Mayo scholar honoured on the world stage at Warsaw Security Forum
Claremorris native Luke Gibbons has been honoured on the international stage after receiving one of Europe’s most prestigious diplomatic distinctions at the Warsaw Security Forum 2025.
The global summit was attended by world leaders including Polish President Andrzej Duda, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and EU Commissioner Michael McGrath.
Just twenty-four hours after submitting his doctoral thesis at Trinity College Dublin, the 29- year-old travelled to Poland, where he was conferred with an Honours Diploma in Diplomacy from the European Academy of Young Diplomats - graduating as a Casimir Pulaski Scholar.
The honours distinction is the highest awarded by the Academy, with only eight recipients worldwide achieving honours status this year out of over one hundred participants.
The Academy headquartered in Warsaw, is Europe’s leading diplomatic training institution for emerging global leaders, whose alumni now serve in ministries of foreign affairs, embassies and international organisations across the world.
Gibbons completed the programme after being selected as a Casimir Pulaski Foundation Scholar, a scholarship awarded by the renowned Polish think-tank that has supported the program’s best candidates since 2005.
Luke’s award was presented by former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves on September 28, 2025, during the Warsaw Security Forum, one of Europe’s foremost high-level conferences on defence, diplomacy, and global security.
The event convened over 2,500 senior policymakers, ministers, and academics from more than 80 countries.
This year’s forum focused on the future of European security and democratic resilience, with keynote contributions from President Zelensky and leading NATO figures.
He said: “To represent Ireland at such a globally respected forum, and to graduate with honours among some of the brightest emerging diplomats in the world, was truly humbling."
A recognised Casimir Pulaski Scholar, Luke joined a select international cohort who completed an intensive year-long programme of diplomatic training, leadership development and negotiation exercises under the mentorship of senior European ambassadors and policy experts.
Professor Katarzyna Pisarska, founder of the European Academy of Diplomacy, congratulated the honourees, emphasizing that their training equips them to “serve as ambassadors of dialogue and cooperation in a challenging world.”
The achievement marks another milestone in an extraordinary trajectory for the young Mayo scholar.
A Fulbright Scholar to Harvard Law School and a Research Ireland Government of Ireland Scholar, Luke has also worked alongside former Irish President Mary Robinson and US Vice President Al Gore on global climate and governance issues.
He was named All-Ireland Young Sustainability Changemaker of the Year 2024, included in the Top 30 Under 30 Environmental Educators in the World 2024, and honoured among the Top 40 Under 40 Irish in America 2024.
Luke was also named Irish Man of the Year for Educational Excellence 2025 and Young Mayo Person of the Year 2024.
Following his recognition in Warsaw, Luke has now been invited by the Council of Europe to represent Ireland at the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg on November 4.
The forum brings together heads of state, Nobel laureates, and leading academics to debate the renewal of democracy in the modern age.
The World Forum for Democracy 2025 runs from November 5–7 in Strasbourg, France, under the theme “Democracy at risk: how can we revive it?
This annual forum is a global platform for political leaders, experts and activists to debate solutions to the challenges facing democracies worldwide.
The Strasbourg forum will cap an extraordinary autumn for the young scholar-diplomat. In the
span of a few weeks, Gibbons submitted his PhD thesis, graduated with honours from the
Academy of Young Diplomats in Warsaw, and is now headed to a world summit on democracy.
His achievements highlight not only personal dedication but also the growing role of Ireland’s youth on the international stage.
As he prepares for the World Forum for Democracy, Gibbons carries forward the lessons from Warsaw.
“WSF showed me the importance of dialogue and unity,” he reflected. “I plan to bring that same spirit to Strasbourg – to listen, learn, and contribute to solutions for our democracies.
“Standing in Warsaw among presidents and diplomats, I was reminded that small nations like Ireland and even small towns like Claremorris can play a powerful role in shaping the global conversation,” Luke stated.
“Next month in Strasbourg, I hope to bring an Irish voice to that discussion - one grounded in empathy, sustainability and hope.”