Development Diplomacy: An Introduction to Development Cooperation for Diplomats
Half a century after its inception, development cooperation is today integral to finding solutions for global, regional and national problems. As such, it influences diplomatic agendas from security right through to environment, trade, health and migration.
This course explores development cooperation as an important dimension of international relations, particularly relations between developing and developed countries. Diplomatic training courses rarely include an introduction to and training in development cooperation, thus hampering diplomats’ ability to successfully negotiate development-related issues. The course looks at various types of development cooperation at national, regional and global levels. Development issues are examined from the perspectives of both donor and recipient countries. Theory and analysis are supported with examples and illustrations from the professional experience of the course authors.
By the end of this course, participants should be able to:
- describe major issues and dilemmas in development cooperation today;
- present and explain issues related to development cooperation, both from a donor and a recipient country perspective;
- plan and prepare an “aid request” to be submitted to a donor;
- assess development needs, cooperation opportunities and cooperation proposals submitted by recipient governments or local organisations;
- select the most appropriate type of donor for different activities - bilateral, multilateral or private sources;
- monitor and evaluate the implementation of development projects, and recommend changes as needed;
- argue for and defend the role and importance of development cooperation in today's international relations.
Excerpt from Development Diplomacy Course Materials
The objectives of traditional diplomatic tasks and those of development cooperation activities may sometimes be incompatible; this situation can make it difficult for a donor representative to fulfil both responsibilities. On the one hand, a diplomat’s most important task is to defend the interests of his or her home country concerning political issues, economic aspects, security, migration and other such matters; on the other hand, he/she must consider development goals such as poverty alleviation, food security, the promotion of nascent industries, debt forgiveness, and protection of the environment. Conflicts are foreseeable...
Course Outline
- Introduction: rationale for the course; goals and structure; definitions and basic concepts (such as poverty alleviation and participation); presentation and interpretation of important figures of bilateral, multilateral and private cooperation.
- Kinds, Forms and Instruments of Development Cooperation: definitions and characteristics of humanitarian aid, development aid and economic measures, including the interplay among them; analysis of the main methods for each of these forms.
- Multilateral Development Cooperation and Diplomacy: main characteristics of multilateral development cooperation; multilateral actors and stakeholders; the roles of multilateral development institutions at country, regional, and global levels; governance of multilateral development institutions; donor and recipient country perspectives; recent trends and challenges.
- A View from Developing Countries: reasons that recipient countries strive for and accept development cooperation support; importance of support for the development of the country; positive and negative consequences of development cooperation; expectations for improvements.
- The Donor Perspective: reasons for official and private donors to realise development programmes; the role of “self-interest” and corresponding figures; expectations of donors concerning the commitment of recipients and effective transfer of funds.
- Millennium Development Goals: evolution of developing thinking since its inception; MDGs as the basis of current development policy; analysis of the main goals and their relevance for development; mechanisms of implementation and analysis of mid-term results.
- The Role of Diplomats in International Development Cooperation - Tasks and Tools: the specific tasks of a diplomat in development cooperation activities; introduction to some simple tools to assess development cooperation projects and evaluate implementation; reflections on possible dilemmas between traditional diplomatic tasks and those of development cooperation activities.
- Overview and Outlook: new trends and analysis of different approaches; differences in perspectives between donor and recipient countries; reasons for failures and successes; main current problems and outlook.
Who Should Apply
This course will be of interest to:
- practising diplomats, civil servants, and others working in international relations who want to refresh or expand their knowledge under the guidance of experienced practitioners and academics;
- post-graduate students of diplomacy or international relations wishing to study topics not offered through their university programmes or diplomatic academies and to gain deeper insight through interaction with practising diplomats;
- post-graduate students or practitioners in other fields seeking an entry point into the world of diplomacy;
- journalists, staff of international and non-governmental organisations, translators, business people and others who interact with diplomats and wish to improve their understanding of diplomacy-related topics.
Words from Former Participants
Development Diplomacy was the first online course I took and was apprehensive before starting. Once started, the only regret I had was that I did not start earlier. The reasons are that (a) the course content was relevant to my career and the learning method; a mix of weekly interactive online sessions, tests and written assignments was very effective and (b) the tutor support and understanding facilitated progress and motivated me to complete the course.
Farid Daya - CEO, Representative Office of the
Aga Khan Foundation, Switzerland in the Russian Federation
Being new to some concepts of development diplomacy, it was not a problem for me to catch up with the course, having the guidance of lecturers with very long practical experience. The way the notes are organized to be inclusive of different perspectives, the teaching methodology, and the exercises given stimulate you for more reading and new ideas. Thus, I still feel the topics fresh in my memories and apply them in my job as a sponsorship officer to communicate with donors.
