UN-CMCoord Course

UN-CMCoord Course

A specialized coordination course on humanitarian civil-military coordination for OCHA and operational partners.

This five-day residential course aims to promote appropriate and effective humanitarian civil-military interactions in humanitarian emergencies through bolstered knowledge and understanding of UN-CMCoord standards and principles and adherence to them. This includes the use of foreign military assets (FMA) to better support the humanitarian community in delivering urgently needed goods and services to affected communities and people-in-need.

By the end of this training event, humanitarian, civilian and military emergency responders will perform their task(s) more confidently by:

  • Assuming responsibilities in support of UN-CMCoord preparedness and response;
  • Taking an active part in timely decision-making and action in pursuit of effective UN-CMCoord;
  • Engaging in a dialogue with other civil-military coordination actors to support the activities of the humanitarian community in upholding humanitarian principles and facilitating the provision of the right assistance, to the right people, at the right time, in the most appropriate way

Objectives

Reaction and Planned Action

After participating in the UN-CMCoord course, graduates will:

  • React positively to the overall training and buy-in to the UN-CMCoord philosophy in humanitarian response.
  • Join a robust pool of knowledgeable graduates willing to keep abreast of latest developments and pursue professional growth on UN-CMCoord and, in the process, contribute to the learning of others.
  • Express confidence in working with a variety of other responders in highly challenging and rapidly evolving operating environments.
  • Score an 80 percent relevance rate of each individual session/topic of the training.

Learning and Confidence

After completing the UN-CMCoord course, graduates will:

  • Define the concept of humanitarian civil-military coordination and outline its key principles.
  • Describe in their own words the purpose and key messages of the four global civil-military coordination guidelines.
  • Describe the role and responsibilities of OCHA in the context of UN-CMCoord preparedness and response.
  • Assess the UN-CMCoord environment in their operational context: mapping the actors, identifying the main coordination/liaison structures, and determining the scope of humanitarian civil-military relations in humanitarian emergencies.
  • Describe key civil-military coordination issues and explain possible approaches to address them (e.g. military support to humanitarian response, protection of civilians, use of foreign military assets (FMA), security and use of armed escorts)

Application and Implementation

When graduates assume their function in a humanitarian emergency, they will:

  • Exercise a key role in support of humanitarian civil-military coordination.
  • Advise their respective organization on civil-military coordination structures and principles for liaison with other actors.
  • Uphold humanitarian civil-military coordination principles and advocate for the people in need of humanitarian assistance.
  • Gain trust and confidence from all actors of civil-military coordination through demonstration of professionalism, dedication and organizational integrity.
  • Perform their coordination role confidently with a clear focus on the support of the mandated beneficiaries.

Participation

24 participants will be selected on basis of the following criteria:

  • Expertise in humanitarian affairs and assistance, coordination, operational support, emergency relief and response
  • Recent experience in response to international humanitarian emergency.
  • Excellent oral and written English is essential.
  • Completion of UN-CMCoord eCourse.

Methodology

  • Preparatory phase:
    • Distance learning
    • Web-based preparatory sessions (i.e. webinar using WebEx)
  • Participatory approaches using facilitated discussions
  • Team work and desk exercises to allow practical application of information and concepts presented
  • Presentations in plenary
  • Written assignments (i.e. preparatory phase and evaluation)

Administration

  • Residential
  • 4.5 days (Sunday to Thursday)
  • 1 to 2 courses per region per year
  • No course fee
  • Accommodation and meals covered by organizers
  • Sending organizations/office responsible for travel costs and applicable allowances

Resources

  • Course coordinator/Lead Facilitator (OCHA)
  • Three Co-facilitators/Technical Subject-Matter Experts on civil-military coordination (i.e. inter-agency representatives)
  • One administrative support and course documentation specialist (OCHA)

Registration