She traveled very young between the Middle East, Africa and Geneva, on behalf of a French NGO, until she decided to return as a student, moving to Boston, where she attended a Masters degree at Harvard University. Class of ’87, Gaia van der Esch, born in Rome to a Dutch father and a Lombard mother, after thirteen years abroad, she returned to her homeland to go in search of her roots. Today he collaborates with the presidency of the G20, which was entrusted to our country, and, in April, published Faces of Italy: Journey into our thoughts, desires and fears (Il Saggiatore), a reportage, made on board the 600 of his grandmother, to tell the condition of women and more.
From the country roads of Anguillaria Sabazia, the town where she grew up, to the missions in Germany, Belgium, Tanzania, Jordan, Iraq, the United States, a personal narrative
collective.
What is your training?
“After high school I knew I wanted to work internationally and on issues related to society, but I had no idea of the paths I could take. In the end I chose Philosophy, at the Sapienza University of Rome, because it would have allowed me to range from Anthropology to Law, passing through History. However, the outlets that lay ahead did not arouse my interest: teaching, academic career, human resources. Until I discovered, a little by chance, during an Erasmus in Berlin, the existence of schools to create the future political class. So I enrolled in the specialist degree in international relations at the Sciences Po Institute in Paris, to begin a series of experiences in international cooperation ».
When did you understand your true aspirations?
“When I was thirty, when I left a managerial position, going to specialize in the United States for two years. Since I was a child I have been moved by wanting to change things: I have always had a stubborn and combative character. The former mayors of the village where I spent my childhood, on Lake Bracciano, still remind me today of when I floated into their office – I was as tall as the desk – with the list of things that in my opinion needed to be replaced or swings broken to the boys who threw stones at the ducks. Having an impact on the world has always been my ambition and so far I have dealt with humanitarian crises, but also with justice and gender issues. I think my career will continue to develop in the direction of seizing the right opportunities, fighting for my ideals and being independent. In short, the luxury of being able to say no and get back into the game at any age, because only in this way can there really be a change, without fear or attachment to armchairs “.
What are you currently doing?
«I coordinate the activities of the G20 Alliance for Empowerment and the Promotion of the Representation of Women in the Economy, which brings together public and private realities, with the task of accelerating the presence of women in leadership positions. The Minister for Equal Opportunities, Elena Bonetti, has entrusted the Presidency to the business association, Valore D. Every day I meet with CEO and ministerial representatives to discuss the recommendations to be made to the Heads of State on an issue that had no priority. In the past, holding managerial roles, I have brought forward values and causes such as meritocracy, transparency, respect and creating spaces for young people. For example, I have helped hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who had had to leave their homes ”.
And recently he decided to write a book …
“The proposal came to me after a trip across the peninsula in 2019. I hadn’t thought about it, but I immediately decided to throw myself into the project, to give space to the hours of interviews, pinned on my notebook, that I had done on the beaches, in parks and bars. The people I met are proud of the past, but disappointed in the present. They want to make a turn, even if they are discouraged. By showing these perspectives, I intend to open a debate that includes everyone and everyone. From Sicily to Trento, from the outskirts of Milan to the Gulf of Naples, from the Calabrians jealous of their culture to the ninety-eight-year-olds in love with Europe ».
What do you think is the situation of women in Italy?
«We are in bad shape. The data say so, not to mention that the pandemic has had a gigantic weight, but we have a unique resilience. I am a feminist, pragmatic, who wants to collaborate with men and with institutions, not to go against it. We have to roll up our sleeves, make ourselves heard and stay with our eyes open ».
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