Facts and figures 2023
Every year we provide a concise overview of our annual report, containing figures and links to the highlights. Here is a summary of the main developments at the Academy in 2023.
Participants
No fewer than 13,267 participants attended our learning activities and lectures in 2023, with 7,246 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague and 5,739 from the missions, as well as 282 participants from outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Learning activities
The participants registered for 501 different learning activities, of which 376 were individual online training courses.
In 2023, we offered 36 learning activities within the framework of the international and diplomatic curriculum, which we also make available to government employees in international roles. In total, 1,861 participants registered.
The learning activities which we also offer at interministerial level include, for example, the Foreign Affairs International Policy Officer (Internationaal Beleidsmedewerker Buitenlandse Zaken, IBBZ) course, the International Policy Officer Course (Opleiding Ambtenaar Internationaal Beleid, OAIB) and the course in Strategic Foresight. At interministerial level, we collaborate on webinars about leadership and concluded a joint contract for language- and job-oriented training courses.
The curriculum for staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In 2023, we offered well over 100 learning activities which focussed specifically on working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and personal development. The themes included diversity & inclusion (D&I), intercultural trade and language courses, and there were a total of 8,652 participants. The majority of these (4,289) registered for learning activities which focussed on working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such as the basic training for the activity cycle, writing policy documents for the minister, the clear commission, stakeholder analysis, information security – you are the key –, and SharePoint information management.
Current affairs series
We organised 31 (online) lectures which attracted a total of 2,844 participants. Of these, 1,639 came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague (58%), 1,113 came from the missions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (39%), and 92 from other ministries (3%).
The lecture entitled ‘Impact of the history of slavery and the colonial past on Dutch diplomacy’ was the most popular and attracted 222 participants. This was followed by the series of lectures on ‘Africa and the new geopolitical world order’ and the lecture entitled ‘Discussions with high-level diplomats’ (In gesprek met Topdiplomaten). The most popular lectures in 2023 were those on racism, migration, the climate, and Europe.
Learning formats
How do people learn?
We can conclude that 39% learn via a (team) training, 38% online – via an individual training –, 21% via lectures, and 2% attend a webinar.
Tenders
Six tender processes were ongoing in 2023. Tenders were acted on in various partnerships. The scope of the tender processes varied hugely. The largest covered eight lots for 19 training courses. On average, two employees from the academy were intensively involved in each process.
The following tender processes were executed via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
- Written skills
- Media training courses
Two tender processes were conducted via the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Kingdom Relations within the framework of the Government Procurement Collaboration (Rijksinkoopsamenwerking):
- Foreign Affairs International Policy Officer (IBBZ)
- Policymaking and Implementation (B&U)
The academy also played an active role in the following tenders at interministerial level:
- Specialist Knowledge and Personal Development (VPO)
- Insight into Europe
- Job-oriented training courses (FGT)
Financial matters
Our budget was €4,250,000 in 2023. The income we obtained from participants from outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was €268,950. In 2023, we budgeted for €4,869,371 and spent €4,801,336.71. This represents an underspend of €68,034.29.
Social media and website
In 2023, we posted 62 updates, received 2,375 unique visitors, 1,482 responses, and 41 questions and messages from visitors, and our messages were re-posted 154 times. At the end of 2023, our LinkedIn page had well over 4,700 followers and had received more than 150,000 views. That is an increase of 43% and 22% respectively compared to 2021.
Questions
If you have any questions as a result of our annual report, or would like to receive more information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We would be more than happy to provide (extra) clarification or present additional figures where possible.