2007 Training and Events for Development Professionals

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November 2007

Accra Conference: Business environment reform: Syntheses, Conferences papers
http://www.businessenvironment.org/...
Most of the Papers and Presentations from the Conference have now been posted to the Business Environment Working Group of the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development. Of particular importance is the draft BE Donor Guidance, under b); your comments are invited at the dedicated blog at http://donorguidance.blogspot.com. In due course, the remaining Papers and presentations from the Conference (including more documents in French) will also be posted.

ICEG's Annual Conference on Factor Flows in the World Economy
http://www.icegec.hu/annual2007
Budapest, 29-30 November 2007
The purpose of the conference is to discuss the key factors shaping capital flows and labour migration. The conference makes a comparative assessment of the current developments in factor movements – relocation, outsourcing, offshoring services, migration, labour mobility, etc. - in Europe in comparison with other regions, especially Latin America and Asia. The language of the conference is English.

Community-Managed Microfinance: Sustainable Financial Services Beyond the Frontier
http://www.mdi-sa.org
Zanzibar, Tanzania, 3 Dec 2007
The community-managed microfinance course deals with providing sustainable financial services for the very poor. Although MFIs are well-established, they have mostly failed to penetrate remote rural areas because the costs are too high and the demand for credit too small. Meanwhile, over the last 15 years, massive, sustainable programmes have emerged that reach this target group at very low cost, based on autonomous, small-scale savings and loan associations. Course Fee: US $1,500.

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on China’s Involvement in Africa
http://www.izo.uni-frankfurt.de/Aktuell.html
Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 14-15 Dec. 2007, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University
China’s growing involvement on the African continent evokes both contentment and apprehension. While the benefits for the Chinese side seem to be obvious, the impact of China’s African engagement on the continent’s development prospects is less clear. The upcoming conference is aimed at fostering the interdisciplinary dialogue with regard to current developments and possible ways of approaching these analytically. Special attention will be given to speakers from Africa and China.

MDF & HPC jointly offer the course Value Chain Concepts for the sixth time
http://www.mdf.nl
The Netherlands, 21-25 January 2008, Five Day Course
The training approach will be experience-based with emphasis on practical examples. MDF/HPC staff and external resource persons will facilitate, deliver lectures, exercises and discussions, complemented by exploring real-life cases chosen from cases proposed by the participants. The course fee includes a DVD with a large number of policy and research papers with respect to sectoral approaches. Given the innovative stage Value Chain Development is in, much attention will be given to presenting and discussing recent trends, cases and developments in the field of Value Chain Development. The course fee is 1800 EURO excluding lodging, which can be arranged at discounted and reasonable rates. You are kindly invited to register as soon as possible at Registration@mdf.nl to enable logistical preparations. Info: hans@hposthumus.nl.

SDC Conference and Workshop on Working with the Private Sector
http://www.sdc.admin.ch/e...
Switzerland, 9-11 January 2008
Public Private Partnerships for Development. The deadline for registrations is 30th November 2007.

12th EADI General Conference
http://eadi.org/gc2008
Geneva, 24-28 June 2008,
The conference deals with the overarching theme: “Global Governance for Sustainable Development: The Need for Policy Coherence and New Partnerships" and will be hosted by the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva. The deadline for abstract submission is 28 November 2007.

Studying-Development.org is a voluntary initiative.
http://www.studying-development.org
Find study and training courses in International Development and Humanitarian Aid. The site aims to help orientate those wishing to enter, or already active in Development and Humanitarian Aid. This course directory is international in scope and covers professional training, as well as university degree courses in the UK. Studying-Development.org is an initiative set up by a small group of former LSE development students.

Clear, concise writing for development professionals
http://www.eldis.org/...
Writing clearly is important to ensure that your reader understands and is convinced by your ideas. This practical guide is laid out as a learning module. It provides tools for measuring readability, exercises on how to identify writing that will confuse and slow readers down and techniques for tackling the elements of writing which cause this.

USAID Value Chain Training
www.microLINKS.org/vctraining
The value chain training curriculum is designed to train USAID and project practitioners in the value chain approach and its applications. Following this training, participants are able to use the value chain approach as a tool for understanding trends in globalized markets and conditions under which micro- and small enterprises can contribute to and benefit from the increased systemic competitiveness that globalization requires.

October 2007

TrainEval - Training for Evaluation in Development in 2008.
http://www.traineval.org
TrainEval is an advanced training programme for evaluation in development cooperation, which has been adapted to the specific requirements of the European development cooperation and the EC evaluation approach.The programme has been developed from experienced trainers and evaluators to respond to the increasing demand for evaluation expertise and its professionalization. It is offering a qualification opportunity in development evaluation for consultants, project and evaluation managers of implementing agencies as well as for representatives from financing agencies.

Workshop on ''Competitiveness of Small Enterprises: Clusters and Local Development”
http://www.iadb.org/mif/...
Washington D.C., 30-31 October 2007, Inter-American Development Bank
Building a local and regional enabling environment for Small and Medium enterprise competitiveness”. Under this motto the Inter-American Development Bank, the Multilateral Investment Fund and UNIDO have called an international meeting in Washington to discuss new approaches for SME promotion based on cluster development.

Donor Committee Conference: African and global lessons for more effective donor practices,
http://bec.enterprise-development.org
Accra, 5-7 November 2007 (English/French)
The Donor Committee for Enterprise Development will host the Africa Regional Consultative Conference in Accra, Ghana. The conference, entitled ‘Creating Better Business Environments for Enterprise Development; African and Global Lessons for More Effective Donor Practices’, will bring together development partners involved in the assessment, design and implementation of business environment reforms in Africa.

GREEN IFRIQIYA 2007
http://www.gtz.de/de/aktuell/21213.htm
Tunis, 9-11 November 2007
The First International Environmental Investment Forum, Tunisia

UNRISD Conference:
Business, Social Policy and Corporate Political Influence in Developing Countries
http://www.unrisd.org/mbr-conference
Geneva, 12-13 November 2007, United Nations
Large corporations and business associations exert strong and growing influence over social development and government policy in developing countries. Contact information: Katrien De Moor, demoor@unrisd.org

GTZ Workshop on sustainability and impact in value chain promotion
http://www.gtz.de/en/
Bangkok, 22 -23 November and Group Meeting 24th
This workshop will aim to review projects’ current understanding and approach in relation to sustainability and impact. It will provide a structured forum for exchange of current experiences and use this to distil key lessons and guidelines. Register by 26 October contacting Dr. Peter Richter, peter.richter@gtz.de.

