On 27-28 October, the Alliance Of Her held its 2023 Alumnae and Allies Summit offering graduates and partners a forum to take part in expert-led masterclasses and hear from inspiring political leaders on the challenges of being a liberal woman in politics. 

Building on the inaugural summit held in 2021, the event in Amsterdam also offered over 100 participants the chance to reconnect, expand their network and explore challenges, ideas and solutions for managing the daily pressures of holding high-level political office. 

With our high-level alumnae panel, keynote remarks from @SigridKaag and the Women in Politics Champion of the Year @AbirAlsahlani, our 2023 Alumnae and Allies summit was an event to remember! Watch the highlights ✨#SheWillBeHeard @ALDEParty @fnfeurope @EurLiberalForum pic.twitter.com/KXRSOFu2aq

— The Alliance of Her (@AllianceOfHer) November 7, 2023

The Summit was opened with a conversation on new approaches to diversity, equity and inclusion in politics and business with key figures from within the liberal family, in partnership with the Rainbow Platform and the European Liberal Forum (ELF). 

On 28 October, participants joined an opening Plenary session featuring an Alumnae panel discussion with interventions from Ministers Bettina Stark-Watzinger (Education and Research, Germany), Heidy Purga (Culture, Estonia) and Romina Pourmokhtari (Climate and Environment, Sweden). 

How can we ensure liberal women in politics lead, succeed, survive and thrive throughout their political journey?

Our alumnae and Ministers @starkwatzinger @heidypurga @RPourmokhtari share their experiences and insights today at our Alumnae and Allies Summit 👏#SheWillBeHeard pic.twitter.com/InGwePtk2H

— The Alliance of Her (@AllianceOfHer) October 28, 2023

In the afternoon, alongside a screening of the Alliance Of Her documentary film She Will Be Heard, ALDE Party Vice-Presidents Annelou van Egmond (D66, Netherlands) and Eva Kjer Hansen (Venstre, Denmark) led a fireside chat focusing on 2024 as a ground-breaking year for liberal female political leaders. 

The Summit concluded with a gala dinner featuring a keynote address by Sigrid Kaag, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance (D66, Netherlands) and the award of the 2023 Women in Politics Champion of the Year to Abir Al-Sahlani MEP (Centerpartiet, Sweden) for her distinguished work on promoting women’s rights in Europe and beyond. 

🏆 Congratulations to @AbirAlsahlani MEP, awarded our 2023 Women in Politics Champion of the Year for her distinguished work on promoting women’s rights in Europe and beyond.#SheWillBeHeard pic.twitter.com/MHS7P41xiB

— The Alliance of Her (@AllianceOfHer) October 28, 2023

The Alliance Of Her benefits from the generous support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the European Liberal Forum, as well as the European Parliament. The sole liability rests with the author; the European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.