Since the end of his courses at the University of Aix-Marseille, Zineb Doudane, 21, has done only one thing: chain the hours of cleaning and babysitting. A boost to finance a round trip by TGV to Paris and a few nights in a hotel, in order to participate in the “summer diplomatic academy” of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, organized from 4 to July 8. This law degree student is one of the 150 young people selected from 600 candidates to attend this seminar, offered for the second year, and reserved for scholarship students.
“Archimotivated”Zineb has already attended a seminar at the Institute for Advanced National Defense Studies (IHEDN), completed an internship at the Senate, another at the Maison de l’Europe, another with a lawyer specializing in foreigners’ rights, and civic service in a mentoring association for neighborhood youth. “My dream job is an Orient executive at the Quai d’Orsay. »
Presentation of professions, competitions, diplomatic issues, protocol, the roles of embassies… The Quai d’Orsay is used to giving this type of conference to students from the ENA or in the Institutes of Political Studies. Here, the public is mainly from university licenses and evolves far from the spheres of the grandes écoles.
More women and fewer “Parisian” profiles
The promotion operation aims to raise awareness of these little-known careers, often perceived as elitist or inaccessible. “The objective is to go beyond the clichés, the false images that stick to our skin”, explains Caroline Ferrari, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry. And, in particular, that of “Ferrero” diplomacy. “A lot of young people give up coming to us because they think they don’t have the codes. These codes are not insurmountable”estimates Agnès Romatet-Spain, HRD of the ministry.
The Quai d’Orsay, which was for a long time the prerogative of the children of the aristocracy, readily admits that it needs to broaden its breeding ground, to welcome more diversity, if only more women and fewer “Parisian” profiles. For Christian Lequesne, professor of political science, it is not only a question of communication or image: it is a question of winning “legitimacy” in the eyes of the country, as for all senior civil servants. But also to do their job better. “Diplomats must have an analysis of societal problems, and not just what is happening in the state apparatuses. The more you broaden your base, the more likely you are to have officials who understand society in all its complexity. »
You have 64.24% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.