On 17 August 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host a forum for Latvian professionals working in international organisations. The event will feature Latvian experts working in various international bodies, including NATO, the UN, the OECD, the WHO, the European Parliament, and the European Commission. The goal of the forum is to strengthen ongoing informal cooperation between professionals working in Latvia and those in international organisations, as well as to discuss Latvia’s development and foreign policy priorities. The forum will be opened by Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Andris Pelšs, State Secretary.

The event will feature a presentation of the latest research by the University of Latvia’s Centre for Diaspora and Migration Research (LU DMPC) on the involvement of Latvian professionals in diaspora diplomacy and the potential for network diplomacy.

The forum’s proceedings will take the form of sessions and round-table discussions. The opening of the event and the working sessions will be broadcast live on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, Facebook, Twitter, and the Diaspora LV Facebook account:

• 10.00–10.45 Opening of the forum. Working session: “Solutions and innovations for Latvia: the potential of professionals in international organisations”
• 10.45–11.30 Working session: “Latvia’s overarching tasks and international positioning: foreign policy priorities 2022–2027”
• 15.30–16.15 Presentation of the LU DMPC study: “Involvement of Latvian professionals in diaspora diplomacy and the potential of network diplomacy”

The forum is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chancery of the President of Latvia, the State Chancellery, and the #esiLV movement of diaspora entrepreneurs, professionals, and scientists.