Foreign Affairs Ministry Hosts Protocol Conference

A two-day conference, aimed at raising awareness and strengthening Government’s capacity in protocol practices and procedures, got under way on Wednesday (September 13) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in Kingston.

Scores of representatives from ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), including the Office of the Prime Minister, the Houses of Parliament and Municipal Corporations, are participating in the event under the theme ‘Promoting Service Excellence through Protocol’.

Keynote speaker was Chief of Protocol in the Obama Administration from 2009 to 2013, Ambassador Capricia Marshall, who joined the session virtually and spoke about the practice of Protocol in the Conduct of the Business of Government.

The inaugural conference, which concludes on Thursday (September 14), aims to build the knowledge and competence of public-sector professionals in the principles and practice of protocol and diplomatic etiquette.

It also serves to reinforce established codes of international conduct in the field and equip staff in extending acceptable diplomatic courtesies and protocols in carrying out their assigned duties.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, in highlighting the importance of the conference, said that increasingly, local and international settings are requiring a set of norms and standardised behaviours, particularly in official engagements.

She noted that protocol encompasses the application of essential soft skills needed to manoeuvre the local and global social environments.

“It allows for an orderly, uniform set of rules governing codes of behaviour in national, international and diplomatic fora, in meetings and ceremonies, ensuring predictability, certainty and good form,” she pointed out.

Senator Johnson Smith said the staging of the conference reflects the vision and determination of the Ministry to play its part in enhancing the delivery of government services and operations.

She noted that last year, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, launched the Service Excellence Policy, which outlines the key principles and minimum standards for all government entities, as well as the mechanism by which service excellence will be institutionalised in all MDAs.

“We continue to be deeply passionate about the Government’s ability to deliver excellent service to our citizens,” Senator Johnson Smith said.