In the fall of 2022, Clingendael Academy hosted a diplomatic training programme for diplomats from Southern African countries and regional organizations. A group of twelve young diplomats joined us to discuss a wide plethora of subjects that diplomats deal with in their everyday life.

For three weeks, the diplomats engaged in workshops, seminars and working visits. All these sessions and interactions were focused on learning from each other’s experiences, to ultimately expand horizons. Throughout the programme, we aimed to enhance participants’ professional skills, while also exchanging knowledge of the trends and challenges in international relations. The group also undertook working visits to meet their colleagues at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as a two-day visit to the EU institutions in Brussels.

In addition, the Clingendael Academy guided the diplomats in strengthening their skills by offering tailored workshops such as international negotiation and intercultural communication. These sessions were complemented by working visits to the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. To operationalize the knowledge and skills the participants acquired, they worked on Back Home Action Plans.

We look back at a very fruitful and successful training programme and look forward to many similar courses in the future. Furthermore we would like to thank our participants for sharing their insights and thoughts: it were three most interesting weeks of mutual learning.