News Releases

UWI Diplomatic Academy and Bahamas' Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deepen Collaboration

For Release Upon Receipt - July 4, 2024

St. Augustine


 

 Photo credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas 

The UWI St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago. Thursday July 4 2024 - A cohort of 14 officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas recently took part in a five-day, in-person training module on protocol and diplomacy delivered by The UWI Institute of International Relations' (IIR) Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean (DAOC). The DAOC partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliver this customized version of its flagship module, entitled 'Protocol and Diplomacy: A Guide for the Modern Professional'. This training was held in Nassau from 17th to 21st June 2024 at the Bahamas Alrae Ramsay Institute of Foreign Affairs (BARIFA), which is a training arm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  

 "The collaborative efforts in the design and delivery of this module are emblematic of the shared commitment of The DAOC and Bahamas' Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deepen their long-standing partnership to help strengthen the capacity of the latter with regard to the execution of its mandate." This according to The DAOC's Manager Dr. Nand C. Bardouille, who hailed The Hon. Fredrick A. Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the Ministry's leadership team for backing this training on protocol and diplomacy.     

During remarks he delivered at the module's Opening Ceremony on June 17th, Minister Mitchell reaffirmed his support for the training. Minister Mitchell also highlighted the significance of the training and the skills and knowledge at the core of its curriculum, contending that they augur well for the further development of this module's graduates as protocol professionals.     

The goal of this training was to upgrade the relevant protocol skills of participants, such that they are able to perform their protocol-related duties flawlessly and professionally. In this regard, four objectives took centre stage in respect of the following training-related framing: diplomacy, protocol, the role of the foreign ministry and the protocol department, and planning state events.

Ms. Gail P. Guy, a retired diplomat and protocol consultant, served as the module's lead facilitator. Ms. Marise Warner, an attorney-at-law and international law specialist, served as the module's co-facilitator.     

A highlight of the protocol-dimension of the module was a hybrid roundtable, held on June 20th, which Ms. Guy spearheaded. The roundtable topic: Exploring the role of the protocol division in the realisation of government's obligations under international law and in fulfilling government's national goals - lifting the veil off protocol. Module participants were thus exposed to subject area perspectives and professional experiences of senior international experts in the field. The panelists were as follows:

-Ambassador Marilyn Zonicle (Moderator), retired career Foreign Service Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

-Ambassador Rubyann Cooper-Darling, Educator, Ordained Minister, and former Senator and Member of Parliament of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

-His Excellency Franz Hall, Ambassador of Jamaica to the Republic of Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

-Ambassador Dame Deborah-Mae Lovell, Founder, FLAIR Academy of Etiquette and Protocol, and career Antigua and Barbuda diplomat.

-Ambassador Lowell Mortimer, Non-resident High Commissioner of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to The Republic of India, Attorney-at-law, Principal of Mortimer & Co. and the Chairman of Campbell Shipping Company Limited. 

Acting IIR Director Dr. Annita Montoute, who delivered welcome remarks during the module's Opening Ceremony, noted that this customized training will equip participants with requisite skills, knowledge and resources in respect of the protocol function of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Reflecting on the collaborative manner in which The DAOC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mounted the training module, Dr. Montoute noted that these sorts of partnerships strengthen the Diplomatic Academy's impact. She underscored that going forward, as BARIFA works to scale-up its institutional footprint, The DAOC looks forward to systematizing engagements with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for training-related impact.        

In her feature address to the module's Closing Ceremony on June 21st, Ambassador Jerusa Léa Dean Ali, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, echoed Minister Mitchell's viewpoint on the training under reference. Ambassador Ali also noted that the delivery of the customized module is a milestone in the partnership between The DAOC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Ali emphasized, "This successfully delivered training is the first in a series of training partnerships that we expect to execute with UWI's DAOC, hinging on the customized delivery of modules. We aim to seek out training opportunities not just with The DAOC but other diplomatic training institutions, too, with a view to scaling up the Ministry's capacity and ability to deliver on The Bahamas' foreign policy objectives."         

Ambassador Zonicle also delivered remarks at the module's Closing Ceremony. Her remarks, capped off by a strong endorsement of this training, reinforced key aspects of protocol-related learning in the module and best practice in the field of protocol.        

Following this well received send-off for the module participants, representatives of the cohort reflected on the module. Mr. Donneldo Rashad Harris and Mr. Angelo Hart, both of whom are protocol officers in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conveyed that the training exceeded the cohort's expectations. The cohort was especially appreciative of the customized module content, the teaching methodology and the teaching team.      

The DAOC celebrated the achievement of this cohort in a ceremony featuring the presentation of module graduands, who were all subsequently conferred with Certificates of Training. During this ceremony, with their certificates in hand, respective graduates were congratulated by: Mr. Melvin Seymour, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ambassador Ali; Dr. Lorraine Bastian, Chancellor, BARIFA; Ms. Guy; Ms. Warner; and Dr. Bardouille.

With regard to The UWI's 2023/24 academic year, this customized module is The DAOC's final training-related deliverable.                                    

End.

About the Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean

The DAOC is the Caribbean's premier professional development-oriented diplomatic studies centre. An integral part of The University of the West Indies’ 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 University of the West Indies

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 for the past 75 years.

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 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.

The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean in the World University Rankings, it is also in the top 25 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the leading 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.

2023 marks The UWI’s 75th anniversary. The Diamond jubilee milestone themed “UWI at 75. Rooted. Ready. Rising.” features initiatives purposely designed and aligned to reflect on the past, confront the present, and articulate plans for the future of the regional University.

Learn more at www.uwi.edu  

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