Reinsurance school for microinsurance units
http://microinsuranceacademy.org/?page_id=37
New Delhi, India, 28-30 November 2007, Micro Insurance Academy (MIA)
Reinsurance is a vital necessity for insurance, and all the more so for microinsurance, where small group sizes make operations even more vulnerable to fluctuations. Yet, most microinsurance schemes do not know much about what reinsurance is and what it can do for them.

Community-Managed Microfinance:
Sustainable Financial Services Beyond the Frontier
http://www.seepnetwork.org/...
Zanzibar, Tanzania, 3 December 2007
The community-managed microfinance course deals with providing sustainable financial services for the very poor. Although MFIs are well-established, they have mostly failed to penetrate remote rural areas because the costs are too high and the demand for credit too small. Meanwhile, over the last 15 years, massive, sustainable programmes have emerged that reach this target group at very low cost, based on autonomous, small-scale savings and loan associations.

European Business to Business Sales Institute (EUBBSI) e-Learning system
http://www.eubbsi.com
The EUBBSI project has produced an innovative eLearning system aimed at developing sales force skills. The system and its contents are tailored to meet the specificities of ''business to business sales” training courses provided by the EUBBSI.

USAID Value Chain Training Curriculum
http://www.microlinks.org/vctraining
The Microenterprise Development office of USAID offers a flexible curriculum for a three- to five-day value chain training course, which is designed to train practitioners and USAID mission and project staff in the value chain approach and its applications. As a result of this training, participants are able to use the value chain approach as a tool for understanding trends in global markets and conditions under which micro- and small enterprises can contribute to and benefit from the increased competitiveness that globalization brings.

September 2007

Seminar on developing Business Service Markets and Value Chains
http://www.mmw4p.org/...
Chiang Mai, Thailand, 24-28 September 2007
Over 900 people from 100 countries have participated in the first 7 Seminars-now the 8th in the Series offers you the opportunity to learn about current trends, and to network with your peers. As you would expect from an event in its 8th year, there is also the chance to hear from people who have used the approaches and tools from previous Seminars. And you will be able to hear how some of the most interesting work presented in previous years has progressed and scaled up.

AWEPA regional seminar on private sector development, agriculture and poverty reduction
http://www.awepa.org/...
Nairobi, Kenya, 27-28 September,
The African Union, NEPAD and the 5th Conference of Public Service Ministers announce the first annual Public Sector Innovation Awards in Africa. The programme recognises and rewards the successes of public servants and their partners in the private sector as well as in the non-profit sector who have succeeded in developing innovative solutions for service delivery and for challenges facing governments. Contact Ms Mthembu, dudum @ dpsa.gov.za.

Online Discussion on Microinsurance
http://www.microlinks.org/microinsurancediscussion
On 2-4October, Michael J. McCord, president of the Microinsurance Centre, will host an online discussion on key issues in the microinsurance field today. Topics to be covered include microinsurance products, delivery channels, and how to create microinsurance products and services that provide a true win-win solution for all parties involved. The Speaker’s Corner event, hosted on www.microlinks.org, actively invites participants to share their ideas and resources.

Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA)
http://www.coleurop.be/...
Bruges Campus, Belgium, 8-12 October 2007
The College of Europe and Jacobs and Associates are organising a training course on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). Contact: Ms. Christiane Vermoortel, cvermoortel @ coleurop.be, fax (+32-50-47.73.00).

Value Chain Finance Conference in Africa
http://www.afraca.org/...
Nairobi, Kenya, 16-18 October 2007
The FAO and the African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA) network are pleased to announce an upcoming conference on the use of the value chain to reduce risk and increase access to financial services for agriculture and agribusiness. As with previous Value Chain Finance Conferences initiated by FAO for Latin America and South Asia, it will look at value chain finance models, innovations and effectiveness from the multiple viewpoints of banks, agribusinesses, farm organizations, government policy makers and development business service providers. With the increasing focus on value chain integration in agriculture and with today's technologies there are new models and ways of structuring finance and collateralization, increased opportunities for price and production risk mitigation and new models for partnerships among diverse stakeholders which can benefit the agricultural sector and rural communities.

SEEP Conference: Powering Connections
http://www.seepnetwork.org/section/ac_2007/
Washington D.C, USA, 22-26 October 2007
The 2007 SEEP Network Annual Conference theme, ''Powering Connections,'' is tied to the mission to connect Microfinance and Microenterprise practitioners in a global learning community. The conference will offer participants key opportunities to learn, to share, and to engage through trainings, workshops and networking. Participants will include practitioners, donors, investors and other key stakeholders.

Political Economy of the Great Lakes Region
http://eadi.org/...
Antwerp, The Netherlands, April-May 2008
Institute of Development Policy and Management

Poverty & Growth Blog: Building Capacity to Reduce Poverty
http://pgpblog.worldbank.org/
The Poverty & Growth blog is maintained by WBI’s Poverty and Growth Program. The blog tries to bring together everything you want to know about poverty and growth, including knowledge, news, resources, tools, ideas and commentary on issues relating to the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of poverty reduction policies and strategies. The Poverty & Growth blog aims to reach participants in WBI courses, partners, researchers, academia, civil society, government officials, and people interested in poverty reduction.

August 2007

Global Forum on migration and development
http://www.eu2007.pt/...
More than 120 governments as well as regional and International Organisations met for the first meeting of the Global Forum on migration and development in Brussels on 10 July. This meeting aimed to discuss more consistent ways of strengthening the positive impacts between migration and development policies.

Online Course in Practical Microfinance
http://www.snhu.edu/856.asp
Southern New Hampshire University's School of Community Economic Development will host an online course in Practical Microfinance this fall. The 11-week course, to be held from Sept 17 - Dec 18, is the first in a series of three courses for SNHU's Graduate Certificate in Microfinance Management. SNHU Professor Malcolm Harper will facilitate the program, which is open both to the students pursuing a master degree and to development practitioners working in the development field.

