International Relations, Diplomacy, Negotiation, and Conflict Resolution
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia
In partnership with the United Nations Security Council Executive Studies program and the Saudi Arabia Institute of Diplomatic Studies, the Picker Center developed a one-year program for the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide 25 senior and middle level civil servants an opportunity to enhance their respective roles in multi-lateral diplomacy as Saudi Arabia planned to take its seat on the UN Security Council in 2013.
The sessions covered the United Nations and Security Council operations; international crisis management; negotiation, conflict resolution, and UN peacekeeping operations; current issues in international economics, finance, and human development; media and public relations; policy analysis; and foreign policies of Security Council Member States. The program also included site visits to leading multilateral organizations including the United Nations Headquarters, the World Bank, the U.S. Department of Treasury, the U.S. Senate, and the New York Stock Exchange.
The nature of conflict has evolved considerably as conflicts have become increasingly complex, intractable, and less conducive to political settlement. The Columbia SIPA Picker Center has developed a number of executive programs in International Relations, Diplomacy, Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Post-Conflict Development to prepare diplomats, practitioners, and policymakers with the analytical tools and practical skills to effectively respond to the rapidly evolving landscape of conflict settings and emergent peace and security threats.
Our instructors include current and former ambassadors, mediators, heads of state, and leaders of United Nations peacekeeping operations, including the former Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and Senior Political Advisers to Peacekeeping Missions. In addition, our programs benefit from the expertise of faculty affiliated with the Kent Global Leadership Program on Conflict Resolution, the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, and the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity. Our location in New York City puts us at the global center of international relations, with programs often including site visits to leading multilateral institutions and international organizations, including the United Nations Headquarters and embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions.
Previous Programs
Management for Social Progress, COMFAMA Colombia
In partnership with the Initiative for Policy Dialogue, the Picker Center organized a series of five programs on Management for Social Progress for COMFAMA, one of the largest family equalization funds in Medellín. Sessions covered case studies in conflict resolution, conflict and identity, governance in post-conflict societies, growth and inequality in Latin America, trends in income distribution and redistribution, partnerships to build inclusiveness, financing social policy, improving social services through community development, and agricultural policy.
Northern Ireland Community Builders
In response to the uncertainties affecting the Northern Ireland peace process, the Picker Center developed seven years of programming for community leaders and police from Belfast, with the objective of helping to bridge cultural, religious, and political divides. The program focused on conflict resolution, community reconciliation, peacebuilding, and innovative policing and included work with community-based organizations and government agencies in New York and a series of structured activities at the grassroots-level in Northern Ireland.
Conferences for the Strong Cities Network
In partnership with the Strong Cities Network—a global network of cities dedicated to addressing all forms of hate, extremism, and polarization—the Picker Center organized a number of conferences for city mayors and other local government officials, including the September 2023 conference, “Widening the Lens: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to City-Led Prevention and Response to Hate and Extremism” and the April 2024 conference on “Global Crises, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion and How Cities Can Respond”.
I would thoroughly recommend these programs. We had exposure to some amazing civic leaders and innovative criminal justice ideas through the Northern Ireland Community Builders program. It was a really expansive process for me and it certainly helped shape the rest of my career choices.
—Philip Cahill, Tar Anall, Northern Ireland
The Picker Center was the most helpful key to deal with my current tasks and for the coming years. I spent a full year interacting with very respectful professors, thinkers, experienced and high rank diplomats in a professional academic-executive atmosphere. It was a fruitful, enlightening year thanks to the Picker Center.
—Adel Althaidi, Diplomat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia
Featured Case Study
The Living Fields: Post Conflict Rice in Cambodia
Contact Us
Columbia SIPA Picker Center
Contact us to learn how the Columbia SIPA Picker Center can work with your team to develop a program uniquely tailored to your organization’s learning goals and deliver a profound impact on your long-term organizational success.
Laura McCreedy
Manager of Executive Education and Training
[email protected]
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