News

Caribbean’s First Diplomatic Academy Opens in Trinidad

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - May 7, 2014 - 12:56 pm

Above: Port of Spain (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The new Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean officially opened at the University of the West Indies St Augustine Campus in Trinidad on Tuesday.

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was on hand for the opening of the academy, which is a joint project between the government of Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinidad Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UWI’s Institute of International Relations.

It is the first academy of its kind in the Caribbean.

According to Professor Andy Knight, director of the Institute of International Relations, the academy will “reach out to a cross section of target groups and beneficiaries, beyond the strict confines of CARICOM, to all those involved in one way or the other in international cooperation and transactions.”

The academy will “epitomize the modern day diplomatic academy and provide learning and training not only to diplomats and national government officials, but also much wider audiences, such as other State Agencies, NGOs, Business and Civil Society,” according to Knight.

“it will meet a clearly felt need, in the absence of any proper training and learning facility regionally, to offer programmes in diplomacy at various levels and on diverse but relevant subjects,” he said.

For now, the academy is being established on a two-year project basis.

Its first module on Contemporary Diplomacy began on Wednesday, led by Professors Jorge Heine and Andrew Cooper from the Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo, Canada.

Popular Posts best caribbean restaurants

The 50 Best Restaurants in the Caribbean - 2025

No region in the world has a more diverse or dynamic culinary continuum than the Caribbean. Just about every cuisine on earth is represented, often in wonderfully, intoxicatingly fused expressions. Across the breadth of the Caribbean Basin, you will find […]


The Southern Corner of This Caribbean Island Is Filled With Endless Beaches, a Boutique Resort and a Spirit of Adventure    

eleuthera caribbean island

You can get lost out here. There are nearly 4,500 acres of Bahamian frontier here, filled with casuarinas, empty trails and secluded white-sand beaches. Take a golf cart, or a bicycle or, if you’re daring, just a pair of running […]


In Dominica, an All-Inclusive That Comes With the Whole Island 

dominica fort young views

All-inclusive has been changing. That’s not a secret. It’s the biggest thing in travel right now, particularly in the Caribbean, where travelers want more. But they don’t just want the unlimited food and beverage. They want the experience. They want […]


Related Posts grace bay beach

Caribbean Photo of the Week: A Secret Corner of Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos

The latest Caribbean Photo comes from Caribbean Journal reader Joanna Blanco, who sent in this lovely shot of what she calls a “secret corner” of Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos. Have you taken a great photo in the […]


Rum Journal: A Game-Changing Caribbean Rum Gets Even Better 

dos maderas caribbean

It may be hard to remember with the growth of rum in the last decade. But when Dos Maderas came out with its 5+5 rum, it was a bit of a game-changer for the spirit.  At the time (more than […]


There’s a New Way to Arrive on This Caribbean Island, Famous For Its Beaches, Honeymoons and History 

antigua long bay

It’s already one of our favorite airports in the Caribbean: the sparkling VC Bird International Airport, the primary hub for the increasingly-popular hotspot of Antigua and Barbuda, a Caribbean island famous for its beaches (365 of them, to be exact), […]