Dear Friends, June 2017 The Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean (DAOC) is pleased to share with you our second quarterly newsletter for 2017. In this edition, you can read about the visit of the Governor of Sint Maarten, His Excellency Dr. Eugene Holiday to the DAOC; the Director of the Institute of International Relations (IIR), Professor Jessica Byron s virtual lecture to Matías Romero Institute (our partners from Mexico); in addition there were several recently concluded training modules hosted by the DAOC, among other happenings. Governor of Sint Maarten, His Excellency Dr. Eugene Holiday visits the DAOC Governor of Sint Maarten, His Excellency Dr. Eugene Holiday signs the visitors book of the DAOC on the occasion of his visit on June 2 nd 2017 in the presence of the acting Director of IIR, Mr. Anselm Francis (L) and Manager of the DAOC, Dr. Khellon Q. Roach (R) On June 2 nd 2017, the Governor of Sint Maarten, His Excellency Dr. Eugene Holiday paid a courtesy visit to the DAOC. This visit came as a result of his two day State Visit to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on June 1 and 2, 2017, the purpose of which was to strengthen ties between Sint Maarten and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and promote partnership and cooperation in the Caribbean region. [1]
His Excellency met with the acting IIR Director, Mr. Anselm Francis, Manager of the DAOC, Dr. Khellon Q. Roach, and IIR Senior Lecturer, Dr. Mark Kirton. The Governor was informed of the work and training programmes of the Academy and the possibility of the Academy serving the government and citizenry of Sint Maarten through customized training programmes in areas such as Small State Diplomacy, Advanced Negotiation Strategies and Tools, Protocol and Diplomacy, and Development Challenges of Small States among other areas. The acting Director of IIR, Mr. Anselm Francis on behalf of Professor Jessica Byron (IIR Director) also expressed the intention of the IIR to send a panel to the 1 st International Conference on Small Island States (SIS) and Subnational Island Jurisdictions (SNIJs) which is scheduled to take place in the Shared (Dutch/French) Island of Sint Maarten at the University of St. Martin in March 2018. The visit ended with a tour of the facilities of the DAOC. His Excellency was accompanied by his wife, Her Excellency Marie-Louise Holiday-Hazel, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Trinidad and Tobago, His Excellency Jules Bijl, and the Director of Cabinet, Office of the Governor, Mr. Reinier A. Van Deele. DAOC Manager delivers LusoFesta 2017 Feature Address On Friday, April 7, 2017, Manager of the DAOC, Dr. Khellon Roach delivered the Feature Address at the Opening Ceremony of LusoFesta 2017. Dr. Roach, who delivered the address on behalf of the former Interim Director of IIR, Dr. Mark Kirton spoke on The Strategic Importance of CARICOM- Brazil Relations. Presented by the Portuguese and Brazilian Studies Section of the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics (DMLL), LusoFesta explores the links of linguistics and cultural interest, common to the peoples of Brazil and the Caribbean, and the wider Lusophone World and the Caribbean through a week of events. Dr. Roach in his address noted that, it was at the beginning of the 21 st century and after the election of President Lula Da Silva that there was [2] increased momentum in Brazilian foreign policy activity in the developing world in general, and in the Caribbean in particular. He went on to note that trade between Brazil and CARICOM tripled in only a few years, since Brazil initiated the process to establish a permanent presence in all CARICOM states over the last decade. In conclusion, it is imperative that CARICOM take a pro-active stance to engage Brazil in a comprehensive way with a structured policy framework aimed at a mutually beneficial outcome DAOC Manager, Dr. Khellon Q. Roach delivers LusoFesta 2017 Feature Address
Brazilian Foreign Policy in the 21 st Century Intensive 2-day Course Professor Paulo Correa, address participants of the Brazilian Foreign Policy Course The DAOC was pleased to host an intensive 2-day Course on Brazilian Foreign Policy in the 21 st Century on April 25 and 26, 2017. The course was facilitated by Professor Paulo Gustavo Pellegrino Correa, Professor of International Relations and Pro-Rector for Cooperation and International Relations at the Federal University of Amapa, Brazil. This intensive course examined a brief history of Brazil before exposing participants to topics such as the analytical axes and paradigms of Brazilian Foreign Policy; the Foreign Policy of previous and current leaders; the Environment and the Brazilian Foreign Policy agenda; South-South Cooperation and Brazilian Foreign Policy; and Brazilian Foreign Policy for Latin America, South America, the Guianas and the Caribbean. Participants included individuals from the government, private sector and academia including staff and students from Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. At the closing ceremony, Professor Correa indicated that he was delighted by the discussions generated in the course driven by the interest of the participants in Brazilian Foreign Policy and indicated his intention to further cooperation between his institution, the Federal University of Amapa, Brazil and the Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean and the Institute of International Relations. Professor of Int l Rel. & Pro-Rector for Cooperation & International Relations at the Federal University of Amapa, Brazil, Professor Paulo Correa (Front Centre-White Shirt) and IIR Director, Professor Jessica Byron (standing on the right of Professor Correa) pose with participants of the 2-day Intensive Course on Brazilian Foreign Policy in the 21 st Century [3]
