On 3 December 2021, the first edition of the "Training and Update Programme for Young Diplomats on the EU-CELAC Strategic Partnership", offered by the EU-LAC Foundation and the Ibero-American Institute of the University of Salamanca, came to a successful conclusion after the completion of 10 specialised academic modules that began on 22 November.
The closing session began with the words of the Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr Adrián Bonilla, in which he highlighted the bi-regional relationship between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean as a very lively partnership with complex agendas. According to Dr Bonilla, it is fundamental to organise this course so that diplomats can have a better understanding of this relationship that informs their work and drives them to produce more knowledge, and that allows them to specialise in this bi-regional partnership in search of new knowledge.
The programme was attended by more than 25 young diplomats accredited by the respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The training programme ran for 2 weeks with a daily 90-minute session consisting of a 45-minute keynote lecture followed by a seminar among the participants.
The programme covered modules on the EU-LAC Foundation as a tool for bi-regional partnership, integration processes in the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean, the bi-regional agenda, bi-regional trade and economic diplomacy, the role of external actors, the 2030 agenda, and new ways of understanding the bi-regional partnership. To obtain certification for the programme, participants are now developing a policy brief as a mandatory final assessment.
The call for the second edition of the programme will be launched during the first quarter of 2022 by the EU-LAC International Foundation.
