Ambassador of Canada and her student donating books to l’Institut Français in the presence of the Ambassador of France. (Right) Head of Mission of Unesco with her student.
Doha: Ten Heads of Mission in Qatar hosted female Qatari students to provide insight into their work in recognition of International Women’s Day (IWD).
“Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world” is this year’s theme, which aims to celebrate the tremendous efforts of women and girls around the world in shaping an equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, the Ambassadors of Austria, Canada, Ethiopia, Greece, Mexico, the Netherlands, Tanzania, and the USA and the Director of the regional Unesco and IOM offices in Doha – all-female Heads of Mission – organised the initiative “Diplomat for a Day.” This programme aims to mentor young female Qatari students from Georgetown University and the American School of Doha and expose them to real diplomatic life.
Each Head of Mission organised a unique plan 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 UN agencies, participating in technical meetings, and attending field visits. A virtual wrap-up session was organized to allow all participants to meet and provide feedback on their experience. All COVID-19 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 give them first-hand experience in diplomatic offices,” Ambassador of Canada to Qatar H E Stefanie McCollum said.
“The experience was very enriching for us too, and the energy and enthusiasm exhibited by these amazing students was contagious,” she added.
Maryam Al Thani, who spent the day with the Ambassador of Mexico to Qatar Graciela Gómez García, said, “As a Georgetown University member in Qatar’s ‘Ambassador Society’, I frequently receive invites to meet distinguished guests and speakers in Foreign Service."
"When the opportunity to shadow an Ambassador to the State of Qatar presented itself, I did not think twice. Being “Diplomat for a Day” will allow me to translate the theory I have learned in Georgetown into practice. I can experience an in-depth look into an ambassador’s life, one that can often feel far and foreign to a Politics major like me. "
“This opportunity is especially relevant to me as a female. To be able to shadow a successful female Ambassador, who surely had to overcome a lot, is a clear indicator that women are finally placing themselves firmly in the field. I cannot think of a better way to spend the week leading up to International Women’s Day," said Maryam Al Thani.
