I feel that I learned a lot from the experiences of other people in this course. Sharing our experiences and knowledge encouraged me to conduct capacity development projects in my job. My classmates have struggled with the same and similar situations, can share successful experiences with me, and give advice and useful references, even though we all work in different countries and organizations.
Taiko Yusa, Programme Officer, Peru Country Office, United Nations World Food Programme (December 2013)
Capacity development has been emerging as a central approach within development for more than two decades. This approach has gradually shifted the focus of development practice from simple financial aid and technical cooperation towards a complex new paradigm that encourages and demands active involvement and ownership from the people and communities involved in aid programmes. The approach takes into account the broader political, social, and economic environment in which change takes place. Capacity development co-exists and is supported by older forms of development practice, and is a continuously shifting paradigm as experience informs policy, practice and theory.
To help you better understand and master this complex paradigm, this course introduces the key concepts, principles and values of capacity development. The main focus is on building practical skills for better design, planning, implementation and assessment of capacity development initiatives.
Course materials are based on the Learning Network on Capacity Development (LenCD) Learning Package on Capacity Development, and were developed with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), LenCD, and Learn4Dev.
Visit the course webpage to read more and apply by 9 January 2017.