Geneva Private Capital Symposium, on the theme of Investing Private Capital in Emerging and Frontier Market SMEs, 24-25 September 2007.

http://www.geneva-private-capital-symposium.com/
The 2nd Geneva Private Capital Symposium focuses on Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) investment in emerging markets as a viable and often overlooked investment option. The Symposium makes the business case for investing private capital in emerging and frontier market SMEs. It will showcase today's leading investment vehicles and business models for SME financing and prove how such vehicles are making it easier to invest in this segment.

Seminar on developing Business Service Markets and Value Chains
http://learning.itcilo.org/entdev/bdsseminar/Chiang Mai, Thailand, 24 - 28 Sep 2007

Over 900 people from 100 countries have participated in the first 7 Seminars-now the 8th in the Series offers you the opportunity to learn about current trends,and to network with your peers. As you would expect from an event in its 8th year,there is also the chance to hear from people who have used the approaches and tools from previous Seminars. And you will be able to hear how some of the most interesting work presented in previous years has progressed and scaled up. Contact: Peter Tomlinson & Cristiana Actis, tel. +39 011 6936580, PSDSeminar@itcilo.org

Ownership in Practice, Paris, 27-28 September 2007
http://www.oecd.org/...
This Informal Workshop will examine what the principle of ownership looks like in practice, both within developing countries (democratic ownership) and in the relationship between developing countries and donors.

‘International Negotiations: Practical Skills and Techniques’
http://www.unitar.org/...
Online, 5 - 30 November 2007
Offered by United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

Donor Committee Conference: African and global lessons for more effective donor practices
http://www.businessenvironment.org/...
Accra, 5-7 November 2007 (English/French)

Donor Committee Conference: Asian and global lessons for more effective donor practices, http://www.businessenvironment.org/...
Bangkok, 29 November to 1 December 2006

Governing for Development: Opportunities and Challenges for Development Actors under the New Aid Paradigm
http://eadi.org/...
Antwerp, Belgium. April - May 2008, Institute of Development Policy and Management

July 2007

Value Chain Concepts (VCC) course: Value Chain Analysis and Development
http://www.mdf.nl/vcc-nl
27-31 August 2007, MDF training centre in Ede, The Netherlands
In a joint venture with MDF Ede, Hans Posthumus Consultancy (HPC) offers now the fifth version. Participants will understand the Value Chain Conceptual Framework that entails Economic Mapping, Sub Sector Analysis and Value Chain Development. The course will enhance analytical skills to identify constraints, opportunities and leverage points for developing value chains. Participants learn how to design and steer programme interventions that promote equitable growth. Info: hans@hposthumus.nl

Value Chain Program Design: Promoting Market Solutions for MSMEs
http://www.idc-aachen.de/2_4.html
Aachen, Germany, 8-12 October 2007
After successful completion of the first workshop in Germany in October 2006, which hosted 20 value chain practitioners from 10 countries, Action for Enterprise (AFE) and IDC Unternehmensberatung GmbH (IDC) are again offering a five-day training workshop that presents the latest methodologies and practice for designing subsector and value chain programs. Participants will learn how to design programs that result in market solutions to MSME constraints such as market access, input supply, technology/product development, management training, policy reform, and access to finance. Examples will be used from enterprise development programs and practitioners worldwide. The training targets those who wish to improve their facilitation skills and design programs that respect the latest thinking in value chain and market development principles.

Eighth Annual Seminar on Developing Service Markets and Value Chains
http://www.value-chains.org/...
Chiang Mai, Thailand, 24-28 September 2007
The 2007 Seminar Programme is now available! Click on the link, above, for more information. For the presentations made at last year's Seminar. Jim Tanburn (Jim @ Tanburn.com) is just starting to prepare the background Reader for participants - which this year will be on current work at the interface between development agencies and business; likely main topics include:
- profiling of associations of companies in agricultural value chains, like the Sustainable Food Laboratory, SAI etc.
- the work of many donors to develop value chains using matching grants, challenge funds etc.
- other recent developments, around measuring results, reform of the business environment and public-private dialogue etc.

AFE's Training Program for 2007
http://www.actionforenterprise.org.
September 10 - 14: Chiang Mai, Thailand
October 1 - 5: Nairobi, Kenya
December 3 - 7: Washington, DC
The Action for Enterprise (AFE) training program is a series of three to five-day workshops in the latest methodologies and practice for designing value-chain programs that incorporate strategies for sustainable impact. Participants learn how to design programs that result in market solutions to MSME constraints such as market access, input supply, technology/product development, management training, policy reform, and access to finance. Examples are used from enterprise development programs and practitioners worldwide. The training targets those who wish to improve their facilitation skills and design programs that respect the latest thinking in value chain and market development principles.

Value Chain Development courses in Tanzania
http://www.mma-ltd.com
Matchmakers Associates ltd. of Tanzania is offering several courses in value chain development. The next course will be held in October 1st to 12th 2007 (tentative date).

Managing Sustainable Agricultural Enterprises
http://www.sustainabilityinstitute.net
South Africa, Sustainability Institute. Contact : Training Officer, Tel +27 (0) 21 881 3196, Fax +27 (0) 21 881 3294, info@sustainabilityinstitute.net

Master of International and Development Economics
http://www.mide.fhtw-berlin.de
Studies at FHTW Berlin - University of Applied Sciences, starts on 1 April 2008, 18 months. Closing date for applications is 30 September 2007. See

MBA Program in SME Development, Leipzig/Germany
http://www.uni-leipzig.de/sept/
The International SEPT Program is a research and training program at the University of Leipzig dedicated to providing theoretical insight as well as practical experience in the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transition countries.

Training modules for entrepreneurs, GTZ Senegal
http://www.bds-forum.net/training-modules
Theese training modules in French language are published without copyright and are free for use. The advantages of the modules in comparison with already existing entrepreneurship trainings are the following: Less standardisation and more flexibility : The modules are very flexible in use.

UNIDO/ILO Course: Clusters and Value Chains Development
http://learning.itcilo.org/entdev/cluster/
While the competitiveness of clusters depends on the density and quality of local relationships on the same territory, a better knowledge on the quality of value chains connecting clusters with its regional, national or global providers and customers is crucial to upgrade and earn opportunities for local enterprises. During this two-week training course, concrete case studies are examined, best practice is analysed, action recommendations are developed and exemplary Italian SME clusters (''Industrial districts”) are visited.

InfoAgrar Training Directory
http://www.infoagrar.ch/s_training.htm
The InfoAgrar Training Directory informs project staff of current courses related to rural development. It has a global focus with a particular emphasis on courses in developing countries, and covers both technical and methodological topics.

CAPSA – Capacitating through Sub-sector Analyses
http://www.hposthumus.nl/...
CAPSA manual for participants and trainers available on CD. Comprises 6 training modules on entrepreneurship, business development and value chain analyses.

Papers from the SDC SED Workshop 2007
http://www.deza.admin.ch/...
Documentation includes:
- A systemic approach to value chain interventions, by Marshall Bear
- Insights gained during the SDC online debate on Value Chains in Rural Development
- A pro-poor analysis of the competitiveness of the bamboo value chain in the Mekong region
- Experiences in the sheanut butter value chain in west Africa, by Lionel Giron, Intercooperation
- Experiences in developing organic cotton in west Africa and central Asia, by Tobias Meier, Helvetas
- The experiences of seco, by Hans-Peter Egler
- Experiences in the vegetable value chain in the Honduras, by Michael Velten, Swisscontact
- Experiences with fishery associations in Bangladesh, by Peter Roggekamp, Katalyst
- Experiences in the banana, coffee and cashew value chains in Tanzania, by Tim Piper, Technoserve

May 2007

TrainEval - New training programme on development cooperation and evaluation
http://www.traineval.org/
TrainEval consists of 4 modules of 4 days each, which will take place in Brussels between September 2007 and January 2008. TrainEval is an advanced training programme in development cooperation, which has been further adapted to the specific requirements of the European development cooperation and the EC evaluation approach. The programme has been developed by experienced trainers and evaluators to respond to the increasing demand for evaluation expertise and its professionalization. It is offering a qualification opportunity in development evaluation for consultants, project and evaluation managers of implementing agencies as well as for representatives from financing agencies. Contact: Simona Scheibitz, AGEG Consultants eG, Tel: + 49 7021 970870, Fax: + 49 7021 970879, s.scheibitz@ageg.de

Conference: Business powered by Women
http://www.bpbw.org
Novi Sad, Serbia, 8-9 June 2007, Master Center,
Info: Mrs Natasa Varjaski, E-Mail: n.varjaski@gtzwbf.org

Tools of the Trade for Development Practitioners
http://www.mdi-nh.org
Manchester, New Hampshire, USA, 11-29 June 2007
The Microenterprise and Development Institute - New Hampshire is holding this event. Contact: Emma LeBlanc, tel: (603) 644-3124, mdi@snhu.edu

Serving the Poor: 10 million clients by 2010
http://www.sanabelnetwork.org/en/conference
Sana'a, Yemen, 12-14 June 2007, Mövenpick Hotel
Sanabel, the Microfinance Network of Arab Countries will be holding its Fourth Annual Conference from June 12-14, 2007 at the Mövenpick Hotel in Sana'a, Yemen under the patronage of H.E. Ali Abdullah Saleh, the President of the Republic of Yemen. Contact: Youmna Khalil, tel.: + 202 337 0714/748 8624 Ext.108, ykhalil@sanabelnetwork.org

Brasil: VI Seminário Banco Central sobre Microfinanças
http://www.bcb.gov.br
Porto Alegre - RS, Brasil, 14 a 15 de junho de 2007
O objetivo principal do seminário é divulgar o resultado das ações já empreendidas e apresentar, por intermédio da troca de experiências e da discussão dos diversos aspectos que envolvem a atividade de microfinanças, sua viabilidade como opção de investimento a agentes provedores de capital e sua potencial contribuição à inclusão social e ao desenvolvimento do Brasil, ao permitir o acesso da população de baixa renda a serviços financeiros com formato apropriado à sua realidade e ao proporcionar opção de crédito de maneira facilitada a empreendedores populares.

Training on SME Export Consortia Development
http://www.unido.org/en/doc/63579
Turin, Italy, 25-29 June 2007, ILO ICT
UNIDO, ILO and the Italian Federation of Export Consortia (Federexport) are organizing a training workshop for designers and managers of export consortia development programmes from 25-29 June 2007, at the ILO Training Centre in Turin.

Communities and Sustainable Development
http://wms-soros.mngt.waikato.ac.nz/apabis
Port Vila, Vanuatu, 25-27 June 2007, Asia Pacific Academy of Business in Society (APABIS)
The conference will host a range of international speakers, as well as holding sessions for the presentation of academic and practitioner papers.

AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
http://ecas2007.aegis-eu.org/
Leiden, Netherlands, 11-14 July 2007, African Studies Centre
The African Studies Centre is hosting AEGIS’s (Africa-Europe Group for Interdisciplinary Studies) second biennial conference in Leiden. The conference has ''African Alternatives: Initiative and Creativity beyond Current Constraints

Managing Change within Organisations
http://www.intrac.org
Oxford, United Kingdom, 25-27 July 2007, INTRAC
People in NGOs work in turbulent environments and need to adapt accordingly. This course will enable you to analyse forces which drive change, and manage the change process. It includes helpful tools on how to understand and deal with different interests, manage resistance, and work productively with your colleagues. It will also explore the concept of change as a continuous process. Info : training@intrac.org

Micro Banking Summer Academy: Leading Change in Microfinance Markets
http://www.frankfurt-school.de
Bad Homburg, Germany, 19-31 August 2007
Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (previously Bankakademie) has for seven years provided a microbanking management training programme, designed to equip microfinance managers with a set of tools needed to manage change and lead their institutions in dynamic markets. The content during the two-week training programme focuses on five different management perspectives.

Seminar on developing Business Service Markets and Value Chains
http://learning.itcilo.org/entdev/bdsseminar/
Chiang Mai, Thailand, 24-28 Sep 2007
Over 900 people from 100 countries have participated in the first 7 Seminars-now the 8th in the Series offers you the opportunity to learn about current trends,and to network with your peers. As you would expect from an event in its 8th year,there is also the chance to hear from people who have used the approaches and tools from previous Seminars. And you will be able to hear how some of the most interesting work presented in previous years has progressed and scaled up. Peter Tomlinson & Cristiana Actis, tel: 39 011 6936580, PSDSeminar@itcilo.org

Conference: Creating better business environments - African and global lessons for donors
http://www.enterprise-development.org/...
Accra, Ghana, 5-7 November 2007
The conference will bring together development partners involved in the assessment, design and implementation of business environment reforms in Africa.

European Conference ''Integrating Environment, Development, and Conflict Prevention - European and National Approaches and Challenges''
http://www.adelphi-consult.com/...
T he conference report including the summary from the perspective of the conference hosts can be downloaded now. Additionally, you may find on the conference homepage many of the presentations and speeches held at the conference.

Making Local Economic Development Strategies: A Trainer’s Manual
http://www.worldbank.org/...
The Trainer’s Guide to Manual outlines the core trainer competences, approach and requirements necessary to successfully deliver the LED training program. The five teaching modules that follow comprise the training program and provide a structured approach to learning, reflecting the five stage approach to LED strategic planning. Each module is accompanied by a supporting series of PowerPoint slides, exercises, templates and supplementary learning materials. Product of the World Bank and Cities of Change Initiative, and was produced in conjunction with the Bertelsmann Foundation.

April 2007

Measuring Impact of Business Facilitation on Enterprise Development
http://www.businessenvironment.org
Lima, 15-16 May 2007
IDRC, IFC and CIES are organising an International Workshop. Particular emphasis is being placed on measuring the impact of better regulations. An agenda can be downloaded from the link, below; for further information, contact Edgard Rodriguez, mailto:erodriguez@idrc.ca

EPN Conference - Rome 2007
http://www.peopleinaid.org/events/default.aspx
Rome, Italy, 16-18 May 2007
This conference aims to build on the successful learning and networking of humanitarian professionals in the fields of HR, training and development achieved at the last EPN conference, held near Geneva in 2006, this year's event will again provide an opportunity for agencies to learn >from HR focused specialists and practitioners from within the humanitarian sector, as well as the corporate and public sectors.

Growth and Jobs; Lisbon challenges in the New Member EU States
http://www.icegec.org
Brussels, 16 May 2007, European Economic and Social Committee Rue Belliard 9, Room JDE62
This workshopt represents a follow-up of the ICEG conference organised in November 2005 about competitiveness indicators in the NMS. This time the event will focus on growth opportunities and labour market challenges of the New Member States of the European Union, and attention will also be given to the expected impact of EU Structural Funds for achieving the Lisbon goals. The analyses and background presentations will contribute to a better knowledge of the current economic and social trends in the NMS, their comparative advantages and weaknesses in the area of growth and competitiveness.
Info: Pál Gáspár, ICEG European Center, info@mgyosz.be.

Eighth Annual Seminar on Developing Service Markets and Value Chains -
http://learning.itcilo.org/entdev/bdsseminar/
Chiang Mai, 24-28 September 2007
Over 900 people from 100 countries have participated in the first 7 Seminars - now the 8th in the Series offers you the opportunity to learn about current trends, and to network with your peers. As you would expect from an event in its 8th year, there is also the chance to hear from people who have used the approaches and tools from previous Seminars. And you will be able to hear how some of the most interesting work presented in previous years has progressed and scaled up. Info: Mr. Jim Tanburn, PSDKnowledge@yahoo.com or Mr. Peter Tomlinson, p.tomlinson@itcilo.org

International conference: Value chains for broad-based development
http://www.value-links.de
Berlin, Germany, 30-31 May 2007, GTZ
GTZ is organising an international conference on the above topic. The conference is supposed to further the conceptual progress of the VC promotion approach responding to this and other challenges. Lead questions include: Which strategies and interventions maximize outreach? … help avoiding a ''race to the bottom''? … contribute the most to capacity building and innovation? Panel Discussion – Wednesday, 30 May 2007, 16.30h, ''Can Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) promote Value Chains? Learning from Good Experience in Trade Policy

Tools of the Trade for Development Practitioners
http://www.mdi-nh.org
Manchester, New Hampshire, USA, 11 - 29 June 2007, Microenterprise and Development Institute
For more information, contact: Emma LeBlanc, telephone: (603) 644-3124, mdi@snhu.edu

International Summer Academy on Local Economic Development
http://www.mesopartner.com/summer-academy/
Duisburg, Germany, 16 - 20 July 2007
mesopartner's International Summer Academy on Local Economic Development is an event that addresses practitioners in local and regional development, primarily but not exclusively working in transformation and developing countries. It is not an introductory course in LED or a training course on mesopartner methods but rather an event where experienced practitioners can share their knowledge and familiarise themselves with current trends and new methods. The Summer Academy is a regular event. The content changes every year. We will organise the next Summer Academy in July 2007. This event is already fully booked. If you want to receive an ''early warning'' on the subsequent event, please send a message to udm @ mesopartner.com.

Microfinance Training of Trainers (MFTOT) distance learning course
http://www.adbi.org
August to November 2007, open June 1 on the ADBI and TDLC websites.
The Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the World Bank Institute (WBI) and the Tokyo Development Learning Center of the World Bank (TDLC). For the first time, the banks are planning to offer the course materials, including workbook and multimedia CD-ROM, in seven local languages. In addition, several countries will organize local courses in local languages to run parallel to the regional distance learning course. Info: Adam Stefan, astefan@adbi.org

GOALS Financial Analysis Course
http://www.seepnetwork.org/...
Washington, DC, 3-17 August 2007, SEEP offices, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW,
The GOALS financial trends analysis course has been taught in over 20 countries to nearly 2,000 representatives of banks, microfinance institutions, audit firms, central banks, and supervisory agencies. It has been a popular offering over the years at the Boulder Institute of Microfinance. Using a highly participatory methodology, participants gain a thorough understanding of issues pertaining to the balance sheet and income statement of microfinance institutions. Discussions include balance-sheet issues pertaining to capital adequacy, practical techniques for enhancing leverage, advantages and disadvantages of different types of liabilities, appropriate distribution of assets, effective monitoring of portfolio quality, and policies governing investments and cash management. Regarding the income statement, participants enhance their understanding of interest rates and the cost of funds. Operating efficiencies are covered, as are techniques for maintaining high-quality loan portfolios at low operating cost. Tuition fees and info: Laura Meissner, telephone: 202-884-8384.

CROP Training Course 2007: Poverty & Human Rights
http://www.crop.org
Bergen, Norway, 6-17 August 2007, CROP
The course offers an opportunity to NGO workers, policy makers, researchers, and graduate students from around the world to gain in-depth knowledge about the relationships between poverty and human rights. The course is designed to provide a critical, interdisciplinary, and intercultural exploration of global poverty and inequality from a human rights perspective, and to analyze historically the content and direction of the aspects of human rights that the world has seen since the 2nd World War to the present day.

Youth Microenterprise Conference
http://www.ymeconference.org
Washington DC, USA, 10-11 September 2007, Cafritz Conference Center
This interactive global event is designed to develop strategies to meet the needs of youth entrepreneurs. The conference will bring together international development practitioners, and policy makers, as well as private sector participants, youth and experienced professionals in education, global health, microenterprise creation, and youth entrepreneurship. Together we will share experiences, best practices, priorities, and determine how to reduce poverty, vulnerability and unemployment of youth around the world.

Proceedings international symposium on implementation issues of diversified financing strategies for TVET
http://www2.gtz.de/dokumente/bib/07-0296.pdf
Held November 20-21, 2006 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Engineering Capacity Building Program (ECBP)

OECD Business Environment Working Group
http://www.sedonors.org/...
This meeting considered in more detail the draft Donor Guidance, and the plans for the Africa Consultative Conference in Accra, Ghana, in November 2007.

March 2007

Training Value Chain Concepts
http://www.hposthumus.nl
Ede, The Netherlands, 2-6 April 2007, MDF training centre
The Value Chain Concept is presented, discussed and practised in a structured and participatory way whereby due attention is given to the various approaches that exist among value chain development practitioners. The participants will practice Sub Sector Analysis and Value Development tools and instruments to develop skills and understanding of the actual Value Chain Development practices as well as the process and management thereof. The course fee includes the toolkit CAPSA: Capacitating Sector Analyses, a CD-ROM providing an overview of the steps, tools, instruments and practical examples and case studies of Value Chain Development. This same CD contains a large number of research and policy papers in the field. Given the innovative stage Value Chaining is in, much attention will be given to presenting and discussing recent trends and developments in the fields. Contact Hans Posthumus, hans@hposthumus.nl

INTRAC Training of Trainers
http://www.intrac.org/training.php?id=69
London, UK, 11 - 13 April 2007
This 3-day course equips you with enough skills, tools, and creative techniques to deliver a training event in a way that makes learning enjoyable and effective. You will be able to run an interactive training session receiving useful feedback.

4th European Conference on Craft and Small Enterprises
http://ec.europa.eu/...
Stuttgart, April 16 – 17, 2007,
For the first time in a decade, the European Commission is organising a major conference dedicated entirely to craft and small enterprises. Since the last conference in Milan in 1997, the dynamics of globalisation, EU enlargement, demographic change and technological developments have had a fundamental impact on the business environment in which these companies operate and, as a result, on the overall European economy. It is now time for an in-depth assessment of ways in which the EU can continue to help the sector. ‘Challenges and opportunities for craft and small enterprises in the European Single Market’ is the title of this fourth European conference focusing on these businesses. It provides an opportunity to take stock of the wide spectrum of the craft sector’s economic, social and cultural strengths, to present concrete examples of successful practices and to consider policy responses. Over 1000 participants are expected at the event, which will concentrate on three crucial topics: skills for the future, developing new markets and improving the business environment.

Economic growth and value addition to low income livelihoods –
opportunities for MFIs and other stakeholders
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/...
Hyderabad, India, 17 - 20 April 2007
According to Prof Malcolm Harper, '' Microfinance on its own is not enough to bring most people out of poverty. They need better livelihoods, and microfinance institutions may (or may not) have some role to play in helping them to acquire them. This is true everywhere, perhaps nowhere more than in India, whose poor people outnumber the total population of all the nations of sub-Saharan Africa.'' A 4 day workshop has been arranged in Hyderabad to explore this issue. The facilitation for the workshop will be done by Prof Malcolm Harper (Professor Emeritus Cranfield University, UK and Senior Micro-Finance and Micro-Enterprises Expert), Shri. Brij Mohan, Former E.D, SIDBI and Senior Microfinance expert and Ramesh S Arunachalam. Contact: Ramesh Arunchalam, r_arunachalam@hotmail.com, or Prof Malcolm Harper (malcolm.harper@btinternet.com) or Shri Brij Mohan Ji (brijmohang@hotmail.com).

Business Planning and Financial Projections with Microfin
http://www.microfin.com/training.htm
Washington DC, USA, 23 - 27 Apr 2007, The SEEP Network
This course guides participants through a step-by-step process for developing a business plan and financial projections for a microfinance institution using Microfin 4.0, the sophisticated financial projections software that was developed by the facilitators of this training course, Chuck Waterfield and Tony Sheldon, with financial support from CGAP, Women’s World Banking, and Sida. Microfin has long been the microfinance ''industry standard'' for planning and budgeting. Microfin allows you to develop detailed five-year financial projections and budgets for your institution, and to simulate the impact of key decisions on your institution. Info: Chuck Waterfield, tel: +1 717 295 9292, waterfield@microfin.com

