Budva, 15 October 2016 – The Communication Academy delivered by managers of the UK Government Communications Service and attended by senior government communicators from nine countries of South East Europe took place in Budva, Montenegro on 13-14 October 2016.
The Communications Academy, the first of its kind in this region of Europe, was organised by SEECOM, South East Europe’s association of public sector communicators, based in Budva, Montenegro, with the support of the British Embassy Podgorica. During the intensive two-day training programme, government communications managers from South East Europe learned about the UK Government’s advanced methodology and best practices in the planning and delivery of public campaigns, public communications and media relations.
The UK’s Deputy Ambassador to Montenegro Gavin Vassey welcomed the continued cooperation between the British Embassy Podgorica and the SEECOM association in promoting the highest standards of government communications and good governance across the region. “The UK strongly believes that powerful public communication should be at the absolute heart of effective policy making and it is only through effective public communication that we can really make policy work and do the things that citizens care about,” Mr Vassey has said.
The Director of Campaigns at the 10 Downing Street Conrad Bird expressed the willingness of British experts to continue to share their know-how, experience, and best practices with peers in South East Europe. Noting the crucial importance of communication with citizens for the success, understanding, and acceptance of public policies, Mr Bird underlined that communicators’ job is “actually to save lives, create jobs and make lives better for our citizens.”
Head of the Government of Montenegro’s Public Relations Service Srđan Kusovac welcomed the colleagues from the UK and the region to Montenegro and voiced hope that the South East European communications professionals will be able to apply the skills acquired at the Communications Academy towards aiding public policies and offering good services to citizens.
Vuk Vujnović, SEECOM’s Secretary-General, thanked the UK Embassy for their support in hosting the Academy, and underlined that it is a particularly important event for the organisation and the region, given that professionals from nine countries in the region have had the opportunity to learn from world’s top experts in the area.