Former High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and former Vice President of the European Commission
Baroness Catherine Ashton served as the European Union’s first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy from 2009 to 2014, and the first female EU Commissioner for Trade. She is a life peer and former Leader of the House of Lords, and served as a UK government minister in the Education and Justice departments. She is a Distinguished Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC and a consultant to the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.
Photo: © Roger Harris
Thursday, 26. November 2026, 18:30 – 20:00 h
At the University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOH-B-10
As a new format, the SIAF has included a series of panel discussions in its programme. Through these "Meditations on Europe", we aim to explore new perspectives on our continent.
Our current panel discussion focuses on the challenges Europe is currently facing: against the backdrop of Russia’s war of aggression, internal threats to democracy and a rapidly changing world order, Catherine Ashton and Timothy Snyder will discuss whether the continent is ready to seize this strategic moment.
Monday, 06. March 2023, 19:00 – 20:00 h
At Literaturhaus Zurich, Limmatquai 62, 8001 Zürich
Moderation: Dr Gesa Schneider
So much of modern-day diplomacy still takes place behind closed doors, away from cameras and prying eyes. Ashton takes us behind the scenes. From Serbia to Somalia, Libya to Haiti, she offers essential insight into how modern diplomacy works, examining the tools needed to find our way through the many challenges we face today (Publisher: Elliott & Thompson, February 2023).