News Releases

UWI Diplomatic Academy Training Boosts Conference Diplomacy Capacity of ECCB

For Release Upon Receipt - November 7, 2025

St. Augustine


St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago, November 7th, 2025 – Fifteen Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) staff members took part in a one-day virtual training seminar that The UWI Institute of International Relations’ (IIR) Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean (DAOC) held on November 1, titled ‘Conference Diplomacy: Fundamentals of the Role of Protocol and Liaison Officers in the Facilitation of Delegates’. The customized seminar, designed to strengthen institutional capacity regarding planning and execution of high-level conferences, brought together staff drawn from a cross-section of the ECCB’s respective departments.     

“The teaching content of this customized training seminar, which we successfully delivered, draws in part on the curriculum of the DAOC’s flagship module on ‘Protocol and Diplomacy’,” said the DAOC’s Manager Dr. Nand C. Bardouille. He added: “With regard to learning outcomes, seminar participants now: appreciate the legal underpinnings of protocol and understand the fundamentals of relevant protocol concepts; have acquired relevant knowledge, skill and competency in organising events; are au fait with ushering at official events; have a greater sensitivity to nuances in a multicultural environment; and are equipped to respond more confidently to and discharge assigned duties in protocol-related situations.”     

The Seminar Facilitator Ms. Gail P. Guy, a retired Diplomat and Protocol Consultant, said: “These participants were very keen and quite receptive. Questions and challenges raised showed deep thought and a real will to perform their roles to the best of their ability, particularly with a view to contributing to the success of a conference that the ECCB is scheduled to host soon.”

In her feature address to the training seminar’s Opening Ceremony, Dr. Valda F. Henry, Deputy Governor, ECCB, said: “The Protocol team plays a pivotal role in the overall experience of our visitors and guests, as the Ushers and liaisons are the face of the ECCB and often they are the first point of contact with our visitors and guests. This training is very important as it exposes the new ushers and liaison officers to the identical content offered to the earlier cohorts to ensure consistent and excellent service and successful, flawless execution.”       

In her feature remarks at this seminar’s Closing Ceremony, Mrs. Christine Nanton-Winter, Manager - External Relations, External Relations Department, The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, characterized the core principles of protocol and diplomacy as being marked by “an astute understanding and appreciation of four key areas: planning, service, attention to detail and respect.” In this regard, Mrs. Nanton-Winter underscored that the training seminar was critical to “strengthening [participants’] capabilities when tasked with facilitating high-level engagements and conference diplomacy.”  

The training seminar was hailed as a success. The seminar’s cohort conveyed this view on the occasion of its Closing Ceremony by way of three representatives, as follows: Ms. Elleen Commodore, Senior Administrative Assistant, Legal Services Department, ECCB; Ms. Brendaline Descartes, Bank Examiner, Financial Sector Supervision Department, ECCB; and Mr. Cuthbert Viville, Protection Officer, Security Unit, Support Service Management Department, ECCB. 

The DAOC recognized the learning-related achievement of this cohort with the conferral of Certificates of Achievement — at the end of the seminar’s Closing Ceremony — to all participants.        

This is the third customized, protocol-themed training session delivered by the DAOC to ECCB staff since 2023.    

 

 Cohort of ECCB staff members who took part in The Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean virtual training seminar held on November 1, titled ‘Conference Diplomacy: Fundamentals of the Role of Protocol and Liaison Officers in the Facilitation of Delegates’. Photo credit: Cosilia St. Louis-Jeremiah, ECCB.

 

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 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 University of the West Indies (The UWI) is the Caribbean’s premier higher education institution and one of only two regional universities in the world. With five campuses across the English-speaking Caribbean and global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe, The UWI continues to be a beacon of academic excellence, research innovation, and societal impact. Consistently ranked among the world’s best by Times Higher Education (THE), The UWI is a global leader in addressing critical challenges, including climate change, sustainability, and development.

As The UWI St. Augustine Campus celebrates its 65th anniversary in 2025 under the theme Beyond 65: From the Caribbean, For the World, it pays tribute to its Caribbean roots while highlighting its contributions to solving global challenges. This milestone underscores the campus's significant role in producing ground-breaking research and fostering talent that transcends regional boundaries to shape a better world. The UWI St. Augustine’s researchers, academics, and graduates continue to make an international impact, exemplifying the university’s mission to serve the region while influencing the world.

Learn more at www.uwi.edu 

 

 

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