurrent to Slovenia and Slovakia and Mission to the IO in Vienna. I was later appointed as Alternate Representative to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. Since August 2018, I have been serving as head of Cooperation and Cultural Affairs and officer for Gender issues in the Mexican Embassy in South Africa.
2. Your Summer School experience in one sentence.A unique learning experience in wonderful Montenegro, that allowed me to grow professionally as well as to connect with young diplomats from around the world.
3. What are the major global challenges of diplomacy at the 21st century?We live in a rapidly changing world with several complex but common challenges and 21st Century diplomacy must adapt at a fast but steady pace. I believe that achieving gender equality, sustainable development, peace and security and as well as fighting climate change, the digital divide and transnational crime, and protecting human rights are among the most pressing matters that diplomacy has to tackle at the moment. Additionally, the COVID-19 outbreak made evident the urgent need to expand International Cooperation and multilateral efforts in areas such as innovation, biotechnology, pharmaceutical technology and bioengineering.
4. What skills and knowledge the emerging generation of diplomats should focus on?Digital diplomacy has never been more relevant than in the current global context. Besides the basic skillset that any diplomat is required to have, younger generations need to focus on developing skills and gaining knowledge to perform optimally in the digital world. Acquiring competencies for using new information communication technologies, such as social media and digital platforms is utterly important.
Younger diplomats also need to focus on creating strong bonds with organized civil society, academia and the private sector, as they have become more active than ever in the global governance and multilateral processes. Multi-actor and multi-level diplomacy have paved new ways for international collaboration. Learning to appropriately interact, listen and negotiate with all relevant stakeholders is key.
An additional skill that the emerging generation of diplomats need to learn is how to streamline gender equality in everything they do. Some countries, such as Mexico, have recently adopted a feminist foreign policy and I’m certain that many others will follow. The recent celebration of the first leg of the Generation Equality Forum in Mexico, that will culminate in Paris in June 2021, has created momentum for multilateral efforts to address gender inequality at the global level. Advocating for inclusivity is a responsibility of young diplomats.
5. How Summer School might contribute to empowering young diplomats?
Continuing training and capacity building are crucial for achieving successful diplomatic careers. Also, for young diplomats, creating a network of fellow diplomats from around the globe contributes significantly to obtain a better understanding of the world and to advance in their professional careers.
The “Gavro Vuković” Summer School is an excellent Public Diplomacy practice of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro which offers a great intercultural forum for exchanging ideas and sharing best practices. Throughout the years I have gladly noticed that the Summer School has adapted its program to include the latest topics, allowing participants to provide inputs and innovative perspectives
6. World after COVID 19? What diplomacy can do to support post COVID 19 recovery?The disruptions caused by the COVID 19 pandemic pushed for a reconfiguration of national and global priorities and a revaluation of strategies and tools to tackle present challenges and address the crisis. International Cooperation in areas such as science and technology, disaster management relief, innovation, biotechnology and even sectors such as cybersecurity and food security is needed more than ever.
In the past years, there’s been a paradigm shift in how diplomacy is conducted, because it has evolved into a much more participatory process with a vast array of stakeholders well beyond national governments. This is particularly evident in the post pandemic world. The optimal integration of such actors into diplomacy will certainly support the acceleration of recovery, and the strengthen of the economy, as well as contribute to building trust and fighting the virus.
Diplomacy is also having a meaningful impact in post pandemic recovery of travel and touristic sectors.
7. What could be the role of “vaccine diplomacy” in shaping the future international relations?It has become very interesting to see vaccine diplomacy unfold. It is definitely a transformative trend in international relations. Vaccine procurement and supplying has become every country´s priority at the moment.
8. If you could recommend a book on diplomacy and international relations to global community of young diplomats, what would it be?
Besides the International Relations staple books such as “The Diplomacy” by Henry Kissinger and “Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics by Joseph Nye”, I would like to recommend “Revisiting Gendered States: Feminist Imaginings of the State in International Relations” edited by Swati Parashar, J. Ann Tickner and Jacqui True and “We Should all be Feminists” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
9. Your recommendation / advice for the future participants of Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković”.
Having the opportunity to participate in “Gavro Vuković” is a real privilege. Therefore, I would like to recommend to participants to try learn as much as possible from speakers, lecturers and their other participants in order to benefit from the diversity of cultures and perspectives. Also, I would like to recommend to them to use this chance to learn about Montenegro from its political standpoint, its culture and its rich biodiversity and identify particular areas in which bilateral relations with their own countries can be strengthened. Finally, I would recommend future participants to create strong bonds with their peers, because it is quite possible that their paths will cross again during their diplomatic careers. I deeply cherish the friendships I made when I attended the 4th Summer School.
10. Your suggestion for empowering Summer School Alumni Network.I believe the Summer School Alumni Network is already doing a very good job with initiatives such as this and the Alumni Blog Awards. The website and social media groups are definitively useful tools. Perhaps organizing a virtual annual meeting of alumni from each of the editions will also help to bring together former participants and rekindle connections.
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The XIV Summer School for Young Diplomats will take place in period from 5 to 9 July 2021.
Stay connected and find out more about this year’s topics, speakers and participants.