Alumni in Focus

Diani Jimesha Prince

Alumna of the Executive Policy and Development Symposium on Transnational Organized Crime - Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation (February - March 2018)

Diani Jimesha Prince is an experienced Lawyer and Diplomat from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. She has served as In-House Counsel for the National Insurance Services (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), a Board Member of the National Standards Council, the main policy organ of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Bureau of Standards, and as Crown Counsel in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines). As Crown Counsel, she prosecuted criminal cases such as homicides, robbery, sexual offenses, and others. She has also represented the Crown in Criminal Appeals at the OECS Court of Appeal, and advised police and government agencies on criminal matters.

She currently serves as a Diplomat at the Permanent Mission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Nations, where she is the Legal Adviser and Special Adviser on various matters of international law and international peace and security. Ms. Prince reflected on how her ILEA Roswell experience helps her on the job to this day: “Small states like Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are usually forced to stay silent in rooms where negotiations are taking place, just because we don’t have the technical expertise available to us. What ILEA afforded me was the ability to be able to effectively represent my country in those spaces, where we otherwise would not have been able to engage efficiently. As a young woman in diplomacy, which is very much still a very male dominated field, I’ve been able to have more confidence in my abilities and it has definitely strengthened my knowledge base.”

Ms. Prince has worked on UN resolutions related to the trafficking in persons, and in this area, ILEA Roswell has been helpful to her. “The most important class [at ILEA Roswell] was learning about how technology is used in trafficking in persons. This matters more and more, especially in situations of armed conflict, where bad actors seek to exploit the vulnerabilities of citizens, particularly women and girls. This knowledge and understanding gave me an edge in my deliberations and negotiations on many country specific situations, while Saint Vincent and the Grenadines sat as an elected member of the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) 2020-2021.”

Outside of her professional life, she dedicates much of her time to mentorship through the CariScholar initiative – a non-profit organization aimed at connecting Caribbean students with some of the region’s most prolific and accomplished academics and professionals, to foster mentorship, sharing of information and guidance. Ms. Prince also had her own experience with mentorship at ILEA Roswell; she met her mentor during her session and has stayed in touch with her ever since.

Ms. Prince was recognized for her nomination for the Outstanding Cooperation with Regional Partners award at ILEA Day 2022, held on April 25^th and 26^th in Bridgetown, Barbados. As a finalist, Ms. Prince embodies the spirit of these awards.