Training for senior government officials in Latin America

For the third consecutive year, Paris hosted the Executive Training in Leadership and Change Management for Senior Government Officials in Latin America course, as part of the strategic agreement between the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and the French Development Agency (AFD), under the goal of enhancing performance among public policy decision makers in the region and consolidating innovative procedures for liaison between high-level officials in CAF member countries.

The course was held at the National School for Administration (ENA) - a renowned institution with international coverage that trains high-level officials in the French government every year. The course included theoretical and practical sessions in which experts and consultants from distinguished French public institutions gave classes on leadership, settling disputes and negotiation.

As part of the institutional visits scheduled during the course, participants had the opportunity to find out about the urban renovation project in the Batignolles district, in addition to visiting the new headquarters of the French Defense Department - a successful example of public-private sector collaboration. Presentations and analyses of successful experiences in the fields of infrastructure and urban development were also included on the conference agenda.

Through these study visits, CAF seeks to leverage human capital to high levels of excellence, fully acknowledging the slow-paced results of training processes, but convinced that this effort will ultimately improve institutional quality in the region.  Germán Ríos, Director of Strategic Affairs for the multilateral agency, highlighted the value of this partnership with the National School of Administration, which has hosted these training courses for the third consecutive year and is known for its expertise in training French government officials since its establishment more than 70 years ago, working in Latin America since 2006 to develop a series of international specialization courses.

According to Hervé Conan, AFD Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, the work relationship with CAF represents a valuable opportunity to positively influence the development of public administration in Latin America. "Personally, I am very grateful to be here today to kick off the third edition of a program that we have been consolidating year after year. The AFD has been present in Latin America for more than ten years and, from the very beginning, it has relied on CAF's support - a strategic ally that allowed us to study the inner workings of the region and fully understand its context and needs," said Conan as he opened the course.