PrintStrengthening Capacity in a Reform Environment: A Course for Mentors and Advisers
January 17, 2012
-
January 20, 2012
 Instructor Nadia Gerspacher discusses her course.
Questions about Applying?
Explore
LocationU.S. Institute of Peace Important information about visiting us.
Related Academy Courses: |
Most interventions today are capacity strengthening missions. A lack of capacity is often the root cause of the conflict, and reconstruction and stabilization require the strengthening of the capacity of the various stakeholder groups in society. One response to this lack of capacity has been to provide assistance to enhance the ability of the government to perform efficiently and effectively. This assistance comes in the form of knowledge and skills transfer using a variety of models including training seminars, mentoring programs, and advising at more strategic levels. The international donor system's approach to staffing these interventions is to recruit practitioners whose expertise is relevant to a specific reform effort (for example, police, judges, corrections officers, prosecutors, etc., to promote rule of law, or procurement professionals to counter corruption). This model can lead to effective reform efforts, as the expertise and experience of the professionals is key to identifying new procedures and practices. However, those individuals whose substantive expertise is crucial to reform efforts in post-conflict environments have rarely been trained on how to transmit their expertise to others. This course explains how to make the shift from an experienced practitioner who practices his/her craft to a knowledge broker who participates in a reform effort by contributing ideas and supporting the planning and implementation process.
In addition to presentations from trainers, mentors, and advisers in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other post-conflict environments, the course will address such topics as incorporating adult learning principles into knowledge transfer activities, developing sensitivity about conflict dynamics, assessing capacity, engaging counterparts including women, and respecting the principles of local ownership and sustainability. In addition, project management skills and training needs analysis will be introduced as key skills for performing effectively in a post-conflict environment.
|
