Consular Diplomacy under discussion with Joris Salden at Lusófona University
Students took part in a discussion on the new challenges facing the consular work of Belgium and the European Union
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
On 16 April, Lusófona University provided students from the Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and International Relations with direct contact with diplomatic practice through a conference on Consular Diplomacy led by Joris Salden, Director-General for Consular Affairs at the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The opening session featured contributions from lecturer Jorge Botelho Moniz, from Lusófona University, and Nadia Benini, Consul-General of the Belgian Embassy in Portugal. This was followed by the conference “Consular Diplomacy in an Evolving (Geo)political Environment”, in which Joris Salden presented a perspective on how Belgium and the European Union respond to an increasingly unstable geopolitical context.
Throughout the session, discussion focused on how states protect their citizens abroad, manage migration and project influence in a scenario marked by geopolitical conflicts, pandemics and digital transformation. The reflection helped frame Consular Diplomacy as an increasingly relevant dimension of countries’ external action, at a time when the relationship between states and citizens beyond borders is becoming more complex.
The conference concluded with a Q&A session, allowing for audience participation and further exploration of some of the issues discussed, before the programme came to a close.
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Text
Catarina Catanheira
Photography
Rage da Luz
