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Communications Strategist and Media Diplomat, Dr. Vassilia Orfanou, releases book, “The Media’s Early Warning Effect in the Timelier Deployment of Peacekeeping Operations”

The book presents how covering the early warning signs of a humanitarian crisis can lead to a timelier deployment of a peacekeeping operation and save lives. Orfanou calls for more accountable media that go beyond transmitting information to produce publicly constituted surveillance processes; influence public opinion positively; reflect before disseminating fake news and propaganda and hold Governments accountable. Media, according to Orfanou are responsible to proactively disseminate early warning signs of crises with a clear intent to de-escalate them – not creating further panic disorder.

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg 29 June 2020 – Greek-American, Dr. Vassilia Orfanou, presents her latest book, “The Media’s Early Warning Effect in the Timelier Deployment of Peacekeeping Operations”.

Orfanou brings along a wealth of experience and expertise in communications, innovation, and change management across the EU and US markets.

She says “My interest is to represent a company that brings in social impact and justice to the World at large. Innovation is key, but what you do with it, makes all the difference. Nowadays business models, operations, strategies seriously lack an ethical backbone, with social impact, capacity building, and innovation being critically curtailed on ingenuity, generosity, and true merit”.

When asked of her opinion on the COVID pandemic, she said “During the confinement period, we have witnessed some companies raising the bar. Most, have seriously failed their employees and freelancers tremendously. Thousands of employees were fired; contracts were not committed to; positions were rotated with lower waged employees; selection criteria were not even respected. The power dynamics are flawed. The entire system is flooded with corrupted and controlled employees and officials and processes that lack transparency. Observing up close the mediocrity associated with management structures, employer cultures, people’s engagement, productivity, recruitment, and the non-existent social corporate responsibility processes – COVID is definitely the time to expose all that is no longer working”.

She explains that what you do is what you eventually become. There is always a trade-off against your values, ethical backbone, the way you were nurtured, the level of awareness, and overall experiences that have turned you into the person you are today. And there will be a moment in time that you will say “Enough”. This in mind, it is important to consciously consider the higher purpose that we are supposed to serve, and how we will go about it in life. COVID is possible the best and the worse situation some of us had to go through, but we cannot turn a blind eye, for sure.

Launching her own initiative, LUDCI.eu, a Diplomatic and Communications Institute in Luxembourg, she has opened its first call for proposals inviting writers, journalists, editors, students, and any professional to send in their articles on the impact of COVID, specifically presenting how the pandemic has affected their employment, family, day-day life.

“Impact is what we make out of it. I decide on my life. No-one else”, she says, quoting Tony Robbins, from his book, Unshakeable “It’s not enough to know a principle. You have to practice it. Execution is everything”.

Releasing her book and launching her new initiative, she aims to bring awareness, enhance publicity efforts and drive media diplomacy, working side by side with IGOs, NGOs, law enforcement agencies, research institutions, startups, SMEs to fight against child trafficking and other Children’s violations.

Orfanou says “No matter the efforts, child trafficking remains undetected, unregulated, uncontrolled. And the question remains: Which media is covering it? How are they really framing it? Where are the actual TV segments dedicated to it? Where are the articles? Where is the publicity to extinguish it from ever existing? Now is time to act. No-one can fight this alone. No country can do this alone. No organisation can possibly master everything alone. But we can do this together”.

A multi-million-dollar industry, human trafficking is the third most profitable enterprise for transnational organised criminal groups, after drugs and arms trafficking. Nelson Mandela, South African human rights activist said “child trafficking is not only a heinous crime, but one that expressly violates the human rights of all victims. Traffickers turn children into property; selling them for ‘profits’, restricting movement, denying basic necessities, and “challenging their very humanity”.

True leaders, post-Covid must take the World in their shoulders, not trying to extinguish it to serve their own political agendas. “In a gentle way, you can shake the world”, Mahatma Gandhi said. Mother Teresa opened her arms wide-open to the World. She said “Never travel faster than your guardian angel can fly. Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person”.

Hence, “If I aspire to such leaders, including the leaders of my own household, how I could possibly turn a blind eye to a pandemic taking the lives of innocent children, hitting much higher numbers than any viruses combined, practically taking away the purity, freedom and living breath of the most vulnerable children on earth? What can I possibly do to crystalise the need to act today, so as to shield each and every child from the world’s biggest disorder of all?”, Orfanou outcries.

Her book and various initiatives seem to be just a small glance into the future. Her venture brings along a warrior’s perspective combining a sharp tongue, raw wisdom, and blunt sincerity crashing you to the core. Looking to purchase the book or subscribe to LUDCI.eu services, the reader could see the world through her eyes – “a true barometer for environmental, political, humanitarian, and other issues. Media’s early warning effect and LUDCI.eu translate to power, duty, and responsibility to create broadcasts, articles, online information about conflicts and crises before they exacerbate, while clearly react when these do happen. Her call to action bluntly informs, engages, but most of all – concretely pressurises the need for early warning processes to de-escalate a series of disasters, raise the bar on many crises of our time and save lives”.

A new edition of the book will be launched by Amazon by the end of 2024.

About the Author:

Founder/CEO of Luxembourg’s Diplomatic & Communications Institute (LUDCI.eu), media diplomatic service raising awareness to fight against child trafficking and other similar crimes violating children’s rights. Communications Strategist and Media Diplomat, she has worked for the financial, technology, and hospitality sectors, including the EU institutions. Ph.D. and Post-Doc holder in International Relations and Media Diplomacy.