Twelve gain post-graduate certificates in diplomacy
Stabroek News
February 19, 2003
Twelve persons graduated with Post-Graduate Certificates in Diplomacy on Monday when the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) held its second ever convocation ceremony at the Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Institute in affiliation with the University of Guyana (UG) conducted the course from September 2001 to February 2002.
Six of the graduates came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation while six were from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Lecturers were selected from senior or retired foreign service officials and government officials from other ministries and agencies, lecturers from UG and persons from the Caricom Secretariat.
The release stated that the course examined contemporary issues in the international system and the changes in theory and practice of diplomacy, regional and international organisations, international trade and international law. Practical concerns in diplomacy, including foreign policy analysis; negotiations and Guyana’s position on various issues in the international arena were also looked at.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rudy Insanally lauded the participation of the GDF, noting the importance of negotiations and military force. He posited that if the former is skilfully employed, the latter becomes unnecessary.
Captain Joel Persico of the GDF, the Best Graduating Student, was awarded the Foreign Minister’s Award.
The convocation address was delivered by Professor Norman Girvan, Secretary-General of the Association of Caribbean States. He underscored the relevance of training in diplomacy in light of the possibility of a US-led war with Iraq within weeks.
The Institute was granted affiliate status with UG in 1999, concretising the FSI/UG relationship for diplomatic training. The Post-Graduate Certificate is among the affiliated programmes run by the University.
Others present at the convocation ceremony were UG Registrar, Dr. David Chanderbali; Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Marlene Cox; Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Roxanne Myers; Director of the FSI, Harold Sahadeo; and members of the Diplomatic Corps.