Conference: Regional Innovation Strategies for Cluster Internationalisation and Competitiveness
http://www.clusterforum.org
Tartu, Estonia, 24 April 2007
The aim of the conference is to provide insights how regions and countries could act in linking their regional clusters with clusters in other European regions and worldwide in order to strengthen their competitiveness and their regional innovation systems. Many regions across Europe have identified development of cluster policies as one of their most important priorities within their regional innovation strategies. While designing the appropriate cluster policies it has become evident that the competitiveness of clusters does not depend only on the regional conditions but is more and more dependent on their linkages to the markets and resources situated in other regions or countries in and increasingly also outside Europe. The conference is organised in cooperation between CLOE, Institute of Baltic Studies, Tartu Science Park and Tartu City. Contact: Rene Tõnnisson, rene@ibs.ee

European Microfinance Network 4th Annual Conference
http://www.european-microfinance.org/...
Berlin, Germany, 25 - 27 April 2007
The 4th Annual Conference of the European Microfinance Network - Microfinance in a Banking Environment Models, Experiences, the Way Forward - will bring together around 300 participants, practitioners, bankers, researchers, investors, local government representatives, the European Commission representatives, policy makers, central bankers, private sector and the media. The conference will aim to underline the main challenges face by the microfinance sector in relation to the banking sector and confront various practices. As well as plenary speakers and debates, the conference will include a host of workshops and training opportunities.

Effective Management for Development
http://www.intrac.org/training.php?id=70
London, UK, 25-27 April 2007, INTRAC
The course will not only improve your management capabilities, but will also help you gain awareness of the impact of your management style, leadership role, manage cross-culture teams and staff, and strengthen personal management competencies.

Strategic Planning
http://www.intrac.org/training.php?id=71
London, UK, 2-4 May 2007, INTRAC
This course is designed to help organisations establish strategic direction, identity and strategic objectives, and a set of key measurements, match these with targets and pl a n for appropriate resource levels. Setting up a monitoring performance system is also covered in this course.

Measuring Impact of Business Facilitation on Enterprise Development
http://www.businessenvironment.org/...
Lima, Peru, 15-16 May 2007
International Workshop to review and discuss different approaches to measure the impact of business simplification and to discuss a common approach applicable to Latin America and other regions. Countries with better regulations grow faster. As part of the overall discussion on the role of government vis-à-vis private sector, donor support for small businesses has switched from an emphasis on financing to emphasis on improving the business environment. In fact, since the 1990s, many transitional and developing economies, together with international and local organizations, have started to find ways to foster an enhanced business-enabling environment.

Information and Communications Technology in Development
http://www.intrac.org/training.php?id=73
London, UK, 23-25 May 2007, INTRAC
The aim of this course is to familiarise participants with principles, approaches and recognised good practice in the application of Information and Communications Technologies (including mobiles, computing, online tools and platforms, broadcast technologies such as radio and TV, and high end applications such as satellite, GIS etc) in different development sectors.

International Conference ''Value Chains for broad-based Development”
http://www.value-links.de
Berlin, Germany, 30 May - 1 June 2007, GTZ-Haus Berlin, Hotel Mövenpick
Promoting value chains (VC) has become an important field of economic cooperation. After several years of implementing value chain promotion projects it is time to take stock: Are the efforts actually contributing to broad-based poverty reduction? The conference is supposed to further the conceptual progress of the VC promotion approach responding to this and other challenges. There are a number of critical points to be discussed. A general question concerns realistic options for producers and workers at the margins and at risk of being squeezed out. Special Topic: Can Economic Partnership Agreements promote Value Chains? Learning from Good Experience in Trade Policy”.

Tools of the Trade for Development Practitioners
http://www.mdi-nh.org/
Manchester, New Hampshire, USA, 11 - 29 Jun 2007
The Microenterprise and Development Institute - New Hampshire is holding an event titled, ''Tools of the Trade for Development Practitioners.'' Contact: Emma LeBlanc, tel. +1 603 644-3124, mdi@snhu.edu

3rd African Microfinance Conference
http://www.amfiu.org.ug/conf.php
Kampala, Uganda 20 - 23 August 2007
The conference is targeted at practitioners, policy makers, donors, researchers, consultants and all people interested in microfinance and providing banking services to the poor. A high profile trade exhibition open to microfinance institutions and supporting services will be held simultaneously with the conference. Should any organisation be interested in exhibiting please contact Grace Bataringaya on email: gloevents@infocom.co.ug .
The conference will be held at the Speke Resort Munyonyo.

Global Campus 21 courses
http://www.gc21.de
This brochure lists 56 online and blended learning courses that have been used on Global Campus 21 during the past two years or have been created recently. Older courses were not included in the list, except a few which may be worth considering for repeated use. See the last page for an explanation of the notation used in this brochure and for a general information on types of online courses and their usability.

February 2007

Conference: Capital Markets Forum - Integration of Arab Capital Markets: Prospects & Challenges
http://www.eldis.org/...
Muscat, Oman, 17-19 February 2007
The Forum gives you the opportunity to experience and learn more about: The significance of the Integration of Arab Capital Markets; The impact of globalization and privatization in the light of international experience; Impact of the investment climate and flexible legislation in the integration of Arab Capital Markets; significance of transparency, disclosure and joint brokerage services; Role of joint IPO and listing of securities, and the formation of joint investment portfolios; Significance of electronic networking and market indexes; Role of reciprocal clearance, central depository and registry operations.

Strategic Relations, Coalition Building, and Networks
http://www.intrac.org/...
London, UK, 28 February – 2 March 2007
The aim of this INTRAC course is to examine the different ways of working together for development. Networking, building coalitions, social partnerships are processes which are evolving, and assuming a bigger role in social development, and fulfilling criteria for EU accession. Over a period of three days, participants will learn about the nature of the different processes, and using examples from different contexts, look at the advantages and issues from a strategic perspective.

Integrating Environment, Development, and Conflict Prevention – European and National Approaches and Challenges
http://www.adelphi-consult.com/ECC2007/
Berlin, 29-30 March 2007, European Conference hosted by the German EU Council Presidency 2007.
The conference is intended to facilitate a dialogue among key officials from EU member states and the European Commission, civil society, the private sector, and the scientific community to identify and discuss key issues, policies, and best practices. It will provide recommendations for the European Commission / European Union and individual Member States to address interdependencies between environment, development, and conflict prevention in policies and programmes. Interdependencies between environment, development, and conflict prevention have gained significant importance on the international agenda over the past years. Energy and climate policy and responsible resource management are priorities of the German EU Council and G8 presidencies in 2007. Putting climate, energy, and natural resource management into the broader context of foreign and security policy opens up new perspectives for environmental and development policy making. A comprehensive strategy on environment, development, and conflict prevention should address not only root causes and triggers of conflicts, but also their governance context.

