AUSTRIA, April 27 - As in previous years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took part in events across government to mark Girls‘ Day, inviting schoolgirls from the BHAK/BHAS Business Academy Maygasse Wien 13 to take a look behind the scenes of diplomacy.

Ambassador Sigrid Berka, currently head of the Ministry's Management Section, and Hannah Liko, Head of Cabinet to the Foreign Minister, talked the visitors through their respective careers and gave them an insight into the sunny but also the dark sides of a diplomat's life. Afterwards, several young female staff members told how they had found their way into the Foreign Ministry and what requirements they had to meet for their roles. The students were especially excited to gain an insight into the work of the Human Rights Department and to learn how the Foreign Ministry works internationally for women's and girls' rights.

The special challenges of crisis and disaster management at the Foreign Ministry were also presented to the students. A visit to the Corona Call Center illustrated what the Foreign Ministry team does on a daily basis: being available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, when Austrians abroad need help.

The day concluded with a workshop entitled "Minister for a Day", which gave the students of the BHAK/BHAS Business Academy Maygasse the chance to work with the Press Department's Social Media Team to come up with their very own Instagram story in honour of Girls' Day.

Girls' Day was an opportunity for all participants to exchange ideas and gain insights into the life of female diplomats and the tasks of the Foreign Ministry.

Since 2006, institutions across Austria have arranged a variety of events in honour of Girls' Day, which is marked on the fourth Thursday in April. The initiative Girls' Day is a day of action designed to encourage girls to conquer new career fields.