What we did

The United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) engaged us to develop and pilot policy capability development courses for UNFPA staff in the Asia Pacific region. The courses focused on developing skills in “upstream policy engagement”.  Upstream policy engagement is when country office staff interact directly with national policy decision makers and other stakeholders, on the development, improvement or review of policies, strategies, plans, and programs. We facilitated a regional course in Thailand (for 18 country representatives) and country office courses in Indonesia and Sri Lanka (including attendees from India and the Maldives), in collaboration with UNFPA staff and partners.

How we did it

The courses were delivered as professional training designed to enhance a practitioners’ practical skills, as well as building their confidence to innovate, adapt, and plan appropriate solutions.

The training approach utilised adult learning principles to ensure that participants were actively involved in their own learning.  Participants were asked to come to the course to share their own experiences and areas of key focus.  Sharing these experiences was a way of adding value, depth and relevance to the discussions throughout the course. The underlying assumption in the course design was that course participants hold the bulk of the knowledge and experience of UNFPA’s work in the Asia-Pacific region, and that the course should build on this body of knowledge.  The course involved presentations, practical policy tools, syndicate work, and role play.

Benefits for the client

The courses provided two key benefits to UNFPA. They provided an opportunity for upskilling staff in policy skills for upstream engagement, through three successful and well-received courses. They also provided UNFPA with the resources, knowledge, and experience to conduct similar courses in the future.