Kirsten Joppe
Head of the Governance Component
Mission: European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM)
Previous stations
- Since student days in international missions, including election observation and election assistance
- Several years with the OSCE mission in Kosovo in the field of human rights
- 2004-2006 Country desk officer for Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin
- Station in London, working for the British Ministry of Education
- Seconded to the EU Advisory Mission for the Civilian Security Sector (EUAM) in Kyiv/Ukraine via ZIF since November 2018
- Working on her Doctor of Education at the same time
In my position as Head of the Governance Component...
... I have been responsible for 20-30 employees since September 2021. The Governance Component deals with cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, human rights, good governance and anti-corruption. The five EU principles of good governance (openness, participation, accountability, effectiveness, coherence) are to be incorporated into all activities and reflected in all areas of advice and support provided by the mission.
My biggest challenge in the field so far...
... was and remains Russia's war against Ukraine. I was on vacation in mid-February 2022 and my return flight to Kyiv was scheduled for the end of February. I was very worried about my colleagues who were still in Ukraine when the Russian attack began on February 24, 2022. Working for EUAM gave me and many colleagues a framework and structure. Despite the challenges, we tried to keep going and help wherever we could - both professionally and privately.
But there have also been successes: For me, for example, it was a great success that we were able to anchor the topic of digital transformation as a cross-cutting priority in the mission. That took a lot of work and persuasion on my part. I am proud that the EUAM is a pioneer of CSDP (Common Security and Defense Policy of the European Union) missions in this area.
I wanted to be seconded again ...
...because I missed working in international missions. After working in England for over five years, I wanted to return to a mission.
Which item would you not want to do without on site?
A flashlight and a power bank are essential for me. My traditional Ukrainian blouse (vyshyvanka), which I received as a gift from my colleagues last fall, has also become particularly important to me. Symbols of Ukrainian cities that were or still are occupied are embroidered on the sleeves.