Professor Elena Korosteleva is featured in the Democracy Support DialoguesLink opens in a new window, a podcast that takes a closer look at the European Union's support for democratic politics in its Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods. Professor Korosteleva discusses democratic practices and the future of democracy in the EU's Eastern Neighbourhood.

The episode is available through the following streaming services:

• SpotifyLink opens in a new window
• Amazon Music
• Apple PodcastsLink opens in a new window

IGSD Research Fellow Dr. Aijan SharshenovaLink opens in a new window has successfully applied to be a part of the School of Advanced Gender EqualityLink opens in a new window (SAGE) organised by the University of Central Asia with support from the Government of Canada-funded Regional Programme, Foundations for Health and Empowerment Education (F4HE), and Advancing Gender Equity through Civil Society (AGECS). SAGE aims to assist gender advocacy organisations, women led organisations, as well as activists, journalists, bloggers working on gender issues, strengthen their capacity in the areas of gender equality and gender advocacy, provide a platform for peer-support, knowledge sharing and learning, and pilot innovative projects through the Small Grants component. In the course of the next nine months, Aijan will learn theoretical approaches to gender equality and practical aspects of gender advocacy.

SHAPEDEM-EULink opens in a new window, a transnational research project, where the University of Warwick is a partner, launched its podcast series “Democracy Support Dialogues”. In this podcast series we will explore the European Union’s democracy support in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods. From best practices to shortcomings of Europe’s democracy support agenda in its Neighbourhoods, this 12-episode series walks through the policies of a variety of institutions and states to harness our collective democratic knowledge. Join the host, Fabian Schöppner, as he speaks with a range of guests and experts on democracy support in Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, Lebanon, Palestine and Tunisia.

The first episode featuring Professor Michelle Pace, Roskilde University, is available at the following platforms:

• SpotifyLink opens in a new window
• Amazon Music
• Apple PodcastsLink opens in a new window

Dr Paul Hansbury joined the WUB-hub project (and the IGSD team) as a lead researcher on Belarus and Ukraine examining the issues of democracy-building, conflict and war, geopolitics and EU strategies towards these countries and the wider neighbourhood. Welcome, Paul!

On 19 Feb 2024 Dr Aijan Sharshenova joined our SHAPEDEM project (and IGSD team) as a lead Research Fellow. Prior to this Aijan was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. Dr Sharshenova holds a PhD in Politics awarded at the University of Leeds, UK. Prior to joining the OSCE Academy, Dr Sharshenova worked at the UN and UNDP country offices in the Middle East, and taught courses in International Politics and Academic Writing. Aijan’s research interests include public diplomacy, the EU and Russian policies towards Central Asia, EU policies towards the eastern neighbourhood, and international development. Recently, Dr Sharshenova published her book ‘The European Union’s Democracy Promotion in Central Asia’ available here.

Aijan replaced Dr Asya Kudlenko, who is currently on maternity leave.