Shared Pathways to COP28: DFAT-supported program

‘City diplomacy’ is the international engagement of local authorities. It is more and more a commonplace activity undertaken not only by mayors but by a widening group
of internationally-engaged city officials, and their partners. This is not just a
global city story: city diplomacy is increasingly common in regional and smaller centres, with more than 10,000 cities involved as members of transnational city networks today. As internationally recognised research from the Melbourne Centre for Cities underlines, a growing entrepreneurialism is now shown by cities to engage in environmental action both regionally as well as globally. This Shared Pathways Melbourne Masterclass specialist track takes stock of these advancements and drawing on research and practice expertise within the Melbourne Centre for Cities and its international partners.

Cities are on the frontline of climate challenges, but also at the forefront of climate action globally. In spite of national action limits, local government have consistently demonstrated high climate ambitions whilst battling climate hazards like bushfires, heatwaves and floods. Building on the global momentum generated in the past three decades by cities on this front through the effectiveness of city networks and other city diplomacy initiatives, and looking explicitly at how cities can deliver tangible action internationally, the Shared Pathways Masterclass specialist track bolsters shared climate ambitions of cities and forges a new generation of cosmopolitan city leaders. Targeted to enhance the international abilities of early career local government officers, the program offers a suite of manageable and up-to-date training to focus specifically on shared climate action and tangible commitments toward a step change in the urban governance of climate, but also more generally to enhance a new generation of internationally-networked city diplomats.

The Masterclass capitalises on the mounting popularity of city diplomacy and urban action on climate by both offering knowledge and skills-based training to sharpen cities’ diplomacy.

It consists of a 1-month intensive online training (of approximately 48 ‘class’ time hours delivered virtually), and a 4-day in-person skills and networking workshop for course participants. It is designed on the basis of extensive expertise in this area of capacity building by the University of Melbourne and thus to suit complex schedules by local government officers with minimal disruptions, as well as to facilitate access to cities of various shape and positioning at a minimal cost. At the same time of practical training, the masterclass also provides a space where participants deliver a capstone policy output that is implementation ready and of direct use to their cities, focused on a foresight and strategy analysis of their cities’ city climate diplomacy.

More detail on the format and contents of the Masterclass is here.

This Masterclass is open to all early- to mid-career municipal staff currently employed by local governments (cities, rural cities, shires, boroughs and equivalent) and with an interest in city leadership and climate action.

Applications for the Shared Pathways to COP28 program are now closed. If you are interested in future programs please complete the Expression of Interest form.

The application form is here. You will be requested to provide:

• your current curriculum vitae
• a brief (2-page) personal statement to support your application
• the contact details of one referee.

Your personal statement is an opportunity for you to give the assessment panel an idea of who you are, and why you should be selected for this Masterclass. They will already have your resume, so this statement can be used to give an impression of you as a person, and what motivates you. It should not be longer than two pages. Some suggested (optional) topics you might like to include are:

• who are you and why would you be a good participant in this Masterclass?
• why have you chosen your work area, and what has your journey been to this point?
• what motivates and inspires you in your work, and your organisation or networks?
• how does (or could) your current work relate to climate change?
• how does (or could) your current work relate to city diplomacy?
• how might this Masterclass support you to further enhance your work?
• where do you see yourself in the future, and how might this Masterclass support you in that journey?

Applications will be assessed based on:

• Current employment (permanent or fixed term, consultants accepted too) in a local government
• Relevance of experience and achievements per curriculum vitae
• Quality and contents of personal statement
• Previous academic achievement
• High-level English proficiency as demonstrated by educational achievements, professional background, University of Melbourne recognised English language proficiency tests (e.g. IELTS, TOEFL), and/or authored written material. (Applicants from non-English speaking countries only).

The program offers up to 10 awards per cohort (20 total) to fully cover:

• tuition fees
• course materials
• visa application (if required)
• accommodation for one of the intensive workshops.

You will receive a certificate of completion as a Professional Masterclass from the Melbourne Centre for Cities. This does not contribute to an academic qualification at the University of Melbourne.

The Masterclass will have participants across many time zones, and we will do our best to schedule online course components during convenient office hours for Chinese and Australian cities. This means most of the sessions will be late morning in China and Western Australia, and lunch time or early afternoon in South Australia, Queensland and the south-eastern states.

By completing an amazing capstone project! We have limited travel grants to award to attend a major convening at the COP28 meeting in Dubai in November 2023, and will select the successful participants from both cohorts based on your capstone projects. More detail about this project and criteria for assessment will be provided during the Masterclass.

If you think so, then it probably is. Climate change is a whole-of-government, global challenge that intersects with work areas from waste to sustainability to social planning to economic development. Likewise, diplomacy is an activity of advocacy teams, infrastructure and major projects, inter-governmental relations, and many others. If you see value in upskilling and learning more about city diplomacy and climate change, we encourage you to apply.

We are calculating this based on under ten years of relevant sector experience. However, careers take many forms, and we recognise that you may have spent years in different types of roles in local government prior to this, you may have held roles in other sectors, or you may indeed have had multiple careers to date. If you feel you’re early- to mid- career at the moment, we encourage you to apply.

Yes! We encourage you to apply for this opportunity to learn in-country and contribute to local knowledge exchange in China.

Yes! We encourage you to apply for this opportunity to learn in-country and contribute to local knowledge exchange in Australia.

Yes! You’re welcome to apply, though unfortunately we cannot award you a DFAT-funded position in the 2023 cohorts. Please see the page for ‘Open Cohort’ applications.

No. This Masterclass is only for people currently employed in local government.

Please contact our City Diplomacy Team with any questions – we’re happy to support you through the application process.
Chinese cities: Diane.Hu@unimelb.edu.au
Australian and other cities: Jessica.Trijsburg@unimelb.edu.au