Graduation Ceremony For Executive Master Degree in Development Policies and Practices
25 February 2016, Geneva, Switzerland – Civil servants from the Ministry of Finance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan received degrees certifying their completion of the Executive Master Degree in Development Policies and Practices (DPP). The graduation ceremony commemorated the achievement of 55 students from around the world in completing the Executive Master Degree Programme. The students hailed from South America, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Francophone Africa and Anglophone Africa, and the cohort included two Afghan government officials who completed the degree as a part of a joint programme between the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies in Geneva and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). 
The graduation ceremony took place at the Graduate Institute’s Villa Barton, and included remarks by guest speaker Mr. Alex Mejia, Senior Manager of UNITAR’s Decentralized Cooperation Programme. Professor Cédric Dupont, Director of Executive Education at the Graduate Institute, opened the ceremony with a welcome address and Dr. Alexandre Dormeier Freire, Director of the DPP Programme, presented the graduates. After speeches by the graduates, the diplomas were conferred in the presence of Mr. Markus Glatz, Deputy Head of Staff Regional Cooperation of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
The Afghan component of the global DPP programme was developed by the Graduate Institute and UNITAR in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The collaboration has included participants from the Afghan Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the President. Currently in its third year, the unique programme is a fruitful collaboration aimed at maximizing the impact of training in public policy and development for Afghan government officials.
As the programme seeks to build capacity within the government of Afghanistan towards the implementation of sustainable development practices, it does so in a manner adapted to the reality on the ground in Afghanistan and the country's cultural and social diversity. The programme’s core curriculum focuses on enhancing leadership capacity and analytical skills, as well as the production of a professional thesis aimed at enhancing organizational effectiveness. The thesis projects are expected to be implemented in conjunction with the Ministries of the Afghan Government.
Photo: Two Afghan participants receive diplomas upon completion of Executive Master Degree in Development Policies and Practices