On 09 November 2016, the Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Vasu Gounden, was invited to a dinner hosted by the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to South Africa on the occasion of the visit of Steam Lehne to South Africa. The dinner was held in Gauteng, South Africa.
Mr Lehne is a visiting Scholar at Carnegie Europe (Brussels) and a lecturer at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna. His diplomatic career has included positions as Director General for Political Affairs in the Austrian Foreign Ministry and the Director for the Balkans and Eastern Europe in the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU. Mr Lehne was visiting South Africa to participate in several discussions as part of the EU Inspiring Thinkers Series, on issues around populism and the challenges and opportunities it poses to political parties and to democracy.
