Clingendael Academy coached and trained defence professionals from North Macedonia in a 3-year capacity building package. The aim was to contribute to the country's integration within NATO. Two of those professionals talk about their experience in the video below.

Julijana Stojanova  (Joseph Kruzel Training Centre) and Alexandar Jovanovski (Publc Affairs Regional Centre in Skopje) talk about how they are now transferring the training they received from Clingendael to their own team members.

Cooperation with the JKTC (Joseph Kruzel Training Centre) ranged from sessions on strategic institutional growth, effective curriculum development, and Clingendael support to its growing course package. In the latter, we prepared army officers from North Macedonia to effectively participate in NATO Decision-Making; delivering modules on international security, hybrid and cyber threats, and crisis management, and high-level simulations of decision-making in the North Atlantic Council. 

The Academy also coached and trained a diverse group of trainers from throughout the Ministry of Defence and Army in effective classroom communication, group dynamics, and advanced training techniques. The cooperation with the established Public Affairs Regional Centre (PARC) was also highly focused and professional, with 'Training of Trainers' interventions, building capacity to deliver enhanced training on CIMIC (Civil-Military Cooperation) and intercultural communication. We are looking forward to seeing where our partners will take it from here!  

The partnership was made possible through the active support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Staff involved during the project period: Nils de Mooij (project lead), Paul Hendrix (co-lead / curriculum development and ToT trajectory), Gabriella Vogelaar (CIMIC) 

Other contributors: Michiel Hijmans (NATO decision-making), Johannes Wurzer (international crisis management), Mark Meijers (international crisis management), Shannon Ayre (international security & cyber), Gijs van Loon (international security & cyber), Maaike Aans (intercultural communication) and Isabel Albers (intercultural communication).