Her Excellency La Celia Prince presented her credentials to President George W. Bush on June 6th, 2008. Prior to becoming Ambassador, she served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Washington Embassy from September 2005 until her appointment as Ambassador. She is also her nation’s Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States. Prior to her arrival to Washington DC, Ambassador Prince worked in multilateral trade negotiations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Geneva, and Brussels. She is a lawyer by profession, having studied at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus; Sir Hugh Wooding Law School, Trinidad; and Cambridge University, England. Ambassador Prince is currently the youngest foreign ambassador accredited to and serving in Washington, DC.
Today, we are talking about the role of women in international affairs, and so tell us what it's like being a woman Ambassador here in Washington. Does being a woman make it a different job?
I don't feel that way, no. Our numbers have been growing as women. In fact, I think we got very close to 30 female Ambassadors, which is a record here in Washington, DC. I believe that we are just as effective in communicating our points of view as men without having to speak more loudly or go the extra mile. Our colleagues do respect us.
In advance of International Women's Day, what are you all doing in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to encourage more women to come into the government jobs, into leadership positions, into educational positions?
What you are referring to alludes, in some respect, to the millennium development goals. Goal number three speaks to the elimination of the disparity between the genders and equality for women, empowerment for women. In the area of education, we have done very well. St. Vincent and the Grenadines has made significant progress in which we are justifiably proud, beginning with education. The millennium development goals require that there be elimination of the gender disparity in the area of education, and I think the goal is for that to be achieved by 2015. Since 2005, we have had universal access to primary and secondary education, and that is equal between sexes.
We also have created incredible opportunities for women to be at the heart of nation building in our country. We've had the largest number of women in our nation's history who occupy very strategic positions in government, starting with the Deputy Prime Minister, for example. The Attorney General, the head of the Civil Service, the Cabinet Secretary – these are all women positioned to make policies and decisions that advance our development. But not only that, I think it's the multiplier effect as well because with young girls and young women seeing other women in leadership positions, it inspires them to aspire higher. And, of course, we have women like myself in the top diplomatic posts. Our Ambassador to the United Nations is also a woman.
What is one of the most important things that a government can do to ensure that women and girls have the opportunity to enter top positions in the workplace?
One of the things that a government can do in order to effectively respond to the needs in society is to arm itself with the appropriate data. Through the World Bank, our government did a survey in 2009 in which it was discovered that about half of the persons that live below the poverty line are women. As a result of those findings, the government has adopted a poverty reduction strategy which includes policies for gender mainstreaming issues, and these speak to providing opportunities for women for employment, particularly for those in the rural areas.
What kind of value do you see in face-to-face dialog and communication and coming to understand more about other cultures?
Some Vincentians have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program, and they have found those programs to be extremely enriching and rewarding. They’re able to go back home to St. Vincent and the Grenadines in their professional fields as well as their communities, and take that learning with them to foster greater understanding of our bilateral partners. One of the things that I have been able to do in my job here is to initiate a sister islands partnership with Martha's Vineyard. We've signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in many different areas, including in the area of education. Some of the elements of the education cooperation provide for teacher and student exchanges, as well as collaboration between our respective libraries.
You have many responsibilities here in Washington, but what are you most passionate about right now in serving as Ambassador?
I would have to say that it is education. The access to higher education has been transformational in my life. It is also one of the flagship policies for my government, and it has been a transformational issue in my country for the last decade or so. Up to the '90s, there weren't many opportunities for Vincentians to study abroad unless they had the independent means. There were few government-sponsored scholarships, few scholarships that we got from other countries as well, and that has since changed in large measure. Our government has been sponsoring a lot of scholarships on its own account and, through its foreign policy thrust, has secured numerous scholarships partnerships with friendly nations. I have taken it at the heart of my job to seek and safeguard such opportunities for Vincentians, both in my capacity as Ambassador to the USA and Permanent Representative to the OAS.
Recently, U.S. Vice President Biden hosted a major conference on energy security in the Caribbean, which you participated in. What was the focal point of the conference, and were there any takeaways or outcomes that we should be aware of?
It was the start of a conversation. The idea was to have a conversation about the energy needs of CARICOM countries and how that impacts our foreign policy. It was a good opportunity for very fair and frank discussions on our needs and potential on the one hand, and how the United States can partner with us in our endeavor to be more energy secure. The lion's share of the import bill of Caribbean countries is gobbled up by energy costs, which means there is less capital available for development and social programs. Where we differed in the conversation was our perspectives on how we can go about achieving our goals, and so that's why I said it's just the start of a conversation. CARICOM countries are well aware that we have tremendous opportunities to be more energy-secure. We have access to solar, wind, geothermal, but when we're looking for partners to help us develop these products, we need our partners to be responsive to our needs as we have identified them and forge a collaboration that is beneficial to both sides, rather than prescribing broad measures that are not beneficial to both. In fact, we have entered partnerships with New Zealand, Iceland, and the United Arab Emirates, and we're about to start a geothermal project. We would love the United States to be a partner in this exercise, but we differ in our perspectives from the United States on that.
