MI Conducts Workshop for Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Hague, December 14, 2006 - MI was invited by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct a workshop for its senior officials to explore how our Threshold 21 and Multi-Entity Gaming models can be valuable additions to the tools used by the ministry in their development assistance programs. 

During the workshop, which took place on December 13 and 14, 2006, participants discussed how T21 could help to promote more comprehensive dialogue about sustainable development in Netherlands’ embassies, foster bilateral cooperation with developing countries, and enhance policy coherence with other bilateral donors.  Particular emphasis was placed on how T21 would help in identifying likely results of Dutch and other aid programs, and in monitoring and evaluating their outcomes in a context that takes account of environmental and social effects along with the conventional economic ones.

Participants expressed strong interest in the model, and based on this, discussions were held about developing a program to introduce T21 more broadly in the ministry and to undertake initial applications to demonstrate its value.  Four areas have been identified for potential follow-up:

(i) Introduction of existing T21 models in Mali, Ghana, and Mozambique to the Netherlands embassies and supporting their expanded use in the countries to facilitate more effective dialogue with the government and to strengthen the government’s planning process.  Developing a model for Indonesian province of Kalimantan was also considered.

(ii) Developing a simple integrated version of T21 for application in select Netherlands embassies in developing countries to help in their multi-year strategic planning exercises and to design their bilateral cooperation programs

(iii) Supporting the extended use of the Multi-Entity Gaming model in Dutch activities in the Balkans and introducing it to the European Commission to support its efforts to improve coordination among Balkan entities and strengthen their cooperation and improve chances of improved relations with the EU; and

(iv) sending staff of the ministry to MI’s System Dynamics-based Development Planning course.