Certificate of Advanced Studies: Strategic Development and Management of Humanitariam Action (7 weeks)

"I develop my skills to design and implement an adapted humanitarian response."

The Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Strategic Development and Management of Humanitarian Action strengthens professional competencies to better analyse situations and needs as well as design and manage relevant, adequate and results-based humanitarian interventions.

Course date

• Monday 10 February - Friday 28 March 2014, Geneva, Switzerland

This Certificate of Advances Studies course is jointly organised with CERAH (Geneva Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action). Participants can obtain 10 ETCS credits.

Registration and course fees

Registration and payment deadline: 6 December 2013.

• Non-OECD: CHF 5,000
• OECD: CHF 5,000

Above fees are in Swiss francs (CHF) and cover tuition, training materials and handouts, and a course certificate. Lunch and coffee breaks are not included!

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10% discount for returning students (within 12 months since the last course) or additional course participants from same organisation.

To register, please fill in the online registration form, or download the form and send it to us by email. For further inquiries, please contact us.

Course overview

Click here to download the course leaflet (PDF format).

The difficulties facing humanitarian actors are growing as crises become more complex and uncertainties more numerous. This course teaches how to confront many of these new challenges, focusing on how to develop appropriate intervention strategies.

Decision-making before and during the implementation of a humanitarian project requires, simultaneously, an understanding of the wider project-context, and awareness of detailed project specifics. To manage this situation requires appropriate risk-assessment and the skill to identify, and act upon, priorities. This course provides a range of methods, techniques and tools for successful project design and implementation, adapted to different contexts.

Offering a wide range of specialised courses, the Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action (CERAH) provides the opportunity for professionals to deepen their knowledge and skills in particular thematic areas of humanitarian action. The Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Strategic Development and Management of Humanitarian Action strengthens professional competencies to better analyse situations and needs as well as design and manage relevant, adequate and results-based humanitarian interventions.

What you can expect from this course

If you are engaged in developing humanitarian intervention strategies and/or managing programmes or projects, this course will enable you to sharpen your understanding and will offer methods and tools you can apply in decision-making and subsequent monitoring.

If you are a project coordinator working outside the humanitarian sector, the course will enable you to familiarise yourself with the specificities of humanitarian practice and the different elements to be taken into consideration.

General objectives

By the end of the CAS, participants will be able to implement high-quality humanitarian interventions. More specifically, they will have the competencies to:

• Analyse contexts
• Frame adequate operational strategies
• Design and manage relevant, adequate, creative, flexible and results-based humanitarian programmes/projects
• Evaluate results and critically review operational strategies

Who should attend

• Master students in humanitarian action
• Humanitarian programme/project managers
• Support managers willing to join the humanitarian sector

The participatory nature of the programme requires that participants contribute actively to discussions and group work on case studies. As such, it is expected that the participants have some prior knowledge of the subject area that they choose to pursue during the CAS.

All teaching will be conducted in English ; French-language candidates may write their exams and thematic paper in French.

Course programme

Week 1: Strategy framework and context analysis
Week 2: Strategy analysis and decision
Week 3: Strategic analysis in practice
Week 4: Project planning
Week 5: Programming and implementing activities
Week 6: Monitoring and evaluating an intervention
Week 7: Critical reviewing of operational strategies (personal work)

Case studies and examples during the course will take into account the three major contexts for humanitarian action: armed conflict / complex emergencies, "natural" disasters, social exclusion. Chronic crises, and the interplay between humanitarian action and development activities will be given due consideration.