Havana - Cuba 5 - 12 D e c e m b e r, 2 0 2 1
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In partnershipwith Our WiP - Study missions are part of an innovative training format devised to offer to university students the opportunity to come face-to-face with today’s most pressing challenges in international relations. They are based on a hands-on approach to learning, in which students become the protagonists in the dialogue with key interlocutors in institutions, diplomacy, global business and civil society.
Participation in a WiP - Study Mission project means:
To re-examine To go beyond the personal convictions textbook and and measure your learn about the Direct contact with To understand the beliefs with different issues first-hand, the main actors of world of cultures and directly on thefield the international international interests arena relations andopen new and exciting professional paths Why Havana? Cuba, characterised by a mix of Spanish and African roots, is the largest Caribbean island whose historical and geopolitical relevance is decreased but not erased. A generation has passed since the end of the Cold War, but Havana still plays a strategic game of cooperation loyal to communism. By the mid-1990s, Fidel Castro realised that the country needed to update its economic model to the extent that Cuba embraced tourism. Currently, the national government is still officially communist, with huge powers on the economy; however, the new President Miguel Díaz-Canel, following but not replicating Castro’s footsteps, is promoting a nation of entrepreneurship, democratic aspiration, even pro-Americanism, and encouraging privatization.
Since the inception of the Cuban Revolution, investment in free healthcare and a flourishing biotechnology sector have qualified Cuban workforce for dealing successfully with health emergencies, so that its system is increasingly exalted worldwide. After an effective and reactive medical response to the coronavirus pandemic, the economic fallout, specifically in Cuba’s already hard-hit tourism sector, is exacerbating the national scenario to levels that date back to the fall of the Soviet Union. Since 1960, an US embargo exists and, despite periods of détente, Cuba will inevitably fall under the umbrella of the American interests and policies. The WiP - Study Mission project will enhance the student’s knowledge and awareness of the pivotal role Cuba holds nowadays and will put the emphasis on the most controversial and thorny challenges: poverty, malnourishment, racism, fiscal deficits, international sanctions.
The stay in Havana will represent a unique opportunity to engage with the Cuban high- ranking officials. By the end of the program, participants will master the knowledge of the Caribbean and Central American dynamics while simultaneously get a comprehensive picture of the strategic relationship between the country and the two former antagonists of the Cold War, USA and Russia.
The ambition of the project is to enable participants to broaden their horizons and leave the pre-existing narrative behind. Shedding light on the Cuban history will be the ideal starting point to fully understand the contemporary issues and the future perspectives addressed to a population characterised by an evolving attitude.
Last but not least, participants will be provided with the chance to discover in practical terms how dialogue and cooperation constitute traditionally an added value for smaller countries: the ever-growing economic and commercial partnership with China and Russia will be counterbalanced by the advent of Biden as the 46th president of the United States. Havana (Cuba) 5-12 December, 2021
Duration: 7 days
Course elements: Pre-departure webinar course + study mission + simulation of a diplomatic negotiation
Participants: max. 35
Language: English
Fee: €1550
Accomodation: tbd
E: [email protected] The structure of theWiP -StudyMission is dividedintothreeparts:
• A webinar course held by experts, organized in 4 lessons, with special focus on current issues.
• In Havana, 7 days of meetings with institutions, diplomats, managers, professors and opinionmakers.
• Site-visits to historically important areas of the city, exploring secrets and peculiarities of the local communities,religion and culture. Sunday, December 5
Arrival in Havana
Afternoon: hotel check-in
18:00 – 19:00 kick-off meeting with EWEI tutor and the Chairman of eastwest European Institute, Giuseppe Scognamiglio.
