Geopolitics, energy, advocacy and gender defense
After an extensive international career that has taken me to several countries, many of them in the Eastern Region due to my knowledge of Russian and Eastern affairs, I have no doubt that peace must be defended at all costs. Furthermore, having seen first-hand how peace crises are usually a product of energy crises, I am a strong advocate of engagement and energy diplomacy to balance the energy needs of multiple countries.
Peace and energy needs are not always good bedfellows, but they must co-exist and interact, not only out of political commitment but also out of necessity. Affordable energy has become a matter of national security and a foreign policy objective.
Although the EU was founded on a coal agreement, it then became an economic union and energy integration was not part of it. Energy was seen as a matter of sovereignty for each member state. But now the situation has changed. Energy is the cornerstone of the EU and must play its role as a key element of its defence policy. Energy that must be decarbonised and greened, in line with the commitments already made by the EU.
So let us all work together for a greener world, without forgetting the need for a more equal world where women must play a leading role in the WPS agenda.
Wondering on the present situation and claiming the UN Charter role, diplomacy and peace above all situations
Today as I
am following the news I cannot figure out where we are and where we should be
standing regarding the situation between Russia and Ukraine. I have not written in my blog for almost two
years now and I wonder if my interest in sharing this information in white and
black here arises from a moment of disturbance or the need of clarifying myself
around the importance of diplomacy and geostrategy.
All to
reach one premise that I am and I was the main defendant of and it is the UN Charter, signed in 1945, so alive today,
with such amazing preamble:
“WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED
to save succeeding generations from the scourge
of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the
human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and
small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the
obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be
maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in
larger freedom,
AND FOR THESE ENDS
to practice tolerance and live together in
peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to
maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of
principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used”.
So, let's claim
this and act accordingly. Let us join
forces in order to put the machinery of diplomacy at work and get back to
Business as Usual and to our own lives and respect.
I remember
in 2008 when I was deployed to Georgia with the EU Monitoring Mission to report
on the situation of the ground after the out surge of the war between Georgia
and Russia. For the sake of the same situation as the one we are living now,
Georgia getting closer to NATO and Russia not willing to have neighbour state
belonging to NATO. Different approaches,
views, different countries, same issue. In both cases the Presidency of the
Council of the European Union was/is under France, interesting enough. Since
then it is also my understanding that geopolitics and energy go hand by hand
and with no doubts this is the case nowadays, Russia as the main provider of
gas to Europe and Ukraine as the main transit country.
24th October, Un Day, 75 anniversary of the UN Charter and organisation
Proud to have been part of the UN 28 years ago for 11 years or more. An now to be engaged in a company such as Enagás that supports and publishes today a post that I encourage reading https://www.antoniollarden.es/en/articulo/75o-aniversario-de-las-naciones-unidas/
El 9 de agosto estuve en Avilés en La Granda invitada en un Curso de verano por mi buen amigo el Embajador Servando de la Torre. El tema del curso era al seguridad internacional y los ponentes eran un grupo de militares y diplomáticos de alto rango y nivel. Los temas todos ellos muy interesantes sobre la actualidad de la seguridad internacional: la estrategia de seguridad de la UE; el terrorismo; Siria; España en las Misiones de Paz internacionales; ciberseguridad; la OEA y mi propia participación sobre Mujer, Paz y Seguridad. Un día muy refrescante, en un entorno maravilloso junto a unos expertos de primer nivel. Como nota a mejorar y reivindicar que haya más mujeres en los paneles. Os dejo el link al Curso y algunas noticias que han salido en los medios para que veáis más.
http://cursosdelagranda.es/curso-7/
http://www.lne.es/aviles/2017/08/09/problemas-estabilidad-internacional-objeto-septimo/2147119.html
Link a noticia de ABC: sin la mujer en mediación de conflictos la paz no será duradera
http://www.lne.es/aviles/2017/08/10/diplomaticos-reivindican-papel-femenino-acuerdos/2147632.html
http://www.elcomercio.es/politica/espana-esquemas-seguridad-20170809155328-nt.html
ABC sobre el terrorismo
Sobre Corea
Time for a woman UN SG
70 aniversario de NNUU

XV Aniversario RES NNUU 1325
“Europeas en acción: mujeres en misiones de paz”
Sede UE, Paseo de la Castellana nº 46 Madrid,
29 de octubre 2015
El Capítulo español de Women in International Security organiza en Madrid una Jornada y una Exposición de fotografía sobre “Mujeres en misiones de Paz”, fruto de la idea nacida de la exposición “Women for Peace, Mujeres por la Paz”, organizada en Bruselas en marzo de 2014.
