Amna: Your journey spans journalism, high level EU and UN roles. What core principles have consistently guided your career across such different arenas? 

Christina: Thank you very much for this interview. Throughout my professional career and my personal development, I have had three core principles. One is Transformation, changing what is our reality sometimes is not pleasant, sometimes needs adaptations. Second is service and connection. I think it's very important to ensure that what you do is of the interest and of the utility, usefulness of the others and many times its just connections. And third for me what is very important is influence, being able to influence whoever is our public, our stakeholders, including our bosses, our political leaders with course of action that fulfils the interest and the ambition of the majority of the population. 

A: You've emphasized transparency and accountability as core to public diplomacy. How do you see these principles evolving in today's digital media landscape? 

C:  Well digital worlds and digital space has made our lives and our actions somehow much easier, much more impactful, but also is a little bit more dangerous. The dangers have been multiplied. But it is essential the digital space to be used in a manner that the transformative actions of messaging of actions are positive. So basically, there is no pre- digital way. Everything now is digital and therefore we have to be able to use the possibilities of the impact in a beneficial manner. That means that truths are spread quicker but also lies. That means that there is a lot of manipulation on social media. So, mechanisms to detect everything which relates to wrongs everything that relates to manipulations is very important. So, at the centre you have to have very clear mind on what type of messaging you want to spread. What is your community of interest and what are your ambitions of influence. And then work out mechanism of surveillance. In particular now that we enter into the face of artificial intelligence, that's another technology that adds to the digitalisation, making somehow easier, much more impactful much more multiplicative, but at the same time, much more difficult in cases of biases or in case of multiplication of wrongdoings or manipulations. So digital world yes, understanding how it operates and ensuring that there are a number of red lines that throughout technologies but through surveillance these can be ensured that do not cross the negatives. I think in order to multiply messages; this is an area that is unique. We have never been given such a possibility of getting through reaching to beyond what was possible before. But with the dangers and being very conscious I think is what's very important.

A: As a woman in a public role, how do you navigate the digital space, and what advice would you give to other women in similar positions? 

C: Well, it is very difficult I might say I am a communicator that was born and developed pre- digital, so basically there is a learning curve. What I think the first most important thing is knowing the technology. For example, now the technology that we all need to know is AI because it has been incorporated throughout our digital space, and we see lots of good things that it produces. It helps a lot to phrase your messages; it helps a lot to identify how you structure an issue. But at the same time there are so many fakes. So, knowing the technology is very important. Secondly, I think it’s very important to watch out for the community in which you are. Social media is at the very end of some very compartmentalised. And we tend to communicate to those that are our friends, those that are in our cyber space, those that are our colleagues etc. So, identifying these groups well ensuring that the areas of attacks the areas of that produce messages of hate etc are kept out of the healthy community. This is not easy. I think the third thing is to do with being able to use well a sense of framing the messages, we were used in my time to write articles. Now you have to be very clear with what you want to say, very straightforward, imaginative so that you capture new followers. I think this also needs a lot of training because it requires a certain type of writing, a certain type of linking. There is a lot to do and digital seems easy because we all know how to operate our devices, but it requires learning. So, I would advise young colleagues that use these new areas of communication to not only learn and adapt to the new technologies but also to the communication processes. To ensure that the message gets through because everything which is established there gets the right connections through the different platforms. So, it is a constant learning as it was in the past but probably now its much more severe in terms of the constant changes it produces. Finally, I think it is very important video. Now we see most of the social media carry videos, they are much more impactful than just words or short messages or images. I think video is monumental. You see now that most of the individuals that want to get across they self-tape videos and they are placing themselves in the networks. Video communication is now very very important. I am not saying audio is not because the area of podcasts connects with the area of video, massively used. But video is to my mind very important, and learning how to operate in this video land, video space is very important. 

A: How can global leaders in today’s polarized environment be encouraged to advance gender equality and SDG 5, and how can digital technology support this? 

