Abby Higgins

Background

About Abby Higgins

A dedicated and self-motivated professional with experience in international affairs as Head of Impact at Girls Run the World and the Australian Outlook Editor Intern. Completed a Master of International Law and Diplomacy (With Commendation) at the Australian National University. I am passionate about empowering people, particularly young women, in diplomatic spaces and hope to contribute to the prosperity and protection of Australians in our ever-changing geopolitical landscape. At Girls Run the World (GRTW), I have facilitated the cross-cultural sharing of knowledge and empowerment of young women in diplomatic communities, as well as given embassies a wider audience in the Australian community and helped them make a positive social impact. I was, out of all Embassy Liaisons, responsible for liaising with the largest number of Missions and coordinated three events and seminars in addition to our normal one-month program. I have since been trusted with developing GRTW’s 2030 Strategy to expand the impact of GRTW in order to empower young women, promote gender equality and create meaningful change in the Australian and international diplomatic communities. I also organised and moderated a panel that celebrated the International Day of Women in Diplomacy. In the Future Leader Series by the Young Australian in International Affairs, my group won the policy competition based on our proposal for creating an E-safety program that educates, engages, and empowers young people across Australia, Fiji and the Solomon Islands to prevent technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV). At the Australian National University, I graduated with commendation and have been awarded the Kirsten Sjolander Memorial Prize for Advanced International Human Rights Law 2024. I was sponsored by the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs to attend the Australian Institute of International Affairs National Conference and Masterclasses in November 2023, and was a delegate at the Asia Pacific Week Conference in June 2024. As NSW State Co-Director of Girls Takeover Parliament (GTP), I aimed to empower young women so that they can change the face of political leadership in Australia. I directed GTP NSW’s first Parliamentary Takeover which involved over fifty students and two dozen state and federal parliamentarians. This included a welcome address, panel discussion, mentoring sessions and crisis simulation. We adapted to the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic and transformed what was intended to be an in-person parliamentary program into one that was virtual.