International cooperation is facing a new era of profound geopolitical and systemic transformation. After the end of the Cold War and periods of economic growth in various world regions, recent years have introduced far-reaching changes: a growing diversity of actors in international cooperation, significantly changed capacities and a stronger political agency among partner countries, and an increasingly geopolitically shaped and contested environment. 

These shifts fundamentally reshape the context in which international cooperation takes place — and with it, the competencies required of professionals and leaders in the field, as well as the way we learn from each other in trainings.

This workshop brings together European training institutions that prepare professionals for careers in international cooperation. It aims to create a space for exchange, reflection, and joint learning on how we, as training institutions, can respond accurately and strategically to new realities in an increasingly volatile world. 

What do transformations imply for the professional field of International Cooperation and, in turn, for the competencies taught and methods used in our programmes? Are competencies such as resilience, ambiguity tolerance, and adaptability becoming more central than in the past? How must we support lecturers, trainers, and programme staff in navigating growing complexity while maintaining impact orientation, motivation and quality? Do these developments also require us to rethink recruitment and selection processes for participants and students of our programmes? 

Finally, the workshop will explore the European dimension of training for international cooperation. In light of shifting global power dynamics, what role should European training institutions play — individually and collectively? What are the lessons learnt from decades of research and training activities? Are there distinct schools of thought behind our established paths of analyses and training, and does it make sense to think and develop a stronger shared European perspective? 

Participants

• Staff and organising teams from EADI, SLE and IDOS
• Representatives of training institutes in international cooperation
• Representatives of EADI member institutes
• Selected young professionals

About the organisers

This workshop is jointly organised by:

• European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) is the leading European network in Development Studies, with more than 100 institutional members in over 25 countries.
• The Centre for Rural Development (SLE) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin combines practice-oriented research, capacity development, and postgraduate education through its programme International Cooperation for Sustainable Development.
• The German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), an internationally recognised research institute that provides independent policy advice, facilitates transregional knowledge cooperation, and offers the Postgraduate Programme for Sustainability Cooperation (PGP), preparing future professionals for careers in international cooperation and sustainable development.

Participation is by invitation only upon request.

Contact: Ana Carolina Romano, Senior Executive at EADI (romano(at)eadi.org), Simone Christ, Head of the IDOS Postgraduate Programme for Sustainability Cooperation (simone.christ(at)idos-research.de)