SWIIS, integrada en la Asociación de Diplomados Españoles en Seguridad y Defensa (ADESyD) se propone, además, ampliarla a las misiones de paz de la ONU, la OTAN, la UE y la OSCE, Para participar y ver más información:
SRC: swiis@adesyd.es
Más información en: www.adesyd.es
Kiev 8th - 10th December 2014 Black Sea Region NGO Forum
14 AÑOS DE LA RESOLUCIÓN 1325 DE LA ONU SOBRE MUJER, PAZ Y SEGURIDAD
I CONGRESO ADESYD 27 de Noviembre, "Compartiendo (visiones) de seguridad"
Programa: Lugar: ISDEFE, C/ Beatriz de Bobadilla, nº 3 Madrid
ADESyD promueve en España la cultura de la seguridad y defensa desde un enfoque integral y en diálogo permanente con el conjunto de la sociedad. Con la celebración de este evento, refuerza su compromiso de ayudar a nuestro país a actuar decisivamente en la creación de espacios de seguridad y estabilidad, y a promover la participación social en estos temas.
Actualmente asumimos que tenemos ante nosotros desafíos cada vez más complejos e interrelacionados, que se entrelazan en medio de procesos que transforman los esquemas tradicionales de seguridad. La habitual separación entre seguridad y defensa ya no es tal. El proyecto de integración de la UE no está perfectamente concluido; la OTAN se encuentra en proceso de redefinición estratégica; y la organización internacional más importante, la ONU, acomete una reforma de sus estructuras aún no acordada. En todo ello debe participar España como miembro activo de las principales instituciones de seguridad y defensa que existen en el mundo.
ADESyD invita a sus miembros (Consejo de Honor y Asociados), así como a las personas identificadas con sus fines, a aportar ideas en las áreas de estudio que se convocan en este “I Congreso”. La toma de conciencia sobre retos propios y comunes, y la participación activa en todos los procesos de integración que ayuden a afrontarlos, serán los hilos conductores de este evento, que persigue igualmente un intercambio riguroso de planteamientos entre personas con enfoques académicos diversos, de distintas generaciones y procedentes de diferentes sectores profesionales.
PROGRAMA
EU-RUSSIA CONUNDRUM, CONTRASTING VISIONS FOR THEIR NEIGHBOURHOOD, CIDOB y REAL INSTITUTO ELCANO
EUAM - UCRANIA
http://eeas.europa.eu/csdp/missions-and-operations/euam-ukraine/index_en.htm
Elections in Ukraine
Elections in East Ukraine, 2 November
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/23d96a25a2d64275a27e57f8ca84910f/ukraine-rebels-hold-election-despite-criticism
This is the situation for Early Parliamentary elections on 26th October 2014. I was there as observer in January 2010 with OSCE, deployed near Donetsk in Gorlivka. Traveled by plane to Donetsk from Kiev, interesting period. Wished I could be there now again, I send all my courage and energies to all the people who is already there for the elections from OSCE and also from EU and other domestic observation teams such as Enemo, NDI, Democracy Reporting and others.
UCRANIA
- http://www.oscepa.org/news-a-media/op-eds/1981-for-ukraine-great-expectations-can-trump-great-challenges
- http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/ukraine/125397
- http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/ukraine/126043
OSCE Responds to Crisis in Ukraine
- http://www.osce.org/home/126121
- http://www.osce.org/ukrainemonitoring OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
- http://www.osce.org/om OSCE Observer Mission at the Russian Checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk




