The MDP Secretariat

The Global Master’s in Development Practice Secretariat supports sustainable development practice programs worldwide that integrate cross-disciplinary approaches in their preparation of “generalist” practitioners.

The Global Master’s in Development Practice Secretariat is one of the core recommendations of a report from the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation .

The 2007-2008 Commission was co-chaired by John W. McArthur, CEO & Executive Director of Millennium Promise and Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and comprised 20 eminent sustainable development experts and practitioners.

Based at the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the Secretariat works closely with MacArthur Foundation and serves as the umbrella organization overseeing all Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) programs and activities worldwide. The Secretariat consists of a small number of highly-skilled individuals whose function is to coordinate and guide the MDP programs and facilitate their development along common trajectories.