Training & Capacity Building

The IRCC contributes to a variety of undergraduate and master programmes, both at the University of Fribourg and worldwide on topics of administrative law, federalism, conflict resolution, policy-making, including fiscal relations and resource distribution, fundamental rights and democratisation. 

The IRCC also plays a pivotal role in training and capacity-building activities, for example by regularly contributing to the Master programmes of its partner, Centre International de Formation Européenne (CIFE), teaching at Eurac’s Winter School on Federalism, and supporting the African School on Decentralisation. The Center has provided specific training programmes in cooperation with a variety of partners in Ethiopia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Ukraine, Nepal, Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Syria.

  • Summer University

    On a biannual basis, the IRCC organises a Summer University on Federalism, Decentralisation and Conflict Resolution. The course provides a series of lectures led by the Institute’s staff and renowned guest lecturers from all over the world, covering theoretical perspectives and analyses of specific case studies.

    More about the Summer University

  • Practitioners’ Course

    The IRCC organises a Practitioners’ Course on Federalism, Decentralisation and Local Governance for key personnel working in institutions related to multilevel governance. This course focuses on the practical experience of decentralisation and importance of cooperation, while allowing participants to experience firsthand how federalism and local governance work in the Swiss case and to profit from international comparative experiences.

    Discover the 2023 Practitioners' Course on Federalism, Decentralization and Local Governance

  • Worldwide programmes

    Myanmar

    The IRCC has been consulted on issues regarding federalism, decentralisation and conflict resolution by a variety of actors based in Myanmar. It has also provided workshops, and has done substantive research on the federal debate in Myanmar. 

    Ethiopia / Horn of Africa

    The IRCC maintains close contacts with the Center for Federal and Governance Studies in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The IRCC has collaborated with Ethiopia on the annual conferences on the future of federalism in the Horn of Africa, and occasionally supervises PhD students from the University of Addis Ababa and receives guest researchers working on the areas of federalism.

     Center for Federal and Governance Studies in Addis Ababa

    Syria

    Since 2018, the IRCC works in partnership with the European Center for Kurdish Studies in Berlin. The IRCC helps to build knowledge and methods of power-sharing together with the Syrian opposition and civil society. We support them in drafting a new constitution for a new, democratic Syria. The IRCC regularly takes part in workshops and is part of an advisory board providing support to members of the Syrian Constitutional Committee during the official peace negotiations.

    Click below to discover more about this project:

    The European Center for Kurdish Studies

    The Power Sharing Project