I don't think that it is in anybody’s interest for the Caribbean to be made mendicant by energy insecurity, and so I'm cautiously optimistic that we will find solutions that would allow us to be more energy secure and, at the same time, to provide secure investment opportunities for those that wish to do business with us.
One of the things St. Vincent and the Grenadines is known for is its distinguished rum. Do you have exports of rum here to the U.S., and is it popular?
We do have a Vincentian diaspora in the United States, and they import the rum but not in large quantities. For CARICOM countries generally, rum is a commodity that is a significant income earner, and that is one of the trade issues on which we have been engaging the United States because we find that our market is currently challenged by a regime which we consider to be unfair.
We are approaching the Congress and the U.S. State Department to see whether the Congress can find a way to continue in its obligations towards Puerto Rico but, at the same time, not allowing the “cover over” that is given by the Congress, supposedly for development, to be used to provide a trade-distorting subsidy to Diageo.
Recently President Obama announced changes to how the United States views its relationship with Cuba, including a pathway to the normalization of relations. Do you view this as a positive thing?
Absolutely. St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been consistent and very vocal that our hemisphere needs to be united once again. Cuba needs to be brought in from the cold by the United States. In fact, when the announcement was made, my Prime Minister sent a very complimentary congratulatory message to President Obama. In opening remarks at the Energy summit held two days ago, Vice President Biden started off his introductory remarks by congratulating CARICOM and thanking CARICOM countries for being a constant voice calling for the normalization of relations between the USA and Cuba. So we welcome it, but at the same time, we recognize that a normalization of diplomatic relations does not necessarily mean a lifting of the embargo against Cuba. That is something that we will continue to strongly advocate for.
The Ambassadors’ Forum is a joint initiative of Meridian International Center, the Council of American Ambassadors, and the Diplomatic Courier magazine. The series captures the views of Ambassadors from around the world on the critical role of diplomacy in addressing current global challenges.
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The Ambassadors Forum: Interview with Ambassador La Celia Prince
March 11, 2015
Her Excellency La Celia Prince presented her credentials to President George W. Bush on June 6th, 2008. Prior to becoming Ambassador, she served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Washington Embassy from September 2005 until her appointment as Ambassador. She is also her nation’s Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States. Prior to her arrival to Washington DC, Ambassador Prince worked in multilateral trade negotiations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Geneva, and Brussels. She is a lawyer by profession, having studied at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus; Sir Hugh Wooding Law School, Trinidad; and Cambridge University, England. Ambassador Prince is currently the youngest foreign ambassador accredited to and serving in Washington, DC.
Today, we are talking about the role of women in international affairs, and so tell us what it's like being a woman Ambassador here in Washington. Does being a woman make it a different job?
I don't feel that way, no. Our numbers have been growing as women. In fact, I think we got very close to 30 female Ambassadors, which is a record here in Washington, DC. I believe that we are just as effective in communicating our points of view as men without having to speak more loudly or go the extra mile. Our colleagues do respect us.
In advance of International Women's Day, what are you all doing in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to encourage more women to come into the government jobs, into leadership positions, into educational positions?
What you are referring to alludes, in some respect, to the millennium development goals. Goal number three speaks to the elimination of the disparity between the genders and equality for women, empowerment for women. In the area of education, we have done very well. St. Vincent and the Grenadines has made significant progress in which we are justifiably proud, beginning with education. The millennium development goals require that there be elimination of the gender disparity in the area of education, and I think the goal is for that to be achieved by 2015. Since 2005, we have had universal access to primary and secondary education, and that is equal between sexes.
We also have created incredible opportunities for women to be at the heart of nation building in our country. We've had the largest number of women in our nation's history who occupy very strategic positions in government, starting with the Deputy Prime Minister, for example. The Attorney General, the head of the Civil Service, the Cabinet Secretary – these are all women positioned to make policies and decisions that advance our development. But not only that, I think it's the multiplier effect as well because with young girls and young women seeing other women in leadership positions, it inspires them to aspire higher. And, of course, we have women like myself in the top diplomatic posts. Our Ambassador to the United Nations is also a woman.
What is one of the most important things that a government can do to ensure that women and girls have the opportunity to enter top positions in the workplace?
