The event brought together more than 80 experts employed at various international organisations, including NATO, the United Nations, the OECD, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Parliament, and the European Commission.
The forum was opened by the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, who said that it was for the first time that the event had convened so many Latvian professionals working in international entities and agencies.
Work in the forum featured sessions and round table discussions. The first round table addressed foreign affairs, defence and resilience to crisis, the third – economy, finance and wellbeing, while the third discussion focused on the rule of law, governance, and society.
Taking part in the discussions were high-level experts from various organisations, including Baiba Braže, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy; Ilze Juhansone, Secretary-General of the European Commission; Žaneta Vegnere, Deputy Head of Cabinet to Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis; and Dr Mārtiņš Paparinskis, Member of the International Law Commission, Reader in Public International Law at University College London.
Participants also included the Ambassadors of Latvia to international organisations Andrejs Pildegovičs, Bahtijors Hasans and Katrīna Kaktiņa, as well as Elita Gavele, Ambassador-at-Large for the Diaspora.
The forum included a presentation of the latest study by the Centre for Diaspora and Migration Research of the University of Latvia (LU DMPC), “Involvement of Latvia’s professionals in diaspora diplomacy and the potential of network diplomacy”.