At the request of the Ministry of Finance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, UNITAR and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva are jointly implementing a Executive Master’s in Development Policies and Practices (DPP).
 
The first edition of the DPP masters (2013-2014) was completed in February 2014, the second edition (2014-2015) in February 2015, and the third edition (2015-2016) in June 2016, thus completing the intital three-year agreement between UNITAR and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. This unique programme is being offered mainly to Afghan civil servants from the Ministry of Finance but also includes students from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the President. To date 35 Afghan government officials have graduated from this unique programme. The second edition of the DPP master’s was financially supported by the Japanese government.
 
The programme lasts for 10 consecutive months and ends in the conferral of a Master’s degree for successful candidates who fulfill all requirements, including the publication of a professional thesis relevant to their work in the Afghan public sector. All professors are Ph.D. lecturers and have practical experience in development policy and government affairs. Classes take place in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Switzerland, and are complemented with e-learning courses and mentorship offered by UNITAR.

The programme aims to strengthen the knowledge, skills, and capacities of ministerial officials on the themes of effective governance and sustainable development.

The Master’s curriculum is implemented by professors from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and by UNITAR trainers.