News
High Profile Opening for Second Bilingual Diplomatic Training for African Diplomats
March 25, 2009. On March 9th, 2009, twenty two diplomats representing eleven countries from Africa and the Secretariat of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region started their training on "International relations and diplomatic practice" at Clingendael. The first session of this training programme which took place in 2008 was very successful and paved the way for this second edition which looks equally promising and is scheduled at the Institute until April 3rd.
The training course is articulated around four modules corresponding to the main pillars of the International Conference, namely: peace and security, good governance and democracy, economic development and regional integration, humanitarian and social issues. To elaborate on each of the four pillars of the International Conference, the participants will attend courses ranging from a study of the role of international organisations in conflict management to a seminar on HIV and development in Africa and a workshop on how to work effectively with the international financial institutions. In addition to lectures and case-studies on those themes, participants will also receive skills training such as presentation, debating protocol and negotiations.
They will also have the opportunity to go on working visits to major international institutions in The Hague and in Brussels, thereby highlighting the working relationship between the European Union and the Netherlands on one hand and Africa and more specifically the Great Lakes Region on the other. This tailor-made training designed by Clingendael and funded by the development cooperation budget of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also special because it is a bilingual programme delivered in English and French, equal share being given to both language groups through a creative blend of parallel sessions and simultaneous interpretations.
The Director-General for International Cooperation at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Joke Brandt came to the Clingendael Institute to attend the opening ceremony on Monday March 9th . She delivered the keynote speech, stressing the dedication of the Netherlands to international cooperation programmes through integrated approach. She elaborated on the Dutch policy for fragile states, the 3D approach and the Dutch commitment to the promotion of political dialogue and regional integration in the Great Lakes Region, especially through the Netherlands’ role as co-chair of the Groups of Friends of the International Conference. Mrs Brandt concluded by a call for a renewed and ambitious role for diplomats which resounded with the goal of the Clingendael training on "International relations and diplomatic practice".
