The Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the U.S. State Department has awarded Graduate School USA’s International Institute a three-year grant for the Diplomatic Training Program for the Freely Associated States (FAS). The initiative will strengthen the crucial partnerships between the United States and the Freely Associated States (Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau) through building diplomatic capacity.
GSUSA’s International institute’s mission is to connect people, ideas and organizations by designing customized cultural and professional exchanges as well as capacity-building solutions. Our programs help current and future leaders share knowledge, grow professionally, improve their institutions, and enhance mutual understanding throughout the U.S. and abroad.
In the next three years, through our Washington D.C. and Hawaii-based offices, GSUSA will provide training to a cohort of 15 new members of the FAS diplomatic service, first virtually and then through in-person instruction, site visits and networking opportunities. GSUSA will partner with the Public Diplomacy Council (PDC) and Diplomatica Group. PDC is a nonprofit organization committed to promoting excellence in professional practice, academic study, and advocacy for public diplomacy. Diplomatica Group is a minority-owned business that provides protocol and executive presence training and assists with cultural adjustment and cross-cultural understanding.
Upon the culmination of this project, the participants will have honed leadership and professional communication skills and will be well-equipped to perform protocol duties, handle multilateral diplomatic efforts, and ultimately advance a shared vision of foreign policy priorities in the Indo-Pacific region.
For more information about the International Institute, or to get involved, please send an email to nina.bankova@graduateschool.edu