3rd edition of the International Technical Expert Days

These days were opened by Maryvonne Le Brignonen, Director of the INSP, and Jérémie Pellet, Chief Executive Officer of Expertise France. The first day was marked by an institutional session moderated by Cassilde Brenière, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Expertise France, during which the contracting authorities for these expert positions, i.e., the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), the Directorate General of the Treasury (DG Treasury) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD), presented their strategic vision for the mechanism and the way in which ITEs fit in with the French cooperation network.

Olivier Richard, Deputy Director General of Globalisation at the MEAE, reaffirmed that the ITE mechanism remained a strategic priority. “Our objective is to reach 500 ITEs by 2027.” Armel Castets, Deputy Director of International Corporate Finance and Support for International Trade at the DG Treasury, spoke about the crucial role of ITEs as “translators”, meaning their ability to strengthen bilateral relations with our partner countries. He also highlighted the importance of working in Team Europe format, by mobilising both public and private expertise.

The first morning ended with a presentation of the portal for the mobilisation of expertise launched by Minister of State Chrysoula Zacharopoulou in August 2023. This portal is a comprehensive tool to support candidates for expatriation and experts throughout the mobilisation process, from the consideration of the strategies and expertise of France’s development policies to interactions throughout their mission.

The 2023 report (in French) on the mobilisation of international technical expertise

Two days of thinking and sharing on strategic themes

The rest of the event was largely dedicated to interactive workshops during which the experts, our partners in the administrations, and our colleagues in AFD Group were invited to consider the role of ITEs in relation to French priorities: Francophonie, oceans, crises, vulnerabilities and resilience, the fight against corruption and money laundering, sport and sustainable development, global health, as well as decentralisation and support for local governance.

Major debate: fully integrating ITEs into the cooperation network and approach to feminist diplomacy

The event subsequently moved on to a major debate on feminist diplomacy. Isabelle Rome, Human Rights Ambassador, firstly gave an overview of the history of feminist diplomacy and the growth of this concept, which was adopted by France in 2019. She also spoke about the progress still needed in terms of women’s rights and gender equality. “Gender equality is a political issue and an issue of influence,” she said. “Everyone, women and men alike, has a duty to promote feminist diplomacy and uphold its values.” 

Marie Soulié, Head of the Feminist Foreign Policy and Education Department at the MEAE, then went on to point out that this approach aims to deconstruct gender stereotypes and fight inequalities, and also mainstream gender in every aspect of foreign policy. She emphasised the importance of standing up for these principles in all the multilateral forums and in bilateral relations.

Caroline Allibert, an expert posted at the UN Women regional office in Dakar, also spoke about the challenges related to feminist diplomacy in multilateral forums and highlighted the crucial role of ITEs, who are able to fully understand diverse situations and forge links between the relevant stakeholders. Finally, Charlotte Lebas, who is deployed at the World Programme for Human Rights Education in Washington, gave ITEs several recommendations on how to mainstream these gender issues, such as adapting initiatives to the local situation, adapting the language, identifying allies, and sharing experience to create synergies.

H.E. Samuel Ducroquet, the French Ambassador for Sports, also attended part of the event and held discussions with ITEs mobilised in this field.