C: I think it’s hard to convince individuals, leaders, in particular men, which run most of our political spaces to work on gender equality. But when we are marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing platform of action which is the most solid and ambitious program for gender equality across the world for all women, no matter which continent, no matter which social condition, no matter in which profession and girls, it is very important that we put ourselves this question: how do we mobilise for the implementation of the Beijing platform of action which is to achieve gender equality. I think first of all, our political leaders we have to push them to ensure the progress in the wellbeing and development of all men and women. And its clearly now women are being left behind, and as it has been mentioned, there is even a backlash of the progress received. So i think we have to be very vocal. Young women and not so young women. Vocal on the fundamental rights because it is a right of women to have the same possibilities as a man, and the same progress as a man. So, it is a question of rights. The Beijing main motto was “human right s are women's rights. Women's rights are human rights”. So, this goes back to basics. Second, I think it is extremely important that we have men aligned to gender equality. Gender equality is of course for women, but it benefits the whole society, benefits men. So being not only vocal on the rights but also vocal on the benefits for all. Benefits for all is fundamental. Third i think working on the world and convincing them through one clear message, educating women is educating the whole society, the whole family. Educating and ensuring economic empowerment of a woman means ensuing economic wellbeing of the family. So, the central role of transmission that women have in our societies through the families because of the family ties, through the relationships, so it is a transformative role. And for me there is one issue which is fundamental, we need men more and more convinced and engaged and fighting against violence against women which is discouraged. Which is an extraordinary damage that is historically done to women, the sexual violence against women and violence at home. So those are areas in which we really need to persistent and progressively convincing men that the transformative sustainable development agenda is an agenda that unless there is progress on equality on gender equality, we will not achieve the SDG’s as a whole.  

A: Why is it important to engage men as allies, especially in efforts to change gender social norms? 

C: I am absolutely convinced that the gender social norms should cease of the stereotyping of women and keeping women subjugated. I am very worried about cultural, historical, traditions that are being imposed on women that are damaging women's personal, individual development and collective development. So, I think this must be fought. Because traditions are not to be maintained just because they are traditions, some traditions are very damaging to individuals and to women in particular. So I am for cultural respect, we are all born in societies that have traditions, but when the tradition is identified as being harmful to part of the society, in this case we talk about women, they have to be combatted, no doubt about that, and vigorously. 

C: Well digital technology is now constantly used by the new leadership and unfortunately it is used a very masculine testosterone way, imposing messages, imposing announcements, frankly speaking its very worrisome how leaders, democratically elected leaders come out and make announcements through the digital sphere without any debates without any confrontation to inter democratic societies with the rest of different political representatives. So yes, I am worried about managing what this digital world is used to exercise power, and instead of using it as a way to seek feedback and to seek debate, and so seek agreements, it’s used for the opposite in other of efficient so-called efficient impact right. I think that we have to be very careful about that. 

A:  The WPS agenda (UNSCR 1325) requires ‘tangible progress’ what do you think are the top three policy led strategies that need to be implemented for this progress to be realized? 

C: Well, we are in 2025, and we are marking the 25th anniversary of the landmark resolution on women, Peace and security, 1325. This was a moment when the United Nations got together and confirmed once again, in fact it was the first time that they came out with a clear message of women being disproportionately victims in conflicts and also being not used as agents of peace, as agents of transformation. And not using the capacities of women of bringing together societies to advance in agreement and to advance in peace processes. Unfortunately, 25 years ago the resolution was passed but now we still see terrible surge of conflicts, wars, across the world. Extremely damaging to men and women and boys and girls. But you know the suffering is mainly on women and girls and boys. So, we are in a moment where we have to reflect, we have seen some successes so let me just mention one, which underlines how women were incorporated in the Colombian peace process, in order to be agents of healing of such a divided society after so many years of wars, guerilla war. And now we see extreme situations in Darfur, in Sudan as a whole, in the whole Sahel, in of course Gaza, in many other parts of the world, and again women and girls suffer disproportionately more than men. So from a multilateralist position, we have to think how do we go back to using the P of protection of the famous resolution, and the P of prevention that women play fundamental role, and we use that capital in order to move from situations of conflict to one of the post conflict and reinforcement of the societies through leading role of women. We need more women in negotiating processes. Now we see some new sitting tables, for example in Ukraine, or for example on Gaza, we see no women around the table. And we know that women bring to the table of the negotiating process different perspectives, different tools, different instruments, as I mentioned the case of Colombia. I have very recently been confronted with a terrible reality through a photographer of pictures of the sexual violence in the conflict in Tigray. The violence exerted against women in Tigray is extraordinary, all sorts of executable crimes committed against them with the idea of preventing them to rejecting life against they have been basically destroyed after terrible attacks, sexually in the region of Tigray. So, first point is we are in a very low moment in terms of protection of women, we are in a very low moment in terms of using the potential of women as local leaders, regional leaders, and national leaders to promote peace and understanding. And we are in very low moment in terms of women's political leadership to transform the current world. I think they all need to be worked on, regionally in Europe but also globally, at the UN and I think this is a very very sad moment in terms of how 2025 we are marking one of the biggest and most bloody conflicts across the world.

