The position is a fairly unusual one within the diplomatic corps in that the ambassador is not tied to a particular country or region but deals with Latvians living aborad and their descendants across the globe.
Part of the job will be coordinating the diaspora policy for 2024-2026 agreed earlier this year which seeks to strengthen national identity and the feeling of belonging among members of the disaspora as well as encouraging 're-emigration' or a return home for those living abroad.
Estimates suggest the number of Latvian nationals living outside Latvia exceeds 370 thousand – a significant number in a country with a population of fewer than 2 million residents.
Zanda Grauze has over 30 years of work experience at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia. She has worked in the Eastern Europe Department and has been Head of the Foreign Minister’s Office, Director of the Consular Department and Director of the Personnel Department.
She has also gained extensive experience during her postings to Latvian diplomatic and consular missions abroad, including the Embassy of Latvia to the Czech Republic, the Embassy of Latvia to Lithuania, the Permanent Representation of Latvia to the EU, and the Permanent Delegation of Latvia to NATO. Zanda Grauze has also served as Permanent Representative of Latvia to Palestine.
Since 2020, Zanda Grauze has served as Counsellor-Deputy Head of the Permanent Representation of Latvia to UNESCO.
You can find more on Latvia's official diaspora policy here.
