News

The 77th Leergang Buitenlandse Betrekkingen has officially opened
21 Sep 2022 - 16:31
Source: Clingendael

Clingendael was honoured to welcome Tom de Bruijn, former Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, who delivered the keynote speech for the opening of the 77th 'Leergang Buitenlandse Betrekkingen', our training programme on international relations. He spoke about the current situation in Ukraine, shared personal experiences, and addressed the role of the European Union as a geopolitical actor. Participants of this unique training programme were joined by around 50 alumni for this opening event.  

Tom de Bruijn, former Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands

A unique and intense training programme

Each year, the Clingendael Academy organises the Leergang Buitenlandse Betrekkingen, one of our longest standing programmes. This year marks the 77th edition.  

The training programme is geared towards international professionals from both the public and private sector. It is an intensive 12-week programme in which we seek to tackle recent and changing developments in the field of international affairs through different skills and thematic topics. They will be trained and challenged by Clingendael experts and top executives working for the government, political parties, universities, media, NGO's and the private sector. The group consists of 18-24 participants ranging from different professional backgrounds, but all connected in one way or another to the field of international relations.  

The LBB offers participants a unique opportunity; to deepen their knowledge and enhance their skills for the demands of a future job in international relations, but also how to apply these skills in practice with insights from ‘on the ground’ experience of practitioners. Besides training at the Institute, the programme also includes several working visits and networking events to acquire first-hand information of organisations and businesses that are active in the field of international affairs.  

In this year’s LBB, participants will pay a working visit to the Port of Rotterdam, speak about the future of NATO with one of the assistants of NATO’s secretary general, and show off their negotiation skills during our 2-day negotiation simulation. 

LBB facts & figures

  • The first LBB started in 1967

  • 'Famous' LBB'ers are amongst others: Kajsa Ollongren (current Minister of Defense), Sigrid Kaag (current Minister of Finance), Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (former Minister of Foreign Affairs) 

  • The LBB has more than 1,600 alumni, many of which have ended up in an international career.  

LBB in 2023

Are you interested to join the LBB? The course dates in 2023 will be determined as soon as possible. If you would like to stay up to date, sign up for our e-mail alert. Are you interested in other courses the Clingendael Academy offers such as international negotiations, mediation, intercultural communication or on the EU? Visit our training calendar.