Global Development Cooperation with Local Impact

Are you engaged in a small development project or initiative? Do you want to align your efforts with the overall global effort to achieve sustainable development and gain insight into current trends and challenges? Then this course is for you.

Women in front of fishing boats on a beach in Senegal.

Registrations now open

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and registrations will close at course capacity

Duration: 28.01.–30.01.2027

Teaching format: Classroom

Course objective:

This course provides participants with a foundational understanding of the key concepts, actors, and approaches used in international development cooperation. It offers a critical overview of historical trends, aid modalities, and their role in addressing global challenges such as poverty, inequality, and climate change. Through lectures, real-world examples, and group discussions, participants are introduced to the practical tools and concepts used in both development and humanitarian work.

Key topics:

What is development? Why does poverty and inequality exist?
Brief history of and evolution of development cooperation
Colonialism, colonial legacies and critical perspectives
Good practice: Aid effectiveness; locally led development; participatory approaches; institutionalization; ethics
Actors and forms of development cooperation
Basics of project cycle management and donor reporting for international cooperation

Participants: The course is intended for people who work on small development related projects or initiatives, or who have a strong interest in this area.

Admission: There are no entry requirements.

Course fee: CHF 570

Language: English

Lecturers:

Shruti Patel, NADEL (coordination)
Isabel Günther, NADEL
Kenneth Harttgen, NADEL
Chris Humphrey, NADEL
Medinat Malefakis, NADEL
Fritz Brugger, NADEL
Max Morel, NADEL

Course venue: ETH NADEL, Clausiusstrasse 37, 8092 Zürich

Certificate: Participants will receive a certificate of completion. The course is not part of the CAS or MAS degree programmes. No ECTS points can be obtained.