History of the UWI Institute of International Relations Collaboration between Trinidad & Tobago and Switzerland The UWI Institute of International Relations (UWI IIR) was established in October 1966 by an agreement between the Governments of Trinidad and Tobago and Switzerland. It is situated on the St. Augustine Campus the University of The West Indies (UWI) in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The Institute's programmes were a collaborative effort between the UWI and the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva and continued over a six-year period till 1972. Personnel trained for Foreign Service According to the agreement with the University in 1966, the Institute was mandated to teach all University courses in international relations at the graduate level.. This mandate allowed the UWI IIR to play a major role in the training of personnel for the Foreign Services of the Caribbean Community countries, and through its research programmes, in establishing and maintaining a knowledge base for formulation and conduct of international relations. UWI IIR an autonomous institution Since its establishment, the UWI IIR has functioned as an autonomous and independent academic institution, within the framework of UWI. As an autonomous institution with its own independent source of financing, its academic programme is certified by the University, and its degrees are conferred by the University. Regional benefits All CARICOM governments have benefitted from the UWI IIR's teaching and training. Many of its graduates have risen to the highest levels of the diplomatic service in regional countries, as Permanent Secretaries, Ambassadors, Ministers, and senior officials, and in the regional bureaucracy. Its graduates can also be found at senior levels of other sections of government service and the private sector. The UWI IIR, through its staff, has over the years played an important role in terms of technical inputs at various levels to regional negotiating processes.  Policy Changes Since 1966 The major changes that have impacted on the work of IIR since 1966 include: IIR adopted a new constitution in 1972 and by 1973 had more fully embraced a regional character, with the governments of Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica financing the Institute.
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