Cameroon – Central African Republic and Cameroon. Sant’Anna trains young diplomats

 “The reconstruction of man and his humane abilities represents a necessary and unavoidable step towards a real reconstruction of the Country that has lost the very foundations of its institutions during these years of war,” said Samuela Isopi, Italian Ambassador to Cameroon and the Central African Republic. Isopi spoke on the opening day of the second phase of the training project promoted by Scuola  Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa and addressed to the diplomats of the Central African Republic. The goal is to contribute to the institutional reconstruction of the Country, the site of a complex conflict that has been raging since 2012 and where a serious humanitarian crisis is underway. Six senior diplomats of the Central African Republic attended a high education course on the premises of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa in February last. Now the second phase of the training programme continues in Yaoundé, where a two-month course will be held, starting today, at the Institute for International Relations of Cameroon, IRIC, a well-established regional organization that has been cooperating with Scuola Superiore  Sant’Anna for many years. Fifteen diplomats of the Central African Republic are attending this course together with some diplomats from Cameroon. The middle-term goal is to contribute to the restructuring and strengthening of the ability of diplomacy and of the new ruling class of the Central African Republic. In particular, the course will provide the knowledge and competences necessary to fulfil the mandate of diplomatic agents and represent at the best of their abilities the interests of their respective countries at the regional and international level. The presence of diplomats of the Central African Republic and of Cameroon will guarantee an effective exchange of good practices and experiences, while strengthening the basis for a regional cooperation and integration. The course, to be opened by Andrea de Guttry, full professor of Public International Law and the Director of the  Dirpolis  Institute (Law, Politics, Development)  of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, will be taught by professors from Italian Universities and IRIC,  diplomatic officials of Embassies in Cameroon, members of the Cameroon diplomatic corps, and executives of International Organizations based in Yaoundé. Senior diplomats of the Central African Republic, who attended the course held in Italy at the  Scuola Superiore  Sant’Anna in February 2017, will also give classes.  “It is a pilot project designed and financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Directorate General for Global Affairs, and implemented thanks to the precious support of the Italian Embassy in Yaoundé, which proves the commitment by Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna and Italy to contributing to the rebirthing of the ruling class of the ravaged Central African Republic. Once again the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna is called to be at the forefront in a difficult context in Africa, firmly believing that educating local human resources is one of the tools through which to achieve reconciliation and development in the Country,” said Prof. de Guttry.