Policy Advisers Course for Eastern Partners - Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA), together with the School of Public Policy at Central European University will organize a three-day intensive training course for young policy advisers from the Eastern part of Europe - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

The training seeks to contribute to building democratic institutions where junior foreign policy professionals of today will play a crucial role in defining the future trajectory of their nation. Overall, the course aims to contribute to a better understanding of the role of political advisers and tasks that are at the heart of deliberating, shaping and implementing policy. It will focus on developing practical skills in a number of areas such as:

The role of the political adviser (core functions and giving good advice);
Shaping complex political environments (devising and implementing strategies; analyzing and understanding the internal and external political context; making decisions with limited information; forecasting and scenario-planning);
Engaging internal & external stakeholders (building and sustaining relationships and networks; conducting inclusive stakeholder assessments with all interest groups (women, minorities, youth, marginalized/vulnerable groups); negotiating effectively with respect for mutual interests;
Mastering communication & advocacy (policy writing, speech writing, devising communication strategies; public diplomacy; working with media outlets; communicating effectively).

The course will build on the training methodology tested in the successful 2014 pilot course hosted by the FBA. OSCE/ODIHR specific materials will also be included and the FBA Political Adviser's Handbook will be used as the main reference material. The training will be based on active participation and engagement and will include writing speeches, talking points, briefing materials. Participants will be challenged to participate in negotiation simulations, and to talk to the press corps.

Target audience
The course will be comprised of 20 young policy professionals under the age of 30 who work as political/policy advisers in ministries, presidential administrations as well as in parliaments in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

Course fee
The course fee, including tuition, course material, full board accommodation as well as the cost for airfare will be covered by the course organizers.

Course location
The course will take place in Budapest.

Arrival/Departure
Participants will arrive in the afternoon of 10 November and depart in the evening of 13 November.

How to apply

The course will be conducted in English. The selection of participants will be based on the pre-determined criteria and seeking balance regarding overall background, experience and suitability, age, gender, and nationality.

The application form is available here. Deadline for applications is Sunday, 23 August 2015.

For further information and queries, please contact us at gpa@spp.ceu.edu.

- See more at the SPP website.