Supporting Women’s Leadership in Civilian CSDP: Fourth CSDP Women’s Mentoring Programme Launched
Photo Credit: EUAM Ukraine
What is the programme?
The nine-month online professional development programme pairs experienced leaders with aspiring women leaders in civilian CSDP missions. It fosters leadership growth, networking, and cross-mission learning, providing targeted support within the unique context of mission work. The programme includes:
Introductory training on mentoring and relationship-building;
Monthly online workshops: alternating between leadership-themed sessions for all and check-ins for mentors and mentees;
One-on-one meetings between mentor-mentee pairs
A dedicated online platform with event calendars, workshop materials, and resources;
Ongoing support from the mentoring program coordinator at the CoE.
The road to date
As the mentoring programme enters its fourth iteration, we took the opportunity to take stock of its process to date.
Lena Moll, External Consultant and experienced leadership coach who has been involved in the programme since its beginning, reflected on how the programme has “been in a constant state of evolution”. Each year, the team gathers feedback through surveys and adapts the programme to ensure it delivers the most meaningful experience to its participants.
Mervi Patosalmi, Gender Expert at the European External Action Service (EEAS), is the CivOpsHQ’s programme representative. She echoed this commitment to continuous improvement, emphasising that “with every round, we have made changes to better serve the participants.” According to Mervi, this year, for the first time, competencies gained through the programme can be reflected in performance evaluations within missions.
Programme Impact
So far, the programme has shown promising results.
Lena Moll highlighted that feedback shows that participants appreciate “a safe space to discuss challenges and ambitions, a deep connection to their mentoring partner, and the inspiration and encouragement that comes from being part of a community of like-minded leaders”.
This impact is reflected in the experience of Anamaria Sandor, a former mentee. When asked how the programme influenced her work, she said:
“I became more self-aware and improved working with and within a team. I started using active listening, inclusiveness and gender responsive management more consciously, improved my own work volume and the ownership of my team by delegating more, learned to balance the number of tasks among my colleagues by making best use of their strengths and ideas, and related more constructively with my line managers and peers. As a result, I must say I grew more confident and able to approach things more strategically.“
How does the programme relate to CSDP?
The mentoring programme was introduced as part of the EEAS Strategy and Action Plan to Enhance Women’s Participation in Civilian CSDP Missions 2021-2024 under the Civilian CSDP Compact. Mervi Patosalmi highlighted that "the Civilian CSDP Compact has the goal of 40% of women in international staff, with the aim of gender parity”.
The mentoring initiative is one of the key steps towards achieving that goal, providing women with the support, guidance and network needed to thrive in leadership roles.
We’ll be touching base with our 2025 mentors and mentees throughout the duration of the program. We look forward to seeing where they end up!
In the meantime, you can read more about the programme here: