Access is restricted to professionals involved with international and EU organisations.

The 3rd edition of the "Action in International and European Organisations" course, jointly organised by Catalonia International and the Barcelona Institute of International Studies (IBEI) in collaboration with the Ministry for European Union and Foreign Action and the School of Public Administration of Catalonia, began today.

This year's course was opened by Agustí Fernández de Losada, Secretary for the Government's Foreign Action and the European Union; Laura Chaqués, Director of IBEI; and Laura Foraster i Lloret, Secretary-General of Catalonia International. The course consists of 7 sessions, which will run until the end of November.

The Secretary General of Catalonia International, who led the event, explained that the course forms part of Catalonia International's work to promote education and training in the international sphere for Catalan citizens and the consortium's member organisations. This includes specific initiatives such as organising tailored courses like this one, aimed at enhancing their capacity to act as agents for Catalonia abroad.

She then gave the floor to Secretary Fernández de Losada, who stressed that multilateralism "would be a priority for the government, cutting across different sectors". The aim is to build alliances with actors capable of engaging in dialogue with institutions, civil society, and the private sector. In order to achieve this goal, it is essential to provide training for the professionals who can fulfil this role.

Finally, on behalf of IBEI, Laura Chaqués reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to these types of "further professionalisation" courses, in addition to the master's degrees they already offer, with a view to contributing to the continuous and practical training of professionals who are already "experts" in the field.

The "Action in International and European Organisations" course is not open to the public and has restricted access. This year, it has 41 participants, primarily working for Catalonia's public administrations and the member entities of Catalonia International. The course is specifically designed to train professionals who need to interact or maintain relations with international bodies in order to represent and defend the interests of their own entities competently, effectively and flexibly.

The sessions on the functioning of international organisations, the instruments of cooperation and decision-making, channels of communication, mechanisms of influence and means of participation and dialogue are taught by university lecturers specialising in international relations and the European Union and professionals working in institutions in the field. 

The course focuses on practical aspects, looking at examples of best practice to improve the trainees' understanding of how international organisations behave and operate. The aim is to encourage interaction with them and reinforce the skills required to negotiate and interact with them fluently by improving their knowledge so that they understand how to approach them and how best to influence and get the most out of them.