IIR Director delivers Virtual Guest Lecture to Matías Romero Institute, Mexico IIR Director, Professor Jessica Byron in the Yves Collart Board Room with her counterparts of the Matías Romero Institute, Mexico (on the projector screen) after delivering a virtual guest lecture on CARICOM In April 2017, the Director of IIR, Professor Jessica Byron delivered a virtual guest lecture entitled, CARICOM: Origins, Evolution and Responses to the Challenges of Relevance to the leadership and staff members of the Matías Romero Institute. This guest lecture is one of a series of initiatives identified by the Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean and the Matías Romero Institute to establish and develop close collaboration through the training of diplomats and the exchange of information, experiences and good practices. This exercise follows on the historic five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Mexican States through the Matías Romero Institute and The University of the West Indies through the Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean in November 2016. In her lecture, Professor Byron concluded by noting that despite its many flaws.. CARICOM has been a valuable instrument of development cooperation and political coordination for many of the Caribbean SIDS in a perpetually challenging global environment. It is envisioned that a virtual lecture will be delivered by the Matías Romero Institute on the area of Consular Diplomacy, an area in which Matías Romero has significant experience and expertise and one which the DAOC intends to add to its repertoire of training programmes for Caribbean diplomats and professionals in the near future. [4]
DAOC rolls out First Summer Executive Programme for Young Professionals Acting IIR Director, Mr. Anselm Francis (Sitting-C), Retired Diplomat and Protocol Consultant, Ms. Gail Guy (Sitting-L) and DAOC, Manager, Dr. Khellon Q. Roach (Sitting-R) pose with the participants of Session 1 (5&6 June, 2017) The DAOC rolled out its first ever Summer Executive Programme for Young Professionals entitled, Protocol, Diplomacy and Business Etiquette 101 in two consecutive sessions in early June, 2017. The first session took place on June 5 & 6, and the second session took place on June 8 & 9. In total, 63 professionals were trained from varying backgrounds including participants from the Government and its Agencies and the Private Sector. Some of the institutions represented were the Office of the Prime Minister (Port-of- Spain and Tobago), Ministry of National Security and The Defence Force, Ministry of Education, Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development, Government Information Services Limited, Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, The UWI Open Campus, Member of Parliament Office for Point-a-Pierre, Member of Parliament Office for Caroni Central and The UWI Youth Development Programme among others. Participants also came from Barbados, St. Lucia and Antigua and Barbuda. The Summer Executive Programme was facilitated by Ms. Gail Guy, Retired Diplomat and Protocol Consultant who was able to transfer her wealth of knowledge and experience to the wide cross-section of participants through lectures and practical exercises on the fundamentals and elements of diplomatic protocol, state protocol, business etiquette, event planning, international law and national identity guidelines among many other pertinent themes. DAOC Manager, Dr. Khellon Q. Roach expressed his profound satisfaction with the response of the public and other stakeholders across the region to the inaugural Summer Executive Programme and indicated that he looked forward to finding further creative ways for the DAOC to serve the aspirations of the people of the Caribbean region. [5]
