From 2 until 6 of July the summer course Decentralisation and Local Governance took place in The Hague. Experienced participants came from all over the world: from UNICEF Benin and UNCDF Bhutan to SDC Mongolia and from USAID Pakistan and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs to DANIDA in Palestinian Authorities. Great dialogues and debates were ignited by the theoretical frameworks and practical examples of experts Jamie Boex and Renée Speijcken.
The course dealt with the theoretical side of Decentralisation and Local Governance, including fiscal decentralization, accountability and political economy analysis. It discussed numerous examples of best practices and provided the participants with practical tools in order for them to achieve their personal learning goals. The week ended with a visit to The Hague Waste Services, a public-private partnership with the municipality of The Hague, which both served as an inspiring example and provided the participants with the opportunity to see in practice what they learned in the past week.
Participants especially appreciated the knowledgeable input from experts and the positive learning environment that functioned as platform for fruitful sharing of thoughts and experiences. It gave them new insights, ´changed views on certain topics´ and the ability ´to prioritise advice and influence activities and interventions in a better way´.
The Hague Academy would like to take this opportunity to thank all participants of the summer course for their active participation and the amusing energizers that made the week a success.