Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA) recently put the spotlight on the international best practices in negotiations as well as the challenges and opportunities in this area in the local, regional and international political context, during an Executive Education course on International Negotiations: Art and Skills.

The two-day course held on June 14 and 15, 2015, witnessed significant participation from executive-level managers from the Ministry of International Cooperation and Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, The Supreme Council for National Security and The General Secretariat of the Executive Council (GSEC) Abu Dhabi. The course enabled participants to gain vital insights on the complexities of international negotiations and applying the best practices in bilateral and multilateral negotiations. It also helped them strengthen their personal international negotiation skills.

Our Executive Education course witnessed notable participation from a diverse pool of government entities, reinforcing EDAs aims to attract and train government staff engaged in different forms of diplomacy and international relations such as legislative, commercial, regulatory and security fields among others, said Mariam Al Mahmoud, Director of Executive Education at EDA.

Al Mahmoud added, The methodology of the training course was both innovative and engaging, as it included several interactive and hands-on activities such as simulation exercises on international crisis management situations to provide a genuine real-life experience, as effective negotiation skills are considered critical for those working in the diplomatic corps and international relations.

The training course was delivered by lecturer and trainer Ron S. Ton, Director of the Clingendael Academy in The Hague, the Netherlands. An expert in diplomatic practice, international negotiations and strategy, and scenario planning in foreign policy, Ton is responsible for the Netherlands and foreign international training programmes, in particular the training of foreign diplomats from Europe, Northern Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Sub-Sahara Africa.

The Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA) was established by Cabinet Decree No. 29 of the year 2014, as a pioneering integrated academic and research centre dedicated to strengthening the UAE nationals foreign policy knowledge and delivering high-impact education and training for diplomatic capacity development.