Francis Lethem, professor of the practice emeritus and former director of the Duke Center for International Development (DCID), led a seminar at the Advanced School of the Institute of Developing Economies (IDEAS) in Japan from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3. The seminar was based on his fall MIDP seminar on managing the project cycle for conflict-sensitive development.
Nine of the fellows were from Japan, 12 from other Asian countries, and six from Africa.
DCID and IDEAS have collaborated for more than 20 years. Several MIDP faculty have been invited over the years to teach a one-week seminar at the school, and more than 20 IDEAS students who had completed the first year of their graduate studies in international development subsequently studied at Duke towards the one-year MIDP master’s degree.
Professor Tatsufumi Yamagata, Secretary General of IDEAS, also organized a reunion with MIDP alumni working at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which was attended by the following alumni:
- Mitsuaki Furukawa MIDP’97, Director General of the Security Management Department
- Satoko Tanaka MIDP’01, Director, Team 2, Transportation and ICT Group, Infrastructure and Peacebuilding Department
- Minoru Yamada MIDP’02, Chief of the Administration Division, JICA Research Institute
- Akihisa Tanaka MIDP’05, Director of the Volunteer Program Operation Division 3, Secretariat of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers
Also in attendance was Yumiko Ishikawa, Director in Charge of the IDEAS International Exchange and Training Department.
