The Geneva Graduate Institute, through its Executive Education department, has partnered with the Gulf Research Center Foundation to launch the World Diplomacy Programme. This intensive leadership course equips mid-level professionals with the tools and insight needed to navigate today’s complex international environment.
Delivered in five modules over one week, the programme takes place in Geneva, a hub of diplomacy and global governance. It combines academic excellence with practical training to strengthen participants’ leadership capabilities and deepen their understanding of the political, economic, and security dynamics shaping the global agenda.
The programme covers five themes: diplomacy and negotiation, political change and transition, mediation in conflict zones, security, and the economics and future of trade. Each module examines key issues, including negotiation techniques, strategic foresight, crisis management, mediation in asymmetric contexts, evolving security doctrines, and shifting trade patterns. By engaging with leading scholars, practitioners, and senior officials, participants gain valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the Gulf region and the broader international community.
Its objectives are to broaden knowledge of global developments and their impact on society, to foster debate among scholars and practitioners, and to expand participants’ professional networks. The methodology combines expert-led lectures, case studies, group work, and simulation exercises in order to ensure a constant link between theory and practice.
The initiative reflects the urgent need for integrated responses to contemporary challenges. In today’s interconnected world, politics, security, and economics are increasingly interdependent. The Gulf region, at the crossroads of global power competition and economic transition, epitomises this complexity. From traditional and non-traditional security threats to the reconfiguration of trade and investment flows, adaptive, cross-disciplinary leadership is essential.
Designed for government officials, diplomats, and senior professionals from ministries, national security councils, chambers of commerce, and policy think tanks, the World Diplomacy Programme equips participants to negotiate, mediate, and assess geopolitical and economic trends with confidence and expertise.
This collaboration between the Gulf Research Center Foundation and the Geneva Graduate Institute reflects a shared commitment
to executive education and forward-looking leadership. Building on the Institute’s tradition of academic rigour and its location at the heart of International Geneva, the World Diplomacy Programme offers a unique platform for reflection, debate, and action on the most pressing issues of our time.
This article was published in Globe #36, the Graduate Institute Review.