A: How can feminist networks be engaged for this purpose? 

C: I think that the women networks, feminist networks are fundamental. For a number oof things. Women tend to work better in connection with others, they tend to spread solidarity which is more impactful. They tend to be able to reinforce each other, so a network is a natural space of operation of women, in particular because they come from a situation of not being in the prominent position, so a network reinforces action. I think the network is fundamental for learning, for understanding better. So, I am very much in Favor of women's networks, feminist networks that use the individual capital to be transformed in collective capital. The individual experiences can be transformed in collective experiences, the individual ideas on progress to be moved on as ideas that benefit the communities. So, for me it’s a natural way to work. I am part of so many networks, some are more gender equality linked to economic empowerment, some are more into multilateralism, some are more into journalism as a form of journalism i am part of a very active network of journalists current and former. I get a lot of strength out of these networks. And I am happy very many times to hear “oh Christine's ideas have been helpful for us”. So, I think it is quite characteristic of the manner we in general I want to say in general like to operate as women, which is in connection and I think it’s a nice and a very efficient way to operate. 

A: Youth, especially young women, are often marginalized. How can policy frameworks better engage them? 

C: I think the engagement of u=young people, young women and men but women let underline now, in different aspects or areas of politics is fundamental for the transformation and also for the learning process. There has been a traditional way which has been part of the youth segment of a political party, I think it is also very important to be engaged in youth groups in universities or youth groups that operate in the scheme of multilateralism, like the Model UN, which is extremely successful in particular among young groups of university students and I like also to mention it is important in the engagement in local networks that happen in part in the municipalities. Myself when I was very young, I was involved very much in the local youth group in my little hometown where we did all sorts of activities from celebratory moments in our agenda or organizing theatre activities or all sorts including policy and newspapers. So yes, it is important that whether at university, whether through direct activism or on sectoral issues like climate change or social issues like engaging in neighbourhoods that need support, the young women get engaged because they will bring a lot of energy but also, they learn a lot. And they will progressively be linked to the political issues that we need to be informed, that we need young women to be informed to then become mayors, become local leaders, become parliamentarians, become senators, and so on and so forth. So, I can only encourage young women interested in the societal development to choose whether they prefer to join groups linked to nature, linked to youngsters, linked to whatever segment and then progressively engage in a certain aspect of public life leading into what we would call more strict politics. It is very important that there is a new generation of very engaged young women in the different layers of politics. And it is also important that we the adults, the grownups open doors for this young generations to enter progressively the spaces. Global Women Leaders for example, there's a program called her turn in which we establish dialogue with university students, women in particular about our individual projects, careers, perspectives etc so that somehow, we can help them you know progressively getting more involved into political life, or life of engagement with the society. So, yes to help develop these interests of the young women in public life is fundamental, but also with support, we have to have doors open, and hands given in order to help push these younger generations into the public space. 

A: What advice would you give to young women in politics or those interested in entering it? 

C: Let me mention that myself, I did not disassociate from politics, because for me politics is transformation and whether specifically in a political role, or whether more in a neutral professional role, I think at the very end it becomes political and your capacity to help the transformation is very very important. So, for me, the role and the inclusion of young women in these processes is fundamental because progress is about experienced generations and younger generations to push forward, to push forward wellbeing, to push forward development, to push forward more justice. We are now in a moment where we see so many injustices, to push forward inclusion for taking into account the challenges of climate change. So, we need everybody on board, and I think taking an active political role is very important, knowing that its difficult. As young women and not so young women in politics, sometimes get attacked and its sad, and this is a way to dissuade them to be part of this process, so I think we ought to support when we see young women actively engaging and really moving up towards the political ladder which becomes sometimes very very difficult.