The uniqueness of the Ball was manifested not only in the unprecedented cross-institutional cooperation to make it happen, the event also brought together students and professors passionate about current affairs, in a special, non-academic setting. The event proudly served a charitable cause: all profits were donated to Amnesty International and the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation.
The London Diplomacy Ball, as well as three spinoff public events, were connected by a topical umbrella theme: 'Navigating International Affairs in an Age of Uncertainty'.
Horatio Lyons, Grimshaw Club President, said: “We aspired to connect students passionate about the big issues of today. We couldn’t be more grateful to our partners at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ IDEAS for making the success of this year’s vision possible. Even as the world finds itself ‘navigating international affairs in an age of uncertainty,’ the theme underpinning this year’s speaker events, the future looks bright for our collaboration.”
Sean Chou, Amnesty International Society President, said: “We collaborated with the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation and Amnesty International UK, and guests received gifts including Blue Dragon handicraft and Amnesty campaign materials. We donated the proceeds to our partners, helping to make an impact on the lives of the vulnerable people who experience the real consequences of international affairs on the ground.”
Sharif Kazemi, United Nations Society President, said: “Our vision was to provide an accessible and entertaining social space for students and professionals of international affairs. Over 93% of attendees surveyed strongly felt this had been achieved and were highly supportive of the event becoming a yearly staple. We're excited to develop this vision further at the London Diplomacy Ball 2020.”
Below you can find details of the three spinoff public events:
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Lisa ten Brinke (Dahrendorf Forum; UN Business and Human Security Initiative), Gidon Gautel (China Foresight Project), Vlad Zigarov (Central and South-East Europe Programme; Cold War Studies Project)
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Bela Kapur (Centre for Women, Peace and Security), Mary Martin (ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ IDEAS), Amiera Sawas (Action Aid UK)
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Nicola Chelotti (Loughborough University), Mary Honeyball (Labour MEP), Benjamin Martill (Dahrendorf Forum), Georgina Wright (Institute for Government)