Officials from the Graduate Institute, UNITAR, and Afghan Ministry of Finance, 30 January.
From April 2013, the Institute will join forces with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to deliver a tailored version of the Institute’s Executive Master in Development Policies and Practices (DPP) to 20 civil servants from the Afghan Ministry of Finance. This project aims to strengthen the knowledge, skills, and capacities of Afghan ministerial officials on the themes of effective governance and sustainable development.
The agreement to carry out the project was concluded on 30 January between Omar Zakhilwal, Minister of Finance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Director of the Graduate Institute, Philippe Burrin, and Alex Mejia, Manager of the Local Development Programme at UNITAR.
Joining expertise, UNITAR and the Graduate Institute will tailor sessions of the DPP to the Afghan context. In particular the Module one devoted to the analysis of public policies and practices will be held in Abu Dhabi (two weeks) and Amman (three weeks) and integrate case studies relevant to the Afghanistan. Module two (four months) will be enriched with UNITAR e-learning modules. Module three will gather DPP participants from Africa and Asia together with Afghan participants for three weeks in Geneva in early 2014.
The Graduate Institute Executive Master in Development Policies and Practices is a continuation of previous programmes DFD - Executive Diploma in Development Studies (2003-2006) and IMAS - International Executive Master in Development Studies (2006-2012). The DPP provides training on sustainable and effective development actions that are equitable and respectful of cultural and social diversity. Supported by the SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), the Canton of Geneva and other institutions, these programmes trained close to 400 development professionals mainly from Asia, Africa, Latin America but also from Switzerland and other 'Northern' countries.
UNITAR has a long-standing experience in addressing the training needs of public sector stakeholders, providing training and technical expertise in the area of public policy and public finance to United Nations member states. In 2004, UNITAR launched an annual Fellowship Programme to strengthen the leadership, management and professional skills of senior government officials, academics and practitioners from Afghanistan. Over 350 Afghans have been trained since then.
Learn more about the Executive Master in Development Policies and Practices
Learn more about other Executive Education programmes at the Institute
Learn more about other UNITAR programmes