NB. Thecourseprogram issubjectto change due to unforseen circumstancesincludingchangesin the availability of speakers or participating institutions. Monday, December 6
Morning:
10.00 – 12.00 Delegation of the European Union to Cuba Location: 5th Avenue Nº 2007 esq. 22, Miramar
Afternoon:
14.00 – 16.00 Italy-Cuba bilateral relations Meeting with His Excellency Roberto Vellano Italian Ambassador to Cuba Location: Embassy of Italy in Havana 5ta Avenida n. 402 - esquina Calle 4, Miramar - Playa, Ciudad de La Habana
17.00 – 19.00 Aperitif with His Excellency Roberto Vellano Location: Embassy of Italy in Havana 5ta Avenida n. 402 - esquina Calle 4, Miramar - Playa, Ciudad de La Habana
NB. Thecourseprogram issubjectto change due to unforseen circumstancesincludingchangesin the availability of speakers or participating institutions. Tuesday, December 7
Morning:
10.00 – 12.00 Meeting with Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla Location: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MinRex) calle G No. 360, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana
Afternoon:
14.00 – 16.00 Chamber of Commerce of Cuba Location: Calle 21 No. 661 e/ Paseo y A, Municipio Plaza de la Revolución
16.30 – 18.00 Granma Journal Headquartes Location: General Suárez y Territorial, Plaza de la Revolución
NB. Thecourseprogram issubjectto change due to unforseen circumstancesincludingchangesin the availability of speakers or participating institutions. Wednesday, December 8
Morning:
10.00 – 12.00 Meeting with President Esteban Lazo Hernández Location: El Capitolio, Havana
12.00 – 13.00 Visit of El Capitolio
Afternoon:
14.30 – 16.00 UNDP Cuba Location: Calle 18 No. 110 entre Primera y Tercera, Miramar La Habana
NB. Thecourseprogram issubjectto change due to unforseen circumstancesincludingchangesin the availability of speakers or participating institutions. Thursday, December 9
Morning:
10.00 – 12.00 UNESCO Havana Office Location: Calzada 551 – Esq. a D, El Vedado 10400
Afternoon:
14.00 – 16.00 ???
16.30 – 18.00 Guided visit to Estadio Latinoamericano Location: Cerro, Havana
NB. Thecourseprogram issubjectto change due to unforseen circumstancesincludingchangesin the availability of speakers or participating institutions. Friday, December 10
Morning:
10.00 – 13.00 Visit to Cuba Petróleo Union (CUPET) Location: Salvador Allende 666 e/ Oquendo and Soledad (5to floor)
Afternoon:
15.00 – 18.00 Simulation of Diplomatic Negotiations: “US-Cuba contentious over Guantanamo Bay: seeking resolutions” Location:
18.30 – 19.30 De-briefing
NB. Thecourseprogram issubjectto change due to unforseen circumstancesincludingchangesin the availability of speakers or participating institutions. Saturay, December 11 FREE DAY
Suggested visits: - Old Havana - Old Square - El Morro - Plaza de la Catedral - El Malecon
Sunday, December 12 RETURN TRIP
NB. Thecourseprogram issubjectto change due to unforseen circumstancesincludingchangesin the availability of speakers or participating institutions. Useful Information What is included in the participation fee? • Preparatory course • Hotel stay • Breakfast Italian citizens will need a valid • All meetings and activities listed in the Passport (with residual validity of itinerary at least six months), a Visa and a • Certification of participation health insurance (covering completely the period of stay) upon arrival in the country
What is not included in the participation fee?
• Round-trip airfare to/from Havana • Lunches and dinners • City tours & Museum fees • Airport-hotel transfers and short city transfer
Cuban Peso: 1€ = 1,212 CUC Scholarship Credits
The goal of eastwest European Institute is to involve students, selected on merit, providing them with specialized training, finalized to a career in diplomacy, international affairs, advocacy and international business.
EWEI scholarship credits will be awarded on the basis of the following criteria: ✓ Previous participation to an EWEI or Associazione Diplomatici course; ✓ University grade point average of 27/30 or equivalent; ✓ Interview on general knowledge of International relations; ✓ English language at C1 level; ✓ Single – income family.
Any documents to prove the indicated criteria may be randomly asked, but we will mainly count on the responsible statements of the candidates. Internship opportunities
The eastwest European Institute sponsors the application for an internship in one of the following partner Companies and Associations for the 5 best participants to each WiP - Study Mission Publication opportunity
A group of 2 to 5 participants can apply to write a common article on the project for publication on the eastwest magazine. An editorial coordinator should be appointed within the team.
WWW.EASTWEST.EU Contact: [email protected]
Visit our website www.ew-ei.eu
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