Post by Kent Härstedt

Sometimes the most memorable encounters happen far from the spotlight. On Jeju Island, a quiet dinner in a small fishing village turned into an unexpected conversation with Gareth Evans — legendary, and one of Australia’s greatest international statesmen of all times. He impressed me already when I was young in my early twenities and spent time living in Sydney. As Foreign Minister, he played a key role in shaping the UN’s Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine — a principle that still guides international efforts to prevent mass atrocities. His career speaks for itself, and it was simply great to sit down and have this relaxed conversation with him.