In the first two weeks of June, the training course “Peacebuilding and Local Governance” took place at The Hague Academy. This was the first session of this course and it brought together a diverse mix of participants working for bilateral donors, UN and governments in countries such as Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, East-Timor and South-Sudan.
The setup of the course was very interactive and many inspiring experiences were shared by the participants. Cases on community driven development in Afghanistan, participation of indigenous women in local decision making in Colombia and fiscal decentralisation in Bangladesh, led to insightful discussions. According to one of the participants the lectures and exchanges helped in “being more sensitive to the different perceptions people may have” and other participants described the course as “a great learning experience”.
The new insights that have been generated during this course will serve as input for the next session, which is scheduled to take place at the Barcelona International Peace Resource Centre from 22 November until 2 December 2010. Further information will be posted on our website in the coming months.