Clingendael Academy strengthens the knowledge and skills of junior diplomats from over 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean though an annual four-week training programme in The Hague. The variety in countries offers a unique opportunity for the participants to interact in an open and informal training setting. The overall aim? To contribute to closer cooperation in the region.

The four weeks’ training for diplomats from Latin America and the Caribbean combines content, skills, and work processes and is uniquely developed according to the Clingendael Training Method. All elements of the training are of relevance to Latin America and the Caribbean specifically and, at the same time, bring in the perspective of the Netherlands and Europe.

In practice, this means that the participants:

• Draw lessons from the regional integration of the European Union by visiting its institutions in Brussels;
• Strengthen their intercultural communication skills in a joint training with civil servants from Eastern Europe;
• Develop a negotiation strategy for a regional and multilateral meeting on a current security issue.

In 2015 Clingendael started cooperating with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Since then, the number of represented governments has increased and the programme has become well respected in the region.