Binyam Aberra - Sponsorship Officer, SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia
What I enjoyed most from the Diplo course [Development Diplomacy] was the fact that it opened up a window of global experiences and opinions to me through my classmates and professors, allowing me to increase my knowledge and skills at a tremendous speed and depth. It was also very important to me that the Diplo course could be combined with my work schedule...
Angelic del Castilho - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
for the Republic of Suriname to Indonesia
Structure and Methodology
This course is conducted entirely online over a period of ten weeks. Reading materials and tools for online interaction are provided through an online classroom. Each week, participants read the provided lecture text, adding questions, comments and references in the form of hypertext entries. Lecturers and other participants read and respond to these entries, creating interaction based on the lecture text. During the week, participants complete additional online activities (for example, further discussion via blogs or forums, quizzes, group tasks, simulations or short assignments). At the end of the week, participants and lecturers meet online in a chat room to discuss the week’s topic. To complete the course successfully, participants must write several essay assignments. Courses are based on a collaborative approach to learning, involving a high level of interaction.
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Lecturer(s)
Dr Andri Bisaz
Development Diplomacy
Dr Andri Bisaz holds a PhD in Geography and Geology from Berne University, Switzerland. After several years in private industry, he served from 1973 to 2004 in the Swiss Foreign Ministry, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). After heading the Swiss Development Coordination Office for Central Africa in Yaoundé, Cameroon, he was in charge of the West Africa Division at SDC and later of the Division for North Africa and the Middle East. He is the author of various publications on development cooperation and the environment and has lectured for the last five years on diplomacy and development cooperation in Switzerland and Malta.
Ms Utchay Okoli
Development Diplomacy
Ms Utchay Okoli is a native of Nigeria. She holds a BSc in Botany (University of Benin-Nigeria), a Master in Contemporary Diplomacy (University of Malta) and an MSc in Disaster Management and Sustainable Development (University of Northumbria, UK). Her dissertation was a policy study on the MDG3 and the strategies implemented by the Nigerian government and other development organisations to address the socio-economic vulnerability of the Nigerian woman. Since 2003, her focus has been capacity building in the development sector with particular emphasis on the development and implementation of policies that effectively address socio-economic hazards. Her work underscores the importance of people’s empowerment as a vital development asset, especially for emerging economies constantly grappling with scarce resources and severe capacity constraints. Utchay has also worked as a lead facilitator for a non-governmental organisation in Nigeria.
Mr François Rohner
Development Diplomacy
Mr François Rohner holds a MBA in economics from the Institute of Management, University of St Gallen, Switzerland. He served in the early 1970s as economic advisor for regional cooperation in Rwanda and joined the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in 1975. After heading the SDC coordination office for Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya between 1975 and 1981, he was in charge of SDCs Division of Multilateral Affairs until 2006. He has chaired numerous international working groups within the UN system (particularly on UN reform in development cooperation) and the OECD.
Prerequisites
Applicants must have:
- an undergraduate university degree; OR three years work experience and appropriate professional qualifications in diplomacy or international relations;
- sufficient ability in English language to undertake postgraduate level studies (including reading academic texts, discussing complex concepts with other course participants, and submitting written essay assignments of up to 2500 words in length);
- unrestricted access to the Internet using Firefox or Internet Explorer web browsers (please contact us for more details if you are in doubt about your level of access).
Fees
Course fees depend on whether you wish to obtain university credit for the course:
- 755 euros (University of Malta Accredited Course)
- 575 euros (Diplo Certificate Course)
Applicants must pay full fees upon official acceptance into the course. The fee includes:
- University of Malta application fee (for University of Malta Accredited Courses only);
- full tuition;
- course orientation pack where applicable (optional readings);
- access to all course materials online, via Diplo’s online classroom;
- access, via the Internet, to the University of Malta e-journal collection (University of Malta Accredited Courses only);
- personal interaction via the online classroom with course lecturers, staff and other participants;
- online technical support;
- for Diplo Certificate Courses, postgraduate level certificate issued by DiploFoundation on successful completion of course requirements (interaction and participation, all assignments).
Financial Assistance
Discounts are available for more than one participant from the same institution. A limited number of partial scholarships are available for diplomats from developing countries. To apply for a scholarship please include your CV or resume, and a letter outlining your interest in the course and financial need, with your application package.
How to Apply
A number of routes for application are available, depending on the needs of the applicant:
