International Programme on the Management of Sustainability

The objective of the International Programme on the Management of Sustainability (IPMS) is to train participants in the techniques of multilateral dialogue to resolve the conflicts that arise in the context of implementing sustainable development.
The IPMS teaches a mutual gains approach to negotiation. On the basis of role-playing exercises, lectures and discussion groups an integration of theory and practice is achieved that enables a dynamic, interactive learning process.

Bringing People Together
IPMS was founded in order to bring together the experience of scientists, civil servants, NGO leaders, politicians and business people, all of whom recognise the difficulties in using the concept of sustainable development as a dynamic process of permanent negotiation to achieve results in the traditional approaches for policy development.

The programme rests on the belief that, by empowering people with the skills to recognise conflicting interests, they can work toward solutions that are satisfactory for all stakeholders involved. The seminar is seen as one of the most prestigious gatherings in its field, and is the most important programme developed by the Sustainability Challenge Foundation (SCF), next to the regional and sectoral programmes, which take the debate on sustainable development back to developing countries.

Programme

The programme is based on the critical IPMS learning model that takes participants through a structured step-by-step approach to learning.
The initial framework focusses on the theories behind sustainability, and the key Mutual Gains Approach (MGA) to negotiation and consensus building is delivered by key faculty.
The second step is to examine the tools & techniques available, including risk assessment, joint fact-finding and balancing science and politics.
Simulations, based on real life and work applicable scenarios, i.e. on sustainable forests and sustainable agriculture, encourage participants to apply the theories to practical situations, and act as a mirror, reflecting back the personal negotiation styles and negotiation exercises needing to be reinforced.

Participants receive individual feedback from faculty, not only on their styles and performance, but also on their effective application of the tools to the scenarios given. The final phase is the strategy clinic and the network-building element of the programme.

Principles of Sustainable Development
Professor Moomaw began the first key session of the programme in 2007 by emphasising the need to involve all stakeholders in a process of continuous enhancement of capacity:

• governments are helped to create institutional capital (ICOs)
• civil society to create social capital
• private sector to create private capital
• innovators to create knowledge capital
• individual needs and wants
• the environmental pressures
• economic imperatives
• societal factors that include culture and politics.
• separate people from the problem
• build relationships along with agreement
• use objective criteria
• invent options
• focus on interests and not positions.

Clinic Concept
The clinic concept is fundamental to the success of the IPMS programme. Participants are encouraged to come prepared to discuss and present an issue or a specific problem from their own areas of work. Participants work in small groups and present in-depth case studies to the group, focussing on key issues, stakeholders and consensus building challenges that they face. They are given the opportunity to brainstorm strategies to address challenges and to implement the Mutual Gains Approach to each situation.

As Professor Moomaw explained: “Through the IPMS programme, by following a rigorous week of lectures, group discussions, role plays and a clinic, and in the company of international peers, we wish to send people away with real value. It is a learning concept intended to build capacity”.

Participants

Up to 30 to 40 carefully selected participants from all around the world attend the IPMS seminar each year.

Participants are senior professionals and managers from national regional and local governments, non-governmental organisations and international organisations such as UNEP, EU and OECD who are working on problems of sustainability.

Selection is on the basis of professional experience, country of residence and sector distribution to ensure a participant mix that optimises cross-cultural and cross-sectoral learning. 

Tuition and Expenses

The full fee of the programme is € 6.300.  All participants will be asked to pay at least for lodgings and meals. There is a very limited possibility for sponsorship for part of the participation fee.