Lancaster University’s first Public Lecture of the 2023/24 series will see British politician and former senior diplomat Baroness Catherine Ashton, present and read from her memoir ‘And Then What? Inside Stories of 21st Century Diplomacy’.

Baroness Catherine Ashton served as the European Union’s first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy from 2009 to 2014. She faced the challenge of representing the views and values of 28 nations leading historic negotiations such as the Serbia-Kosovo Accord of 2013 and the Iran nuclear negotiations. Baroness Ashton was also the first female EU Commissioner for Trade, 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.

In conversation, she will take us behind the scenes, offering an insight into how modern diplomacy works and examining the tools needed to find our way through the many challenges we face today.

The free public lecture, ‘Understanding Diplomacy in Today’s World’, will take place on Tuesday 31 October, 6.30pm-8pm at Lancaster Town Hall. Doors open at 6pm and after the lecture, there will be questions and answers followed by a complimentary drinks reception for all attendees.

This will be an in-person only event. For those unable to attend, the lecture will be recorded and made available at a later date on the Lancaster University Public Lecture Series webpage: lancaster.ac.uk/events/public-lectures/

Lancaster Public Lectures are open to all and just one of the ways the University engages with communities, sharing research and its relevance to everyday lives.

The lecture series features experts from Lancaster University and beyond to present and discuss various topics, all with the ultimate aim of being accessible, fun, thought-provoking and educational. To be the first to hear about our lectures, please join our mailing list by emailing connect-community@lancaster.ac.uk.

Register for your free tickets for ‘Understanding Diplomacy in Today's World’ with Baroness Catherine Ashton on the event booking page: trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/42394

Coming soon this November

Conversation and performance from acclaimed actor and author, Paterson Joseph. More details and ticket information coming soon.