HUMANITARIAN ACTION and PEACEBUILDING
CPD for PRACTITIONERS
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Venue: Online
About the courses
You are a practitioner in the fields of Humanitarian Action and Peacebuilding willing to reflect on your practice
and to know more about cutting-edge issues in this quickly evolving field.
You are working in related fields such as journalism and diplomacy and you would like to know
how to report and make sound decisions when working in conflict or post conflict settings.
You would like to move on in your career and join the humanitarian and peacebuilding sector.
You have been exposed to humanitarian and peacebuilding issues.
THESE CPD COURSES ARE FOR YOU!
Designed and delivered jointly by Oxford Brookes' Centre for Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP).
with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Humanitarian Action and Peacebuilding CPD courses are unique opportunities to reflect on practices and learn with other practitioners and with experts.
It will give you access to resources and support from both institutions.
These fully online courses have been designed to be studied by learners working full time or part time.
The CPD courses can be taken for credit or non-credit (certificate).
For those following the credit-rated route, credit from this module can be counted towards a PG Certificate and/or
Master of Arts Humanitarian Action and Peacebuilding, if you decide to continue your studies after completion.
Course contents
Course contents
Cultural attributes such as gender, identity or decision making-process and local structures are influenced directly by conflict. Their relevance and modifications need to be mainstreamed in culture-sensitive programming. Culture sensitivity requires knowledge, skills and competences as well as an attitude towards others. Those issues are even more crucial when working in turbulent and violent environments. This module explores core issues related to culture, communication, trust building and culture sensitivity when working in turbulent and violent environments.
Since the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in 2016, principles have been adopted aiming at a change of paradigm in order to respond better to humanitarian and peacebuilding needs. The module aims to investigate how local actors can bridge the gaps between humanitarian, peacebuilding and development initiatives and how concretely the localisation and local turn agenda can be operationalised and programmed to shape a new humanitarian architecture, new standards and lead to sustainable solutions.
This module aims to equip learners with a sound understanding of the complexity of conflicts. Stress is put particularly on the understanding of violence, its different forms and impacts on programmes. It also seeks to explore coping strategies and adaptations of local populations and responses of the international community. This module aims also at providing learners with analytical tools to comprehend better the contexts of conflict and to make adequate assessments of the challenges faced by practitioners.
This module explores the experience of refugees and other forced migrants displaced by conflict. It examines the causes of contemporary forced migration in order to understand the implications of different causes for the nature of migration flows and the corresponding humanitarian response. It critically evaluates the international and regional normative frameworks for the protection of forced migrants, considering different migrant categories: refugees, internally displaced persons, stateless persons, and victims of human trafficking. The module considers the practical dilemmas in protecting the rights of forced migrants.
Focusing on urban spaces becomes increasingly important for the efficiency of humanitarian actions, but presents new challenges as humanitarian and development traditions are usually focused on 'open spaces' and rural environments. In urban conflicts, all lines are blurred and programming will need to take that into account. Conflicts particularly have an impact on the way people produce, understand and inhabit spaces and places. Rebuilding some social links and establishing communities in locations will become one of the key elements in conflict transformation and humanitarian programmes.
This course introduces the foundational concepts and principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) within conflict settings. With a focus on legal literacy, participants explore key treaties, IHL principles (such as distinction, necessity, and proportionality), and the responsibilities of parties to a conflict. Emphasis is placed on practical applications of IHL to protect civilians and aid humanitarian workers in securing access to affected populations.
This course equips participants with essential leadership, team management, and self-management skills necessary in humanitarian action and peacebuilding fields, where adaptive response to dynamic environments is crucial. Emphasizing leadership theory, team dynamics, decision-making in unpredictable contexts, and stress management, the course prepares participants to lead and collaborate effectively under challenging conditions.
