Diplomats from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) arrived at Clingendael for the seventh edition of the course for Diplomats from the Arab region programme, a month-long programme dedicated to furthering cooperation in the MENA region. Not only did the Institute receive delegates from Marocco, Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, Libya and Tunisia. Among this mixed group of participants, it is for the first time that a delegation from the Palestinian Territories is also present.

New cooperations
Diplomats from the MENA region face unique challenges in areas such as security, energy and water management. During this intensive programme, top experts will seek to teach the participants new techniques and strategies to overcome these challenges and arm them with the latest insights from the field. Workshops include analyses of opportunities for cooperation with the European Union and other regional bodies, explorations of increased regional cooperation and a large number of negotiation simulations, among others.

A strong start
The course kicked off with an in-depth session headed by Paul Aarts, an expert on the Middle East from the University of Amsterdam, in which the current situation in the region was explored with the delegates through open dialogue. Today, the participants will undergo a full-day training in presentation skills.

More information
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