About

The Gender Diplomat is a consultancy and academy at the intersection of ​human rights and foreign policy, with a public platform that brings you bite-​sized insights on international security policy updates, expert commentary ​on global affairs and very pragmatic international career advice.

The newsletter’s core content pillars are:

Policy-thinking

Policy-thinking is the backbone of foreign ​affairs. My aim is to advocate for policies that ​ensure greater resilience and progress ​towards sustainable development, especially ​when it comes to peace and security. I add to ​these debates by providing analysis, ideas ​and opinions about pressing policy ​challenges such as digitalisation, climate ​change, inequality, or even outer space.

Community expertise

I am constantly learning something new from ​experts and mentors in the field and I want to ​democratise access to the knowledge and ​reflections that feed my own ideas and ​opinions. Nurturing a vibrant community ​through interviews, public debates and ​collaborative projects with partners is a key ​step in getting more people to align with or ​challenge our vision of global affairs.

Professional journey

As a big fan of gatebreaking and rather than ​gatekeeping, I am committed to supporting ​and inspiring a new generation of advocates ​and policymakers. I share my honest ​journey, experiences, lessons learned and ​tools, in hopes that more people will feel ​motivated to explore their passions, serve ​the greater good and remain committed to ​a more sustainable and progressive world.

Founder

I am an award-winning geopolitical analyst, ​consultant and GLOBSEC fellow, deeply ​passionate about international security policy. ​In 2021, I was awarded public recognition by ​Portugal’s Ministry of Defence for my research ​on the implementation of the WPS Agenda in ​national defence, and featured at the 2022 ​NATO Youth Summit in Brussels.

I am an avid advocate, speaker and writer on ​foreign policy and human rights issues, namely ​in my column ‘Diplomatic Bag’ in Negócios and ​in my political commentary on CNN Portugal ​and SIC, some of Portugal's leading broadcast ​media. I have worked in public diplomacy, ​research and communication, notably at PCS ​Think Tank, the Council of the EU, British ​Embassy Lisbon, and currently the Canadian ​Foreign Office. I am a proud graduate of the ​LSE and Essex University, where I learnt how ​inequality and insecurity affect people, peace ​and the planet, and that multilateralism is our ​best tool to change the world.

I make a proactive effort to invest what's left of ​my free time in community engagement and ​am co-founder of several political projects, ​including a mock independent candidacy for ​the 2024 European elections and an initiative ​to get women into public opinion spaces.

In 2023, I solo travelled through South America ​for five life-changing months to re-energise ​and think about my next steps, and that's how ​The Gender Diplomat began. Born in Lisbon, ​I've also lived in the UK and Brazil, and I am a ​retired karate and equestrian dressage athlete.

/ Maria Luísa Moreira

Media & speaking

So much is happening in the world, chances ​are you’ve heard of The Gender Diplomat ​through my recent public speaking ​engagements, whether as a TV analyst, ​newspaper columnist or debate panellist.

I have a multidisciplinary and analytical view ​of world affairs and have spoken on NATO's ​big stages and in small civil society projects ​with the same passion and enthusiasm, ​usually on multilateralism, sustainable ​development and geopolitics.

In Portugal, you can find me commenting live ​on TV as a geopolitical analyst at CNN ​Portugal and SIC Notícias, and you can ​read me as an invited columnist at Negócios ​and occasionally for Expresso covering ​defence, foreign and security policy issues.

Some of my favourite interventions to date ​have included moderating the GLOBSEC ​Forum panel on the security context in the ​Mediterranean and Middle East, debating ​the role of women in peace processes at ​the G7+, my keynote speech on human ​security perspectives in defence policy in ​the Portuguese Navy, or the panel ​discussion on the occasion of the official ​launch of the Ministry of Defence's ​Equality Plan in 2022.

My award-winning research on the Women, ​Peace and Security Agenda is available via ​the Directorate General for National ​Defence Policy (DGPDN) in Lisbon, and I’ve ​published on domestic violence against ​women in the EU at the London School of ​Economics (LSE), in London.

Contact

Always on the lookout for ideas, partners and feedback:

info@thegenderdiplomat.com

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Business unit of MLCM Consulting, LDA, based in Lisbon, Portugal. Website by Maria Luísa Moreira.