One of the things that a government can do in order to effectively respond to the needs in society is to arm itself with the appropriate data. Through the World Bank, our government did a survey in 2009 in which it was discovered that about half of the persons that live below the poverty line are women. As a result of those findings, the government has adopted a poverty reduction strategy which includes policies for gender mainstreaming issues, and these speak to providing opportunities for women for employment, particularly for those in the rural areas.
What kind of value do you see in face-to-face dialog and communication and coming to understand more about other cultures?
Some Vincentians have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program, and they have found those programs to be extremely enriching and rewarding. They’re able to go back home to St. Vincent and the Grenadines in their professional fields as well as their communities, and take that learning with them to foster greater understanding of our bilateral partners. One of the things that I have been able to do in my job here is to initiate a sister islands partnership with Martha's Vineyard. We've signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in many different areas, including in the area of education. Some of the elements of the education cooperation provide for teacher and student exchanges, as well as collaboration between our respective libraries.
You have many responsibilities here in Washington, but what are you most passionate about right now in serving as Ambassador?
I would have to say that it is education. The access to higher education has been transformational in my life. It is also one of the flagship policies for my government, and it has been a transformational issue in my country for the last decade or so. Up to the '90s, there weren't many opportunities for Vincentians to study abroad unless they had the independent means. There were few government-sponsored scholarships, few scholarships that we got from other countries as well, and that has since changed in large measure. Our government has been sponsoring a lot of scholarships on its own account and, through its foreign policy thrust, has secured numerous scholarships partnerships with friendly nations. I have taken it at the heart of my job to seek and safeguard such opportunities for Vincentians, both in my capacity as Ambassador to the USA and Permanent Representative to the OAS.
Recently, U.S. Vice President Biden hosted a major conference on energy security in the Caribbean, which you participated in. What was the focal point of the conference, and were there any takeaways or outcomes that we should be aware of?
It was the start of a conversation. The idea was to have a conversation about the energy needs of CARICOM countries and how that impacts our foreign policy. It was a good opportunity for very fair and frank discussions on our needs and potential on the one hand, and how the United States can partner with us in our endeavor to be more energy secure. The lion's share of the import bill of Caribbean countries is gobbled up by energy costs, which means there is less capital available for development and social programs. Where we differed in the conversation was our perspectives on how we can go about achieving our goals, and so that's why I said it's just the start of a conversation. CARICOM countries are well aware that we have tremendous opportunities to be more energy-secure. We have access to solar, wind, geothermal, but when we're looking for partners to help us develop these products, we need our partners to be responsive to our needs as we have identified them and forge a collaboration that is beneficial to both sides, rather than prescribing broad measures that are not beneficial to both. In fact, we have entered partnerships with New Zealand, Iceland, and the United Arab Emirates, and we're about to start a geothermal project. We would love the United States to be a partner in this exercise, but we differ in our perspectives from the United States on that.
I don't think that it is in anybody’s interest for the Caribbean to be made mendicant by energy insecurity, and so I'm cautiously optimistic that we will find solutions that would allow us to be more energy secure and, at the same time, to provide secure investment opportunities for those that wish to do business with us.
One of the things St. Vincent and the Grenadines is known for is its distinguished rum. Do you have exports of rum here to the U.S., and is it popular?
We do have a Vincentian diaspora in the United States, and they import the rum but not in large quantities. For CARICOM countries generally, rum is a commodity that is a significant income earner, and that is one of the trade issues on which we have been engaging the United States because we find that our market is currently challenged by a regime which we consider to be unfair.
We are approaching the Congress and the U.S. State Department to see whether the Congress can find a way to continue in its obligations towards Puerto Rico but, at the same time, not allowing the “cover over” that is given by the Congress, supposedly for development, to be used to provide a trade-distorting subsidy to Diageo.
Recently President Obama announced changes to how the United States views its relationship with Cuba, including a pathway to the normalization of relations. Do you view this as a positive thing?
Absolutely. St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been consistent and very vocal that our hemisphere needs to be united once again. Cuba needs to be brought in from the cold by the United States. In fact, when the announcement was made, my Prime Minister sent a very complimentary congratulatory message to President Obama. In opening remarks at the Energy summit held two days ago, Vice President Biden started off his introductory remarks by congratulating CARICOM and thanking CARICOM countries for being a constant voice calling for the normalization of relations between the USA and Cuba. So we welcome it, but at the same time, we recognize that a normalization of diplomatic relations does not necessarily mean a lifting of the embargo against Cuba. That is something that we will continue to strongly advocate for.
The Ambassadors’ Forum is a joint initiative of Meridian International Center, the Council of American Ambassadors, and the Diplomatic Courier magazine. The series captures the views of Ambassadors from around the world on the critical role of diplomacy in addressing current global challenges.
