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Diplomatic workshop welcomed but more training necessary

May 20, 2009 News

– Norton

Former Foreign Service Officer and current People’s National Congress Reform executive, Aubrey Norton, says that while the CARICOM workshop for mid-career diplomats in the region is welcomed, more is required at a national level.
He noted that diplomacy the world over is changing and this needs to be filtered down to career diplomats locally so that they could be better equipped to deal efficiently with the changing times.
Norton added that training in diplomacy must also not be centralised just at the Foreign Affairs Ministry and training must be extended to Ministries such as the Finance and Agriculture which play a major role and have several international ties.
The statements echoed similar sentiments by OAS Assistant General Albert Ramdin who said that diplomacy is changing the world over and regional diplomats need to be trained to adapt.
The two-week regional diplomatic training programme for mid-career diplomats in the Caribbean Community kicked off on Monday at Duke Lodge, Kingston, Georgetown.
At the opening of the workshop CARICOM Secretary General, Dr Edwin Carrington, told the gathering of some 35 regional diplomats that Caribbean diplomats played an active role as any in the struggle against regimes that shamed the collective humanity in Southern Africa.
He encouraged the participants to be skilled in crafting and implementing negotiation strategies that will defend the short, medium and long term interests of the people of the Region.
Meanwhile, the diplomats were also reminded that during the course of their careers, successful advocacy and networking is important as they seek to champion the various causes for their individual countries and the Region.
Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Professor Nigel Harris, told the regional diplomats that advocacy for the Caribbean in terms of programmes, development, industries and its people would form a major part of their work.
“You also have to keep your ears to the ground for opportunities to promote the Region or for opportunities that may be advantageous to the Region in various ways – trade, politics, culture, educational opportunities.”
He said that the UWI, through the graduate programmes offered at the Institute of International Relations, and the undergraduate programmes in International Relations offered through the Faculties of Social Sciences, has been preparing the “ground-work” for their representational corps.
He added that they will also need to equip themselves with “soft skills” such as   socialising and networking, as they would find that such skills were always important in the diplomatic arena.
He added that networking could be one of the most important skills and strategies that a diplomat could employ to ensure success.
He reminded the diplomats that in these stressful economic times the Caribbean had to do some skilful navigation in the international arena and they would be pressed into action in the work of the Region.

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