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GPPi conducts executive seminar on global public policy

From 27 August to 1 September 2006, GPPi conducted the six-day Hertie School of Governance executive seminar on global public policy in Berlin. The program equipped participants with some of the key analytical, managerial and political skills needed to successfully shape the new global governance environment. The seminar examined the challenges and opportunities of public-private partnerships as well as different ways to implement corporate social responsibility.

The seminar brought together 20 professionals from international organisations, ministries and agencies on the national and regional level, businesses, NGOs, and foundations in a unique cross-sectoral learning forum. Organisations represented included, among others, the German Federal Office, the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the GTZ, the European Commission, the World Economic Forum and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD). The course employed a wide variety of teaching methods ranging from lectures and case study teaching to small group work.

The seminar was directed by Wolfgang Reinicke, GPPi Director and Managing Director of galaxar s.a., Geneva, and Thorsten Benner, GPPi Associate Director. In addition, a number of outstanding academics and practitioners contributed their expertise to many of the sessions. Some of the week’s highlights included:

  • On August 28, John G. Ruggie (Harvard University and UN Special Representative on the Issue of Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and other business enterprises) challenged the participants to think of ways by which business could be made to improve their responsible corporate behaviour. In the afternoon, he spoke about his UN mandate and asked the participants to work in small groups to advise him on what he should include in his final report to the Secretary General concerning state-owned enterprises with poor human rights practices. For a recent article on John Ruggie’s work by the Financial Times, please click hereundefined.
  • On August 29, Klaus Leisinger (Novartis Foundation and Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on the Global Compact), Melissa Powell (Global Compact Office) and Mark Wallenfels (WestLB) conversed about the Global Compact, each from their own respective perspectives. 
  • On August 30, Manfred Konukiewitz (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) helped lead the participants in understanding the process that led to the World Commission on Dams, which has been developed into a case study by GPPi. 
  • On August 31, Andrew Bone (DeBeers) and Susie Sanders (Global Witness) helped teach the Kimberley Process case study developed by GPPi to discuss a multi-stakeholder process dealing with the issue of conflict diamonds.
  • On September 1, Ricardo Soares de Oliveira (University of Cambridge and Fellow, Global Public Policy Institute) held a presentation on governance in the Gulf of Guinea highlighting the uphill struggle many initiatives such as the EITI are facing in the effort to improve oil revenue transparency. 
  • Evening lectures with John Ruggie and Mary Robinson (past President of Ireland (1990−97) and UN High Commissioner on Human Rights (1997−2002).

In 2004, GPPi conceptualised the Hertie School of Governance’s first ever executive seminar on global public policy. The seminar brought together about 30 participants from the public, business and not-for-profit sectors. This successful format was used in 2005, and now again in 2006.