About US
The Foreign Service Institute (FSI)
The establishment of the Foreign Service Institute owes its accreditation to the farsightedness of President William V. S. Tubman, Liberia’s 18th President, who saw the need to liberianize the diplomacy of the country. Following the independence of Liberia in 1847, her diplomacy was largely entrusted to other Foreign Nationals.
With this concept of liberianization, President Tubman negotiated with the Government of the United States of America to train Liberians in International Relations. This was successful when a total of eleven brilliant Liberians were trained by the American Government in Washington D. C. in the 1940s.
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The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) was established in the 1950s, to offer a broad based program of professional training for the young entrants to the Foreign Service of Liberia. As an intellectual institute for training and research, the Institute has the mandate to create a program conducive for the exchange of ideas on the political underpinnings of global economic relations, cultural diversities, integration, and the issue of conflict. The programs of the Institute are geared at providing intellectual orientation for Liberian Foreign Service Officers and Diplomats and also provide a penetrating insight and understanding of continental and the culture of foreign policy formulation and implementation.
The following consitute the aims of the school:
Contribute in furthering the Foreign Policy objectives of the country through cooperation with other training institutions around the world.
Serve as an official Government Training Institution for Liberian Foreign Service Officers
Carry out interaction with other diplomatic training institutions and research academic institutions in the world to enhance research methodology as it relates to the program.
Achievements
These achievements of the Tubman`s Administration were made possible through the instrumentality of the then Secretary of State, Honorable Gabriel L. Dennis. In 1946, a legislation creating the Liberian Foreign Service Institute, was enacted by the Liberian Government. In 1950, the Foreign Service Institute became acknowledged as a training institution when its first group of thirty students were sent to the State Department in Washington D. C. to be trained as foreign service personnel.
Following the creation of the Foreign Service Institute, the Liberian Government appointed Mr. George A. Padmore who once served as Liberian Ambassador to head the Institute as its first Director. Since then, the Institute has measured up to Government's standard. These training programs have not only benefited Liberians but Foreign Nationals as well. During the period 1989- May 2002, the Institute remained closed due to the National civil crisis, which started in December 1989 and lasted for seven years. By June 2002, the Institute was reactivated through the continued task of Minister Monie R. Captan of rebuilding the Foreign Ministry to enhance greater efficiency and effectiveness and also assist in developing the capacity of our Foreign Service Officers and other Liberians who may be interested in representing their government abroad.
Students at the Institute are trained free of charge in basic computer literacy and Internet program. At the Institute, Foreign Languages are taught to the future diplomats. Our language program contains French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish. The rationale attached to the impartation of Foreign Languages to our students is that, in the context of diplomacy, there is no ‘border’. One of the admirable qualities of a good diplomat is to be knowledgeable of the culture and native tongues of other countries. Another comprehensive quality of the Institute is that it conducts refresher and orientation courses to employees; foreign service officers, and other who are desirous of the program and want to benefit from the training.
What makes the program at the Institute so interesting is that, experienced and academically inclined Foreign Diplomats and Representatives of International Organizations accredited near the nation’s capital, serve as Guest Lecturer on various topics in the areas of economics, politics, social, culture, and dialectics. These lectures, which are usually provided during special seminar programs organized by the Institute, are conduit to the course incentives and sensitized the beneficiaries. Some of the specific topics touched in our seminar programs include Human Right, Good governance, Security, Conflict Resolution, Reconciliation, the dynamics of International Negotiation, etc, etc.
Our works
Promotion
To enhance the raining of would be Liberian diplomats and other Foreign Service officers for the Liberian Foreign Service.
Travel
To foster the spirit of internationalism, international understanding, international cooperation with all nations of the world among our trainees.
Training
Training Philosophy
A participatory approach is applied in the system of Training and Instructions. The Institute lays emphasis on seminars, panel discussions, workshops, and special lecture series to enhance skills comprehensive for the successful conduct of the diplomatic career.
Training Approach
Basically, the philosophical concept of the Foreign Service Institute is to educate and equip diplomats with comprehensive expertise in inter-national affairs; and inculcate in them a modern and satisfactory standard on the challenges reality of the present International Diplomacy, International Economic, Finance and Commerce, the issue of humanity/refugee crisis, immigration, security, the concept of international law and the culture of language among others.
Partners
