From Caribbean News Now

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — The Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean, in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), has created a new module in labour diplomacy. It is one of a series of diplomacy courses offered by the Academy.

The course was officially launched at the Forum on the Future of the Caribbean in Trinidad on 7 May 2015.

The five-day module in labour diplomacy, expected to be held in September 2015 at the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, will introduce participants to the ILO through a series of lectures and discussions aiming to:

• explain the history, mandate and structure of the ILO;
• identify the role of the ILO’s constitution, international labour standards, current and salient issues related to the world of work and the importance of the decent work agenda.

Expert lecturers, distinguished in the field of labour diplomacy, will deliver the course which will target those working in government, employers’ and workers’ organizations, the public and private sector, as well as postgraduate students, and those from non-governmental organizations, who have an interest in expanding their capabilities and knowledge on labour diplomacy.

“It might seem strange for a diplomatic academy to be offering training on a topic like labour, but the Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean is not your typical traditional academy. The Academy adopts an all of government approach to diplomacy and shares the view of the International Labour Organization that individuals in business, government and labour unions should learn the art of diplomacy in order to ensure labour peace and promote decent work for all,” stated Professor Andy Knight, director of The Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean.

Giovanni di Cola, special advisor to the Multilateral Cooperation Department, ILO Geneva and former director of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, who participated in the Forum on the Future of the Caribbean, stated, “The Masters-level course on labour diplomacy is the result of team work among academia, social tripartite partners and the ILO. It aims at developing leadership skills and knowledge on labour matters and decent work in the context of new diplomatic and international patterns.”

The course was inspired by a comment from Winston Dookeran, minister of foreign affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, during an ILO side event hosted at the third international conference on small island developing states (SIDS) in Samoa in September 2014. Exploring the future of economic integration in the Caribbean, decent work and labour market outcomes, Dookeran challenged the ILO to create a module on labour diplomacy to enable greater engagement of social partners in political processes.

The Forum on the Future of the Caribbean 5-7 May, hosted by the University of the West Indies and the ministry of foreign affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, in collaboration with the United Nations System in Trinidad and Tobago, and a wide range of international development partners, brought together political leaders, academia, private sector leaders, young shapers, civil society and policymakers, to engage in a vigorous debate and discussion under the theme: Disruptive Thinking. Bold Action. Practical Outcomes.

IMAGE: Professor Andy Knight, Director of The Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean (left) and Giovanni di Cola, Special Advisor to the Multilateral Cooperation Department, International Labour Organization (right) at the Forum on the Future of the Caribbean, 5-7 May 2015

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