Several students from prestigious French school Sciences Po visited the Philippine Embassy in Paris to learn about Philippine foreign policy and life in the foreign service November 21.
The students, representing seven different nationalities, are all taking up their Masters in Sciences Po in International Relations, International Public Management, International Security and Environmental Policy.
They are all members of the “Junior Diplomat Initiative,” a Sciences Po student association which aims to expose its members to life in the foreign service through visits to various Embassies in Paris.
Minister and Consul General Aileen Mendiola-Rau welcomed the students to the Embassy and spoke about the realities in the Philippine foreign service, highlighting the high number of women who have occupied top posts like those of Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Undersecretary and Assistant Secretary.
“Women have broken the proverbial glass ceiling in the Philippine foreign service. We have women in top posts, and as you can see, this Embassy is run by women,” Ms. Mendiola-Rau said. “However, while this is good in itself, it also has its challenges related to family life,” Ms. Mendiola-Rau added.
Ms. Mendiola-Rau also provided a brief background on the Philippines’ bilateral relations with France which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. Despite this long history, relations between the two countries “still have a long way to go” according to Ms. Mendiola-Rau.
Ms. Mendiola-Rau therefore encouraged the future diplomats to take a look at Asia differently. “Asia is the most dynamic region in the world today contributing over 60% of global growth. ASEAN, which represents ten Southeast Asian countries, has a combined GDP of over USD 2.4 trillion making it the seventh largest economy in the world with almost 650 million consumers. As future diplomats, I highly encourage you to take up posts in this region,” Ms. Mendiola-Rau said.
