The objectives of the ITPs is to help create the conditions for partner and other developing countries to fight poverty through capacity and institution building.

ITP contributes to capacity development and change by offering key persons, from low and middle income countries, training on topics that are given priority in Swedish development cooperation as well as by partner countries and the experience of countries at different levels of development are taken into account.

In 2009, Sida sponsors about 60 ITPs. About 25-30 persons participate in each training programme. The majority of the programmes have a multi-part-structure. The first part comprise around 3-4 weeks training in Sweden. Approximately, 6 months later, a regional seminar/follow-up of 6-10 days is organised in one of the participants home countries.

In 2008, 43 men and 42 women from Egypt participated in ITPs through 29 programmes which covered different areas including Child Rights, Transboundary Water Management, Negotiating Trade Agreements, Journalism and Democracy, Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education, Shelter Design and Development, Copy Right and Related Rights in the Global Economy, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation and Women's Human Rights in the Middle East and North Africa.