On Tuesday 28 May, the British and Canadian embassies jointly hosted a reception to celebrate the 21 winners of this year's "Ambassador For A Day" competition. They have each won the opportunity to shadow the head of a diplomatic mission in Beirut - an opportunity to build confidence, leadership and diplomatic skills.
This year's competition was launched on International Women's Day (IWD) on 8 March. Over 300 girls aged 15-18 years old submitted entries on the IWD's 2024 theme "Inspire Inclusion". They answered the question: "If you were an Ambassador for a Day, how would you inspire better inclusion of others in your community".
The initiative was supported by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the British Council.
The British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamish Cowell, said:
My congratulations to the 21 winners who each submitted creative, inspiring and intelligent competition entries on encouraging inclusion in their communities. They should be very proud of this achievement.
Young people like these girls show the promise and the potential for a brighter future for Lebanon.
The Canadian Ambassador to Lebanon, Stefanie McCollum, told the winners:
Inclusion is not limited to questions of gender equality. Canada believes that inclusion means taking into account the experiences of people facing discrimination based on gender, income, race, religion, language, ability and age, in everything that we do.
I'm hopeful that you will carry on values of diversity and inclusion as you pursue your education, and eventually your careers.
The British and Canadian Embassies are grateful to the following diplomatic missions for their support to the initiative: Embassy of Australia, Embassy of Belgium, Embassy of Brazil, Embassy of Bulgaria, Embassy of Cyprus, Delegation of the European Union, Embassy of Germany, Embassy of Greece, the International Monetary Fund, Embassy of India, Embassy of Jordan, Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Embassy of Mexico, Embassy of the Netherlands, Embassy of Slovakia, Embassy of the United States of America, UN Habitat, UN Women, and the World Health Organisation.
