International Training Programmes

Continuous capacity building is vital for securing sustainable development. NIRAS specialises in planning, preparing and conducting international training programmes, courses, seminars and study tours on a wide range of topics.

Over the years, we have been assigned the task to organise a number of international training programmes (ITPs) for different stakeholders from developing countries and transition economies on behalf of Sida and Danida Fellowship Centre. Some examples are within Integrated Water Resources Management, Education for Sustainable Development, Integrated Sustainable Coastal Development, Human Rights, Peace and Security and Green Growth, Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability.

Participants represent both the private and public sector. Programmes are developed according to the needs of specific target/stakeholder groups and the client. Facilitators and lecturers include NIRAS in-house experts as well as relevant external experts and practitioners.

"Definitely this has been the best training I have received in my life and an excellent experience and opportunity to acquire new knowledge and consolidate that which I already had. There was a good exchange of experiences with participants from different parts of the world and I learned from all the speakers. I also appreciated the opportunity of getting to know the urban and country environment of Sweden. It was an unforgettable experience!"

- Pablo Mazariegos, Guatemala. Participant in 2006 Environmental Impact Assessment ITP

In our approach, we emphasise strong dialogue with participant involvement through class room discussions, group work and exercises as well as site visits/excursions to ensure an inspiring; challenging and active learning environment.

At the moment, we have two ITPs active in the following areas.

Media Development in a Democratic Framework
Sustainable Urban Water and Sanitation

For more information about the programmes, please visit Sida's webpage, where you can download programme brochures and application forms. Scroll down and click on “ITP programme catalogue”.

1. Media Development in a Democratic Framework

The overall objective of this capacity building programme is that the participants and their organisations should contribute to the promotion and protection of the institutional frameworks which govern regulation of the media sector. The programme is financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and they have commissioned NIRAS to organise the ITP in cooperation with International Media Support (IMS), FOJO Media Institute/Linnaeus University and Global Reporting Sweden AB.

For more information and in order to apply, please visit the website of Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency), who is financing the programme: https://www.sida.se/en/for-partners/international-training-programmes

Click on “ITP Programme Catalogue” and select the programme which you are interested in.

If you have questions or need more information, email to itp295@NIRAS.se

2. Sustainable Urban Water and Sanitation (SUWAS) - Integrated Processes

The SUWAS programmes are part of a comprehensive capacity building intervention with the overarching objective to contribute to planning and implementation of more equitable and sustainable urban water and sanitation services, where the rights, needs and demands of all citizens, including those of marginalised groups, are taken into account. They are implemented by NIRAS in cooperation with WaterAid, and funded by Sida.

SUWAS has been running since 2016, and during 2020 we started the four last programmes. The intervention comes to an end in 2022, in total 17 programmes have been implemented.

For the ongoing four programmes, we are closely monitoring the development of the Covid-19 pandemic in the world. In the implementation, we are making necessary adjustments in the set-up and structure of the programmes to ensure that they are implemented in the best way possible, given the very special circumstances. We kindly ask for your understanding on this matter.