Celebrating Women in Diplomacy: HR/VP Joins WEDIN EU for International Day

HR/VP Kaja Kallas highlighted the importance of women in diplomacy: 

“It’s not rocket science. When diplomats reflect the societies they represent, you get a better outcome. For instance, peace agreements that are negotiated with the participation of women are 35% more likely to last at least 15 years than those negotiated with just men sitting around the table."

- High-Representative and Vice-President, Kaja Kallas

Photographer Christophe Licoppe, 2026

Gendered disinformation

Women in diplomacy must however increasingly deal with the threats of weaponized attacks and digital forgeries. It poses not only a complex issue to navigate individually – the coordinated attacks risk destabilising democratic resilience and global security. To address this issue, during the annual event the participants received a training session on gendered threats and information integrity response by expert Kristina Wilfore. 

Image

Copyright

EU, 2026

“Gendered disinformation is not only attacking human rights, equality and anti-discrimination. As part of the global backlash against gender equality, it is a sneaky way to undermine the role women can play in decision-making positions in the economy and political sphere. It is an attack on democracy.”

- Ambassador Aude Maio-Coliche, Coordinator of WEDIN EU

Handing over the baton

With global backlash and targeted attacks, it is important to continue creating space for women to meet, encourage one another, and address specificities in their career as women diplomats, according to Ambassador Aude Maio-Coliche.

The Ambassador began forming the links between networks in 2021. Since then, several new networks have been created: from eight established EU women diplomats’ networks, to now fourteen, with more currently developing. 

“As much as women are now more present in EU diplomacies, heavy new trends online and offline attacking gender equality will affect us all. Women in diplomacy have a key role to play in pushing back the global backlash. Women in position of leadership today have a responsibility and a duty to act – for women all over the world and for future generations."  

- Ambassador Aude Maio-Coliche, Coordinator of WEDIN EU

On this occasion Aude Maio-Coliche also handed over the baton as Coordinator of WEDIN EU, to Nina Obermaier, Senior Inspector at the Inspection Service who will focus on further expanding the space for women that Maio-Coliche and the network created together with the national networks. 

Image

Copyright

Christophe Licoppe, 2026

“The young women diplomats of today are the women leaders of tomorrow. Learning from each other and from other networks on what works best to promote talent and to advance gender equality and a stronger women’s voice in diplomacy and decision-making will be a particular focus of WEDIN EU’s work going forward.”  

- Nina Obermaier, Senior Inspector at the Inspection Service

Background  

The “Women in the EEAS” (WEEAS) network was created by former EEAS Secretary General Helga Schmid, back in 2013, under the authority of the then High Representative Catherine Ashton. It aimed at providing a platform for the exchange of information, experiences and ideas among women professionals in the EEAS.   

In 2021, WEEAS subgroup WEDIN-EU started linking up with networks of women diplomats in EU Member States. In January 2022, the network agreed to reinforce networks of European women diplomats to facilitate careers of women diplomats and reinforce a feminist diplomacy that promotes equality between men and women in the world.