GPA Attends IFDT Forum in Warsaw

Global Policy Academy (GPA) Director Bernhard Knoll-Tudor traveled to Warsaw in late September to participate in the International Forum on Diplomatic Training (IFDT), an annual gathering of deans and directors of academies and institutions in the fields of international relations and diplomacy. Established in 1972, IFDT is currently co-chaired by directors of the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna and the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, Washington DC.

"This was an invaluable opportunity to share information with some of the most senior individuals who are active in this field, and to explore ways in which we might be able to cooperate in future training activities or workshops," said Knoll-Tudor. The forum attracted a diverse and distinguished group of participants, some from as far away as Singapore and Indonesia. "Despite participants' very different backgrounds, there was a shared appreciation of the fact that diplomats and other professionals around the world face many of the same challenges as they attempt to engage effectively with important public policy challenges," Knoll-Tudor observed.

Like IFDT, GPA organizes courses and workshops. Its target audience, however, is slightly different. "We are working to serve the needs not so much of diplomats, but of policy professionals who wish to broaden their knowledge and skills as they serve the public good," said Knoll-Tudor.