Conference: CSR Delivery, Engagement & Leadership
http://www.csrleadership.com/...
London, UK. 19-20 April 2007
At CSR Delivery, Engagement & Leadership you will hear useable and valuable advice, genuine experiences and practical case studies from a number of companies including Procter & Gamble, The Body Shop, Microsoft Belgium, Vodafone UK and many others. Next to a number of presentations and panel discussions, the event also offers practical sessions aimed at finding strategies for engaging employees on CSR and sustainable development issues. There is also plenty of room for round table discussions and delegate feedback. Info: mariame_lindell@osneymedia.co.uk

Self-evaluation: illusions, confusions, solutions and fusions
http://www.unifr.ch/formcont
University of Fribourg, Switzerland, 26-27 April 2007, Continuing Education Centre
Continuing Education of University of Fribourg in collaboration with the Swiss Evalutation Society, SEVAL
Self evaluation is gaining acceptance as an approach to evaluation in some circumstances. This growing acceptance is due to a variety of contextual factors including the under-utilisation of external evaluations and dwindling resources available to commission external evaluations. But what are the circumstances in which this shift in the culture of evaluation can deliver on the promise of self-evaluation? Info: formcont@unifr.ch

Capital Markets and Financial Instruments for Development
http://www.iadb.org/biz/
Washington, DC, 7 June 2007, IDB Headquarters
Topics include: Detailed look at the financial products of the Private Sector Department and the Inter-American Investment Corporation, including loans and the Financial Guarantee Program, aimed at helping to expand local capital markets. Discussion of the Regional Trade Finance Facilitation Program. Background on the Latin American debt market. Risk assessment and mitigation. Discussion of rating agencies and the current evaluation of credit enhancements by Multilateral Agencies, with comments by rating agencies and other parties related to the local capital markets (such as institutional investors and investment banks). Discussion of mortgage-backed securities, both local and international placement.

Seminar on ''Globalisation, TNC's and Industrial Policies in Developing and Transition Countries''
http://www.eadi.org/...
Strasbourg, France,15 June 2007, EADI Working group on Transnational Corporations

Eschborn Dialogue, Capacity Development - empowering partners, promoting potentials
http://www.gtz.de/en/
Eschborn, Germany, 28-29 June 2007, GTZ
Expertise and technology are key factors in the quest to find sustainable solutions to global challenges like climate change, environmental pollution and poverty. More than 400 representatives of politics, industry, research and the civil society will discuss with development experts the many facets of capacity development in the light of the international debate on this approach.

Panel ''The role of China and India in Africa”,
http://www.eadi.org/...
Leiden, the Netherlands, 11- 14 July 2007
Panel 76, European Conference on African Studies (ECAS) 2007, EADI Working group on Industrialisation Strategies. Deadline for abstracts: 21 January 2007.

MA in Urban Management and Development
http://eadi.org
Erasmus University Campus Rotterdam, Start and finish date: October - September, every year

Master Programme of Advanced Studies in Development Co-operation
http://eadi.org
Zürich, 2008/2009 - 2010

Master of Arts in Development Management
http://eadi.org
Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Germany, August 2008 - March 2010

International Microenterprise Development Distance Learning Course
http://www.snhu.edu/856.asp
In response to the increasing demands for flexible academic program delivery, the School of CED is offering online courses in International Microenterprise Development. These courses are an expansion of the educational and training opportunities the School offers. The School currently offers international training through its Microenterprise and Development training institutes in New Hampshire and South Africa along with SCED's low-residency summer intensive Master's program. Each online course is 12 weeks long and taught by experts in the field. Upon completing this program a student will earn a Certificate in Microenterprise Development or the option of obtaining graduate credits towards a Master's in International CED. With the continuous support of SCED faculty, courses utilize case studies and other applied tools that create a highly interactive learning environment. This online certificate program is a unique opportunity for busy working practitioners who cannot leave their work/communities and wish to acquire new skill sets and benefit from the option of earning academic credit.

Free Online Course in Action Research
http://www.scu.edu.au/...
As with earlier programs, the theme of areol 25 is the integration of effective change with rigorous research. In some respects, it is a combination of the principles of community and organisational change with those for change-oriented qualitative research, sometimes with use of quantitative research too. The on-line sessions are supplemented by archived files on various aspects of action research and evaluation.

MFMI To Offer Principal CGAP Training Programs
http://www.themfmi.org
Two of CGAP's most popular training programs -- Skills for Microfinance Managers and the CGAP/UNCDF Donor Training Course -- have been spun off into the CGAP/OSI Microfinance Management Institute. The Institute has worked with universities in the developing world to introduce microfinance as a specialization in graduate programs. Bringing the microfinance manager financial courses and the donor courses under one roof with a network of universities offering academic courses will create synergies and cost savings for all courses, strengthening academic institutions and the skills of microfinance managers, and helping donors support the sector.

UNITAR 2007 e-Learning Course Calendar 2007
http://www.unitar.org/...
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research will be conducting at least seven online courses intended for a global audience of finance-sector officials. May we request you to kindly share this information with your colleagues whom you think may benefit from the suite of online courses for 2007. As you may already know, UNITAR courses are based on a decade-long experience in public debt management training. Over the past four years, thousands of finance-sector officials have already benefited from our e-Learning courses.

January 2007

Metrology and Standardization Training
National Weights & Measures Laboratory (UK), http://www.nwml.gov.uk
Nederlands Meetinstituut NMi (Netherlands), http://www.nmi.nl
Deutsche Akademie für Metrologie DAM (Germany), http://www.dam-germany.de
Laboratoire national de métrologie et d’essais (France), http://www.lne.fr
Compliance online Training
http://www.complianceonline.com/ecommerce/control/trainingHome

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