Celsa Nuño on being a diplomat
Published:Sunday | May 22, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
Being a diplomat is hard work but Spanish Ambassador Celsa Nuño feels she has got the right footing to do her job well.
In an interview with Outlook, the Madrid native credited her parents with instilling the 'right' virtues.
"(They taught) The importance of hard work and the importance of education. That's what I try to teach my children. We're not going to be able to live with a big inheritance but we are going to try and provide them with a good education. The children have to take advantage of that. I believe in hard work and work ethic. I also believe in honesty and I feel with those tools you can achieve anything." She said growing up with five siblings taught her about sharing and when asked about her career choice, she also points to her parents' influence.
Visionaries
"I think that they were, in a way, visionaries because at the time (circa 1970s) Spain was still very insular, very politically isolated and they could see that in the future, the world was going to be interconnected." Ambassador Nuño recalled her parents encouraging their six children to learn other languages.
"That is something I would like to transmit to Jamaican youngsters; the importance of learning foreign languages. And I would mention Spanish specifically because it is the second most widely spoken language in the world and Jamaica is in a region where it is surrounded by Spanish-speaking countries. I see Spanish for Jamaica and Jamaicans as a tool for economic empowerment."
A career diplomat with a legal background, she spent nine years initially in Africa (including Ivory Coast and Ghana) and then Latin America (including the Dominican Republic and Argentina), two very important regions for Spain in terms of foreign policy. Nuño entered the diplomatic service in February 1989. Before Jamaica, she was the senior diplomatic adviser to the Spanish deputy prime minister. She has served in various capacities but Jamaica is her first posting as head of mission and Nuño is quite cognisant of the awesome responsibility.
"It's a big responsibility representing my country abroad but it's an immense privilege. I think that in general, the role of a diplomat and definitely an ambassador is as a matchmaker. It's about identifying the interests of my country and identifying the interests of Jamaica and seeing where they can cross and we can maximise the benefits to both countries." She opined that there was an expansion of economic investment in Jamaica in the last decade, namely in tourism. She acknowledged that times are economically more challenging now.
"But I believe there are opportunities in times of economic constraints and I am devoting a lot of my efforts to assist the Spanish companies that are already in the region ... to open new avenues for opportunities here in Jamaica." She cited agriculture and water infrastructure as two such areas. Nuño arrived in October and said Jamaica has been fantastic.
"It couldn't have been better," she gushed. "We've really felt at home since we arrived. We didn't even go to Spain at Christmas time, we decided to stay and visit (other parts of) Jamaica. The welcome has been very warm. I find Jamaicans very accessible and very ready to assist in getting things done." And getting things done is her goal.
"A good friend of mine said I 'landed running' and I like that expression. I think that one has to become familiar with the different sectors as quickly as possible in order to start establishing links and getting results." She has been in talks with various companies and said potential areas have already been identified for work to begin. Nuño is also Spain's ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Dominica, St Kitts and is the permanent representative to the International Seabed Authority. She expressed confidence more companies will see Jamaica as a place to do business. But all that work can be time-consuming.
"Being a diplomat has difficulties in the personal sphere. The rest is something you can overcome with work and counterparts who are willing to work. But in the personal sphere ... I would say it's more difficult for a woman to reconcile work and family. For a diplomat, it means in most instances, the spouse has to give up their career."
Nuño is married to South African pilot and former career diplomat Alex Crowther, who she praises for his support. They have three children: sons Alejandro and Daniel and daughter Jimena. A keen golfer, she said she doesn't have the time to play; simply too busy to get in a few rounds. She said her family loves the outdoors and they are all hoping to stay here for as long as possible.
"You have to look at the positive things and this country has a lot of them."