Representatives of The University of West Indies (UWI) and the University of Havana, Cuba, recently met at the Institute of International Relations located at The UWI’s St Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago to discuss “Development challenges and possibilities for a deeper integration”. 

This first workshop on Contemporary Caribbean was coordinated by Professor Milagros Martínez, Chair of Caribbean Studies (Cátedra de Estudios del Caribe) at the University of Havana together with Dr. Mark Kirton of the Institute of International Relations. Participants debated major problems of the contemporary Caribbean, especially the challenges associated with Small Island Developing States and the regional integration recent dynamics. The cases of Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba were specifically examined.

Attending from the University of Havana were Professors Antonio Romero Gómez, Milagros Martínez Reinosa and Carmen Castillo Herrera. The Institute of International Relations was represented by Drs Mark Kirton, Anthony Gonzales and Jacqueline Laguardia Martínez. Ruben Martoredjo, IIR doctoral student, and IIR alumnus Hugh Todd from the Guyana-based LIRDS Think Tank Group, which focusses on law, international relations, research, defence and security, presented papers. Cuban Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago H.E. Guillermo Vázquez Moreno, IIR’s Director Professor Andy Knight and Rear Admiral Gary Best from LIRDS Think Tank Group also participated in the two-day discussion.

About The Institute of International Relations (IIR)

The IIR is a well-established and reputable interdisciplinary think-tank of The University of the West Indies that combines theoretical research and publication with applied training and networking. It covers issues that are national, regional, hemispheric, trans-regional and global. The IIR reaches out to like-minded institutes, centres and think tanks across the Caribbean and the globe. Its Library houses a comprehensive collection of information resources on international relations, with a focus on material covering the Caribbean and Latin American region. The IIR provides a space for diplomatic dialogues, special seminars, cutting-edge research and high-quality peer-reviewed publications. Visit: http://sta.uwi.edu/iir

Photo Caption (L-R):

Mark Kirton, Hugh Todd, Milagros Martínez, Antonio Romero, Jacqueline Laguardia, Ruben Martoredjo and Carmen Castillo take a moment from the workshop for a photograph