This course examines the impact of mental health and psychosocial issues on individuals and communities in conflict settings. Addressing key concepts such as stress, trauma, and PTSD, the module equips participants with culturally sensitive frameworks to support affected populations and manage the mental health challenges encountered by humanitarian workers themselves. Participants gain insights into resilience strategies, trauma-informed care, and stress-focused interventions within complex environments.
This course delves into the multidimensional aspects of post-conflict stabilization and recovery, emphasizing governance restoration, rule of law, and justice processes. Participants explore cross-cutting principles of stabilization, programming tools, and critical frameworks like human rights and human security approaches. Through interactive learning, they assess actor roles, risks, and develop innovative recovery strategies suitable for complex post-conflict settings.
The course critically examines issues surrounding the protection of civilians in both conflict and post-conflict settings. It explores various conceptual and operational frameworks, focusing on international humanitarian law, human rights, and the protection of vulnerable groups. Key areas include the applicability of legal frameworks, community-based protection strategies, and strategic planning for civilian protection in complex environments. Through interactive activities and applied learning, participants develop the tools to assess risks, make informed protection decisions, and advocate for civilian safety in challenging contexts.
Why are these courses unique?
Why are these courses unique?
A flexible and user-friendly online learning environment enables you to learn from your workplace. During the course you will:
You will have support from a team of academic experts and top-ranked practitioners, and field experts for specific topics.
This course is also relevant for practitioners working in other fields interested in exploring opportunities in conflict transformation.
100% Online delivery - the courses are 100% online conducted via webinars, tutorials, discussions and group work.
The workload per module is estimated to be 200 hours per module divided into four types of activities.
Around 25 % of your time will be spent in staff-led activities such as webinars, tutorials and discussions, 25% of your time will be spent in self-led activities such as readings or independent exercises, another 25 % will be used in preparing your assignments and finally the remaining quarter of your workload will be directly derived from or based on professional past of current practices.
Who is it for?
Who is it for?
These courses have been designed to be studied by new or experienced practitioners working in the field.
Testimonials
Testimonials
Uriel Mazzoli
Head of Mission, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Poland
Courses structure was instrumental in developing the skillset to conduct academic research adopting a scientific approach. The subjects of the courses, the individual and group exams, and the feedback provided by the tutors all contributed to maturing a rounded vision of the aid sector and a methodology that was essential in conducting rigorous investigation of an unexplored topic.
I chose this course both for its contents, relevant to my career, and the flexibility of attending the course remotely while holding full-time employment. Completing this course greatly improved my capacity to contribute to evidence-based discussions and decisions affecting day-to-day humanitarian operations and aid coordination mecha-nisms, ultimately enhancing my impact on the quality of services offered to populations in distress.
Hind Al Taheri
Diplomat at Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, United Arab Emirates
The course on Peace-building and humanitarian action had various modules that consisted of materials related to conflict resolution, humanitarian response, understanding different Socio-political dilemmas, that has helped me understand how to participate as a diplomat to support my nation and other nation overcome positive and negative conflicts. The research which I will be conducting has the common goal of the master’s program which is conflict resolution and peace-building and humanitarian response to defenceless individuals which are young people. This course made me find and use as a diplomat different method to manage strategic peace related projects. Furthermore, the course has made me a more responsible leader. Conflict resolution modules tools were used to overcome disputes between some of my co-workers and friends; through mapping method to find the source of the problem and the influencers that can bring a change and overcome the challenges.
Robert Örell
Senior Expert & Advisor PCVE/CT | Board of Directors VPN USA | Executive Director Transform | MA
Completing the courses in Humanitarian Action and Peacebuilding allowed me to gain a global perspective relevant to my professional expertise. While my work in Europe and the U.S. has focused on providing individualised support to help people´s reintegration, the programme has taught me more about community-based interventions, cultural sensitivity, and hands-on information about mental health needs and interventions in post-conflict settings. We have learned from both our professors, as well as from our fellow students from all over the world, in a global virtual classroom.
Contact us
Contact us
If you have any enquiries about the course, please email us at: bpiquard@brookes.ac.uk
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