The Australian Embassy in the Philippines, led by its Deputy Head of Mission and Chargé d’ Affaires, a.i. Mr. Richard Sisson, met with the Foreign Service Institute’s (FSI) Officer-in-Charge (Director-General) Ms. Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat on 18 February 2020 at the Carlos P. Romulo Library.
The visit enabled the Institute and the Australian Embassy in the Philippines to identify training programs that may be offered by Australia under the auspices of the Partnership Agreement between the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Australia Awards and Alumni Engagement Program-Philippines (AAAEP-P).
The Partnering Agreement between DFA and the AAAEP-P aims to enhance the selected programs and reform agenda under the Joint Declaration on Australia – The Philippines Comprehensive Partnership and to support the Philippine Development Plan through the provision of assistance in the Human Resource Development (HRD) and/or Learning and Development (L&D) Plan, developed via organizational training needs assessment (TNA), of its Partner Organizations.[1]
It provides a framework for scholarship programs and is co-signed by the following government agencies: National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Civil Service Commission (CSC), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The Secretary of Foreign Affairs had welcomed collaboration with Australia on training programs for the Philippine foreign service corps, especially in areas where Australia can leverage on its expertise and experience.
Mr. Richard Sisson, Mr. Ken Edward H. Concepcion, and Ms. Jordan Ysabel Morales.
Also in attendance during the call were Senior Program Officer of the Embassy’s Economic Section Mr. Christopher Fulluck; FSI Training Specialists Mr. Ken Edward H. Concepcion and Ms. Maria Olive E. Taclan; and Ms. Jordan Ysabel Morales from DFA’s Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs.
[1] Partnership Arrangement between the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Australia Awards and Alumni Engagement Program-Philippines (AAAEP), 2020.
