2013 UNITAR-MGIMO Regional Capacity Development Programme for Government Officers from the CIS Countries
The course is part of the five-year Capacity Development Programme for Government Officers from CIS Countries implemented jointly by UNITAR and MGIMO-University under the cooperation agreement between the Institute and the Government of the Russian Federation. The Programme aims to promote a more effective international cooperation and the implementation of international norms by enhancing the capacities of practicing professionals to negotiate more effectively international and regional level agreements, and to develop national legislation to comply with globally agreed norms and standards. Each year, a specific area of international law is being addressed. This Capacity Development Programme held on an annual basis was made possible thanks to the financial contribution of the Government of the Russian Federation.
The 2013 training course, organized in the framework of the five-year Programme, aimed to enable qualified professionals from the Russian Federation and other CIS countries, in particular junior to mid-level government officials, to operate more efficiently in an international context through a refined knowledge of selected topics of international law directly related to energy security in the CIS countries.
Four learning objectives have been identified in the context of the 2013 training course: 1. Demonstrate an enhanced/advanced understanding and knowledge of the global legal mechanisms governing the field of energy security and the geopolitical issues related to energy security, with particular focus on the CIS region; 2. Discuss and critically analyze the most pressing and challenging regional legal issues linked to the energy security; 3. Examine, interpret and implement international, regional and national legal regulations of specific energy and national resources sectors; 4. Develop a network for an exchange of experience and sharing of information and best practices as well as to foster synergies among actors in the region.
The 2013 edition of the Capacity Development Programme discussed international legal norms regulating a range of energy related activities from extraction/exploitation, delivery, use to their environmental impact. Energy-sustainable development nexus was a central theme of an interactive round table, in addition to being discussed in several other sessions dealing with the environmental impact of and access to modern energy services. Given the regional focus of the Capacity Development Programme, the case studies presented by resource persons included multilateral frameworks for regulating inter-state relationships in the Arctic, Central Asian river basins, and Caspian Sea. A special session was organized on the legal frameworks of the Commonwealth of Independent States in the area of energy security, as well as various bilateral arrangements and tools at the regional level. The training activity was conducted over a period of five working days, corresponding to an average of 30 working hours.
The instructional design methodology was used to develop and implement the course. Adult learning principles and the level of knowledge of the participants were taken into consideration, with the course aiming to add value at more complex cognitive learning levels. Resource persons-led sessions composed of theory and case studies were complemented by active learning formats, including a round table style debate and country presentations involving team work and problem solving exercises.
The Programme's main target audience is composed of mid-level to junior government officers of the CIS countries. For the 2013 edition, all the eleven CIS countries nominated participants, all of whom worked in central/national government or related government structures, including Ministries of Foreign Affairs and sectoral ministries/governmental bodies, such as Ministries/Services of Energy, Economy, Industry, Natural Resources, Environmental, Technoglogical and Nuclear Supervision, etc.