Introduction

The world is experiencing the impact of unsustainable growth, affecting the climate, people and natural resources. Local governments and their citizens are confronted with the exacerbation of existing problems such as air pollution or water scarcity. Moreover, their security and livelihoods are threatened by drought, floods and other natural disasters. In the face of these challenges, local governments must develop strategies to respond to current and future climate events, in partnership with the community.

In this course, we will assess local climate vulnerabilities as well as adaptation plans and strategies. We will explore the policy implications of climate change projections across multiple sectors, including the role that local authorities and stakeholders can play in building resilience. Furthermore, the course focuses on the design and planning of sustainable climate adaptation policies that support communities and ecosystems.

Key Information

This course is aimed at professionals who design, implement and support policies for adaptation to and mitigation of the effects of climate change. Participants come from national, regional and local governments, knowledge institutes, NGOs and donor and development organisations.

The course will take place in The Hague from 30 June 2025 to 11 July 2025. 

The course fee is € 3,595. This includes all training related costs as well as drinks and warm lunches during the training days. Group discounts are available if you participate with three or more colleagues.

This training takes place in The Hague, Netherlands.

After this course, you will receive a professional certificate of completion from The Hague Academy for Local Governance.

Learning objectives

This course will help you:

Understand key concepts of climate change, climate adaptation, mitigation, risk and resilience;

Increase insight into climate change scenarios and policy implications;

Assess climate vulnerabilities using well-established tools and methodologies;

Design climate policies and action plans;

Implement and finance climate policies with stakeholders in your organisation and community;

Mainstream sustainability and climate actions in your organisation.

Experience

You will visit examples of smart technology, urban farming, green buildings and projects to adapt to rising sea levels and heavy rainfall. Amongst others, you will visit Elemental WaterMakers and Living Lab Scheveningen, who are developing and implementing sustainable solutions for climate adaptation and resilience. You will also visit the World Horti Center, the world’s leading hub for innovation across the water-food nexus. Lastly, At Eva-Lanxmeer, an ecological residential area, you will experience first-hand an example of sustainable and participatory urban planning.

Practical information

Find the practical information for the course here.

  • Payment

    After submitting your completed application, you will receive a confirmation of receipt. Once we have assessed your application and admitted you to the course, we will send you an invoice with payment details.

    Payments can be made by bank transfer or by PayPal request. We offer the option of paying in one or two instalments. An advance payment of 50% secures the reservation of a seat at the training until the payment deadline. Your participation in the course is guaranteed only after receipt of full payment.

    Please note that The Hague Academy accepts registrations on a first-paid, first-served policy.

  • Visa Applications

    Some countries require a visa to enter the Netherlands. Please check with The Netherlands or the embassy for the visa requirements related to your country. Because of the length of time needed for the visa procedure, we advise you to start this process as soon as possible. Once we have received your payment for the course, The Hague Academy will send you an acceptance letter which will assist you in arranging your visa to The Netherlands.

  • Cancellation

    Under certain circumstances, participants may need to cancel their participation in the course. For cancellations before the payment deadline, we will reimburse the paid amounts minus an administration fee of €150.

    To prevent late cancellation, we strongly encourage you to start with your visa application procedure at least six weeks before the start of the training programme.

    We will charge a cancellation fee of 50% of the course fee for participants cancelling between four and two weeks prior to the start of the training. If you cancel your participation within the two-week period before the start of the course, then you have to pay 80% of the course fee.

    It is always possible to nominate a suitably qualified candidate to replace you without extra charge, in the event that you cannot attend the course.

    The Hague Academy for Local Governance reserves the right to cancel a course if the number of participants is insufficient or due to any other unforeseen circumstances. In this case, your payment will be 100% reimbursed. Other costs such as transportation or hotel cannot be reimbursed.

Scholarships

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers the Middle East and Northern Africa Scholarship Programme (MSP) that aims to enhance the skills and abilities of professionals in the public service, empowering them to strengthen democracy in their country. If you are a civil servant from one of the following countries, please proceed to the Scholarships page and follow the instructions to apply. 

The countries that are currently eligible to receive the MSP scholarship are: Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman and Tunisia.

For more detailed information and eligibility criteria, please visit our Scholarships page. Note that scholarships have a separate application process.

Scholarships page

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