Tiaji Sio
Mitglied des Beirates
"It is not diversity that divides our society, but the unwillingness to recognize, accept and value this diversity as enriching. Especially in times when populist individual voices are growing louder, democrats must resolutely stand up for representative and inclusive institutions. Diversity underscores the democratic legitimacy of state administration."
Tiaji Sio is a 24-year old Afro-German Foreign Service official who currently serves as an Attaché for Economic Affairs and Development Cooperation at the German Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam. Simultaneously, she is pursuing an MSc in International Development at the University of Edinburgh. After completing her undergraduate degree at the German Foreign Service Academy in 2018, she held different positions in Berlin, Dakar and Maputo. In 2019, she co-founded the Diplomats of Color network – the first and largest diversity and inclusion network within the Federal Government. As a pioneer in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the German Foreign Service, she was listed on the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 list. She was also nominated for the Digital Female Leaders Award and serves as an Ambassador for the Beyond Gender Agenda campaign. In 2021, political incubator JoinPolitics awarded her a “political talent” scholarship and funds her aspiration to scale up her diversity initiative across the Federal Administration. She thereby hopes to advocate for the implementation of a corresponding legal framework guaranteeing equal opportunities, adequate representation of marginalized communities and fair access to leadership positions