This March, Clingendael Academy concluded a week-long online training programme on Climate Diplomacy, during which diplomats from the African Great Lakes Region and professionals from the African Union and the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre assembled to enhance their expertise and expand their international network.

To unpack the complex nature of climate diplomacy, the programme featured diverse topics such as climate governance, negotiation geographies, and transboundary resource management. A panel discussion on the perspectives of marginalised stakeholders in the fight against climate change highlighted voices from indigenous groups, women, and youth in the Great Lakes Region. Additionally, ample time was reserved in the programme for completing tailor-made e-learnings on the existing institutional framework and agreements on climate change and the main environmental, economic, social, legal and political consequences of the issue.

Participants particularly appreciated the diplomatic skills sessions on stakeholder analysis and international negotiations, underscoring the programme's efficacy in addressing real-world diplomatic challenges. The training concluded with a simulation of an interstate negotiation on transboundary water management. Here, the participants truly shined by putting all their newfound knowledge and skills into practice. 

The warm personalities of these professionals fostered a strong bond between one another and created a positive learning environment. Clingendael Academy looks back on successful programme and looks forward to intensifying the already strong collaboration with actors in the region.