Partnerships for International Strategies in Asia (PISA) offered a two-week Myanmar Advanced Leadership Institute on Climate Change (MALICC) from October 31-November 15, 2014 on the campus of The George Washington University in Washington DC, USA. Building on a two- year partnership between PISA and ALARM, Myanmar’s leading environmental organization, the program aimed to help mainstream climate change into the nation’s policy-making.
The program enabled 14 participants from Myanmar’s next generation of civil society and government leadership to build knowledge and skills to contribute to climate change policy. The curriculum for the two-week short course will be interdisciplinary, focused on a wide range of climate change topics, and provided hands-on learning opportunities tailored to adult learners.
In February 2013, PISA, ALARM, and the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology sponsored the Myanmar Leadership Institute on Climate Change (MLICC) in Nay Pyi Taw. The Institute convened 45 mid-level government officials from Myanmar’s line ministries most likely to address climate change related issues. The program covered a diverse set of climate change related policies, including sustainable development planning, public health, human security, and finance.
The 2014 Advanced Institute expanded these topics to include:
- UNFCCC climate financing process and REDD+ funding;
- International negotiation skills for success in forums such as ASEAN, the UN, and APEC;
- Innovations in climate-related disaster risk reduction and response;
- Climate-wise development and the Green Economy;
- Interaction with the media for advocacy;
- Climate change impacts on public health, agriculture, bio-diversity, and food security;
- Climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.
To promote knowledge creation and acquisition, the PISA curriculum engages adult learners in active hands-on learning through techniques such as:
- Foresight planning exercises;
- Simulations and role playing of international negotiation situations;
- Expert-led lectures and seminar discussions;
- Leadership coaching to prepare participants to occupy positions of influence within their organizations and to be effective delegates in international fora such as the side-events to the UNFCCC Conferences of Parties;
- Experiential learning through off-site visits with federal and local officials, policy think tanks with diverse political perspectives, and major civil society organizations, as well as multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
Selection criteria for MALICC participants included:
- Facility in understanding written and spoken English
- Basic knowledge of Information Technology
- Commitment to building climate change strategies into Myanmar policy
For more information, please contact pisa@gwu.edu.
