*Originally published in YFile, 15 November 2022
With the signing of a new international professional development agreement, the Asian Business and Management Program (ABMP) at York University just launched a five-year virtual program to train officials from the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) Secretariat.
“After a nearly three-year hiatus due to the global pandemic and complex political environment, ABMP is again engaging with officials from China and fostering cooperative relationships between Canada and China, Bernie Frolic, professor emeritus and the executive director of ABMP, said.
ABMP is a unit of the York Centre for Asian Research and is Canada’s largest university-based, non-degree customized training provider for Chinese government officials. Over its 20-year history, it has trained more than 10,000 officials, educators and students from a number of Asian countries. Programs equip participants with the knowledge, skills and expertise needed to better cope with today’s complex environment.
The first year of the new customized virtual training program for Chinese officials – The Art of Communication in Project Management – began in October and focuses on enhancing the participants’ ability to effectively manage large projects involving diverse teams across different cultures and social groups. It was developed through ABMP’s association with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), an independent think tank dedicated to building the capacity of organizations and governments worldwide to act together on sustainability.
The trainees are drawn from staff in the CCICED Secretariat, which is housed in the Department of International Cooperation of the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment. The secretariat is working on a number of international projects related to climate change, including the upcoming United Nations’ Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Montréal. Program participants will be strengthening their interpersonal communication and collaboration skills through a unique multi-dimensional learning journey composed of a detailed survey of their previous project experience, an instructor-led evolving case study project, group coaching sessions, and reflective feedback on their interactions and activities during the COP15 event.
“We are ready to collaborate with Chinese officials to refine and enhance their ability to manage large-scale, multi-stakeholder projects, so they can effectively work with international partners on the pressing problem of addressing climate change,” says Elena Caprioni, ABMP program director.