Meet the New Generation of Egyptian Diplomats

Who are the faces behind the new generation of Egyptian diplomats?

For many of them, it was a path they didn’t plan to pursue. Before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), some pondered a career in journalism, others in medicine.

We see the official statements and foreign policy, but do we know what it takes to walk this career path? We sat down with five young diplomats to understand how they are representing Egypt abroad, whether through engaging with discourse on social media or trying to solve the conflict in Sudan. It is an exciting career, one that requires hard skills to navigate a complex political ecosystem, and soft skills to maintain positive relationships with people around the world.

“Social relations and networking are a huge part of our job,” Nour Fadel said. Originally from Damietta, Fadel joined MOFA in 2024, where she serves in the European Affairs Sector and focuses on German-speaking countries.

Mai Samir, who joined MOFA in the same year, describes “diplomacy not only as negotiation, but as the meeting point of human stories.”

“A diplomat is someone who helps people and represents them abroad,” Samir explained. “To understand people, you need to be one of them.”

She infuses this instinct into major diplomatic events, like the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum this past year.

Diplomat Allaa Zain, born and raised in Nubia, similarly bridges diplomacy and communication with her experience working across public institutions and international organizations. And while social skills are important to the job, she said, it is more than the handshakes and photo ops. “Ninety percent of the work is research, looking into files, preparing Egypt’s stances, and serving people abroad through our consulates,” Zain added.

Those stances are translated into actionable policy. Diplomat Mahmoud Tharwat, originally from Sohag, for example, focuses specifically on how to end the conflict in Sudan.

That work, Tharwat said, “is a daily reminder that I’m doing something that can benefit millions of people—and that is the thing that is pushing me forward every day to continue.”

Omar Abouabakr, who currently serves on MOFA’s Spokesperson’s Team, chose this profession to improve people’s lives. Part of that job is tuning into social media and other virtual platforms that host global conversations.

“We bring a fresh perspective,” Abouabakr said, “we are the social media generation after all.”

And this new generation has big ambitions to secure a seat at the table.

“Maybe one day I’ll become an ambassador. Maybe one day I’ll become a foreign minister,” Abouabakr continued. “It’s my dream.”