News Releases

Enrollment in upcoming UWI Diplomatic Academy protocol and diplomacy training at record levels

For Release Upon Receipt - October 22, 2021

St. Augustine


The UWI St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago. Friday, October 22nd, 2021 – Due to overwhelming demand from its stakeholder base, The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean (DAOC) will host yet another cycle of its flagship training by way of two five-day, back-to-back modules from October 25th to 29th and November 1st to 5th, respectively. There are more than 50 participants enrolled in this training, entitled Protocol and Diplomacy: A Guide for the Modern Professional. It is one of a suite of six modules offered by the Diplomatic Academy during its 2021/2022 training cycle. In keeping with the shift to online teaching of DAOC modules as of semester one of the 2020/2021 academic year, this training takes place virtually.

“The response of our stakeholder community to the recent call for registration pertaining to this signature DAOC online training module surpassed our expectations,” said the DAOC Manager, Dr. Nand C. Bardouille. He noted, “We had to quickly adjust the planned roll-out of the current cycle of protocol and diplomacy training, offering the 15th and 16th editions of this module consecutively, so as to effectively manage this cycle’s intake of participants. We cater for a maximum of 35 participants in a cohort of a given module.” 

According to Dr. Bardouille, “The DAOC’s recent transition to offering online training modules is a game changer, expanding our reach considerably to help meet professional development-oriented capacity building needs in the field of diplomatic studies.” He underscored, “The Diplomatic Academy is renowned for its protocol and diplomacy module, among others, and it is now well positioned to further internationalize its training, paying special attention to small states-related and Caribbean-oriented perspectives.”

In the case of the upcoming protocol and diplomacy training, participants hail from Barbados, Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Commonwealth of Dominica, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Switzerland, Tanzania, and Trinidad and Tobago. They comprise Foreign Service Officers, including diplomats, Protocol Officers and other executive branch staff, as well as legislative branch officers and staff of some international organizations.

The module seeks to enhance professional skills in the thematic areas of study, providing specialized insight into the traditions and current practice of protocol and diplomacy. In terms of format and design, the module is highly interactive, incorporating case studies/scenarios, group work and roundtables, featuring senior international experts and experienced diplomats / protocol experts. In keeping with its commitment to and strong track record of state of the art teaching in the field of diplomatic studies, the Protocol and Diplomacy curriculum and course manual for this academic year have been expanded and updated.  

The module’s teaching team is headed by the Lead Facilitator, Ms. Gail P. Guy, a retired Diplomat and Protocol Consultant. The Co-facilitator is Ms. Jennifer S. Marchand, a retired Foreign Service Officer and Deputy Permanent Secretary (Ag.). Both Ms. Guy and Ms. Marchand served in Trinidad and Tobago’s Foreign Service.

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About the Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean (DAOC)

The DAOC is the Caribbean's premier professional development-oriented diplomatic studies centre. An integral part of The University of the West Indies' (UWI) Institute of International Relations (IIR), it was established in 2014. The DAOC has a primary teaching mandate in the area of diplomatic studies, offering short, highly specialized training modules in the broad field of diplomatic studies. For Caribbean professionals seeking to expand their capabilities to advance an international career, the DAOC is a trusted educational partner. Combining a world-class suite of curricular offerings, which align with topical policy and learning trends, with a programme of advocacy and partnerships regarding the relationship between diplomacy and the Caribbean, the Diplomatic Academy provides a unique setting for stakeholders to deepen diplomatic skills/knowledge and enhance policy expertise.

The DAOC has yielded substantial and complementary benefit to the IIR, which was established in 1966 by agreement between the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and the Government of Switzerland.

Integral to the DAOC's mission is its commitment to help close human resources capacity gaps in international affairs and diplomacy in the Caribbean, by providing capacity-building and skills development training in diplomacy to up and coming diplomats and to aspiring diplomats from the Caribbean Region. This diplomatic learning and training facility also strengthens the University's capacities for research/analysis, knowledge‐sharing, advocacy, and partnerships and dialogue on the relationship between diplomacy and the Caribbean broadly conceived, with the goal of helping to facilitate policy-relevant awareness-raising on international affairs issues of import (and that are topical) to the Region.

The Diplomatic Academy derives its character from its global outlook, real-world impact and Caribbean mindedness which, in sum, constitute The DAOC Advantage™. For more information, please visit:  https://sta.uwi.edu/daoc.

 

About The UWI

The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region.

From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.

Ranked among the top universities in the world, by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. In 2020, it earned ‘Triple 1st’ rankings—topping the Caribbean; and in the top in the tables for Latin America and the Caribbean, and global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the top universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

For more, visit www.uwi.edu.

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.) 

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