Acting IIR Director, Mr. Anselm Francis (Sitting-C), Retired Diplomat and Protocol Consultant, Ms. Gail Guy (Sitting-L), DAOC Manager, Dr. Khellon Q. Roach (Sitting-R), Ms. Zara Weekes-Rhyzer, Project Assistant, DAOC (standing, immediate right) and Mr. Josef Walker (standing immediate back left) pose with participants of Session 2 (8&9 June, 2017) Testimonial from Summer Executive Programme for Young Professionals (Session 1) An excellent training course for young professionals seeking to enhance their skills set. The course content is user friendly and the facilitator uses practical approaches to ensure participant engagement. I would recommend this course to anyone pursuing continued professional development.. Ms. Chamika Ward, Trinidad and Tobago HIV/AIDS Advocacy Officer, The National HIV/AIDS Workplace Advocacy and Sustainability Centre, Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development Testimonial from Summer Executive Programme for Young Professionals (Session 2) There are so many occasions in one s professional life that one needs to consider issues of protocol, business etiquette, and what is appropriate for a particular occasion. When this situation arises, I can now call upon the excellently arranged and brilliantly informative session, which I was able to take with the Diplomatic Academy. This has tangibly changed my reality as an employee and part of the Team at The University of the West Indies Youth Development Programme, and I would recommend this to anyone who is seeking to advance themselves.. Mr. Damani R. Parris, Barbados Project Coordinator, The UWI Youth Development Programme (UWI - YDP) Testimonial from Summer Executive Programme for Young Professionals (Session 2) The course facilitator had a firm grasp of areas of expertise, hence provided a clear and practical understanding of protocol and the importance of diplomacy and business etiquette in effectively engaging with diplomats and governments... Ms. Jemma L. Baptiste, St. Lucia Coordinator, Protocol and Customer Service, St. Lucia Air & Sea Ports Authority [6]
The Art of Corporate and Diplomatic Communication The Art of Corporate and Diplomatic Communication was the final module delivered by the DAOC in the second quarter. A cohort of 18 students graduated at the closing ceremony on Friday 30 June, 2017. The module was facilitated by Ms. Sharon Welsh, U.S. based Communications Consultant and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University. Participants of the training module were exposed not only to lectures and presentations by Ms. Welsh, but they were also actively engaged in several practical writing and speaking exercises, which gave each participant an opportunity to get relevant and individual feedback on their writing and speaking expertise. Having completed sessions on Correcting the Most Common Business Writing Mistakes; Writing in Plain, Corporate and Diplomatic Language; Writing for Persuasive Effect; Striking the Appropriate Tone; Analysing Audiences; Mastering Nonverbal Communication; Delivering Effectively; Reducing Speech Ms. Sharon Welsh, Communications Consultant speak to participants of the Communications training Anxiety; and Using Social Media Appropriately and Effectively, participants were better able to communicate with competence, credibility and professional ease. Participants included professionals from St. Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago representing a wide range of regional institutions, such as the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and The UWI Regional Headquarters; international institutions such as the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNECOSOC); private institutions such as British Petroleum (BP) and Caribbean Gas Chemicals (CGC); and government offices and state agencies such as the Office of the Prime Minister and Customs and the Excise Division among others. Front Row from L to R: Facilitator, Ms. Sharon Welsh, IIR Director, Prof. Jessica Byron, DAOC Manager, Dr. Khellon Q. Roach, DAOC Project Assistant, Ms. Zara Weekes-Rhyzer, and Research Assistant, Mr. Anthony Phillips-Spencer pose with participants of the training module entitled, The Art of Corporate & Diplomatic Communication [7]
Upcoming Training Modules: If you are interested in one of our upcoming training modules or events, please email diplomaticacademy@sta.uwi.edu and leave your preferred email address and telephone contact. We would place your contact details on our mailing list which will enable you to receive notifications of upcoming training modules and/or events. Customized In-House Training Programmes If your institution or organization is interested in a Customized In-House Training Programme of the Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean please send an email to diplomaticacademy@sta.uwi.edu and leave the name of your institution, a contact name, and contact number/email. The Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean would be pleased to develop a programme that suits the training needs of your institution. We deliver customized programmes in Protocol, Diplomacy and Business Etiquette; Event & Conference Planning; The Art of Corporate and Diplomatic Communication; Cultural Intelligence & Customer Care; Negotiation: Strategies and Tools; Small State Diplomacy; Summit Diplomacy; National and Regional Security; International Law; Planning, Development, Monitoring and Evaluation of Regional and International Development Projects among many others. Look Out for: The Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean New Website in our next quarterly Contact us: DiplomaticAcademy@sta.uwi.edu 868-662-2002 ext. 85362; 85360; 85359; http://sta.uwi.edu/iir/academy.asp [8]