Skip to main content

Programme

Wednesday, 26th October 2011: Opening Ceremony and Inaugural Conference

Venue: Uni Dufour

16:00 Participant Registration

17:30 Welcome and Opening Addresses Venue: Uni Dufour, Auditoire U 300 Charles Rouiller

Moderator
Prof. Jean-Daniel Rainhorn Institute for Global Studies (Maison des sciences de l’homme Paris), Formerly Director of CERAH Genève
Welcome by University of Geneva
Prof. Jean-Dominique Vassalli Rector, Université de Genève
Welcome by Swiss Government
H. E. Alexandre Fasel Ambassador, Deputy permanent representative of Switzerland to the United Nations, Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament and Special Representative of Switzerland to the Human Rights Council
Welcome by Conference Co-organisers
Prof. Doris Schopper Director, Centre d’enseignement et de recherché en action humanitaire (CERAH)
Jonathan Potter Humanitarian Chair of ELRHA Steering Group and Director of People in Aid

Keynote Address

Dr. Unni Karunakara President MSF International
Dr. Zafar Iqbal Qadir Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan

Commentary to Keynote Addresses

Discussants
Prof. Pierre Dominicè Honorary professor, University of Geneva (Conference Chairperson)
Claude Bruderlein Director of the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research, Harvard School of Public Health (Conference Chairperson)
Prof. Peter Walker Director, Feinstein International Center Tufts University
The session will identify and discuss the factors that are shaping the humanitarian work and as a consequence, the training and education requirements of its practitioners, institutions and organisations. Speakers will provide commentary on the issues raised during keynote addresses and outline major challenges the sector will face in the near future, for which adequate theoretical and practical preparation will be needed. The aim of the session is to contextualise the debate and to view knowledge and skills needs of humanitarians in connection rather than in isolation from global changes in work and learning.

19:30 Welcome reception/Cocktail (Uni Dufour)




Thursday, 27th October 2011: Exploring the world of humanitarian education and training: actors, content, relationships

Venue: Centre d’Esperance (Theatre)

08:30 Introduction to Day 1

Prof. Jean-Daniel Rainhorn Institute for Global Studies (Maison des sciences de l’homme Paris), Formerly Director of CERAH Genève
Jess Camburn Director, ELRHA

09:00Plenary Session 1: Humanitarian education and training: the view from research and practice Venue: Centre d’Esperance (Theatre)

Moderator
Prof. Gilles Carbonnier IHEID and member of CERAH Board of Directors
Discussants
Dr. Tim O’Dempsey Director of Humanitarian Studies, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine UK (LSTM
Francoise Le Goff Head of Administration, formerly Head of Organisation Learning and Development, IFRC, Switzerland
Benoit Silve Director, Bioforce, France
Dr. Ifeanyi Prinuel Onyeonoru Director of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Ibadan; Nigeria

Ding Rin Naw Ja

Director, METTA Myanmar
The panellists will explore key issues and challenges in training and education of humanitarian workforce, as seen and perceived by different types of actors. The facilitated discussion between key stakeholders in training and education from North and from South will set the agenda for parallel thematic sessions later in the day in which those issues will be explored in details.

10:00 Plenary Session 2: Professional development system in the humanitarian sector: Where are we and where we are going? Venue: Centre d’Esperance (Theatre)

Moderator
David Wightwick Head of Capacity Building and Preparedness, Save the Children
Discussants:
Dr. Juan Manuel Osorio Acevado Dean of International Relations and Political Science, Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Bogota and Board member, Humanitarian Studies Institute, Colombia
Catherine Russ Professionalisation Advisor, ELRHA, UK
Dr. Julia María González NOHA General Secretary and Vice-rector for international relations, University of Deusto, Spain
Sean Lowrie Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies (CBHA), UK
Simon Lawry-White Chief of the Secretariat, Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)
The panellists will outline and discuss some of the key initiatives contributing to professional development in the humanitarian sector and how these might address some of the present challenges. Panellists will draw from their experience or knowledge of other initiatives to highlight lessons learnt and important issues to bear in mind for the next steps.

11:00 Coffee/Tea break

Theme 1

What Knowledge and Skills for Humanitarian Workers?

Theme 2

An International framework for Professional Development

Theme 3

Humanitarian Education and Training as a Collaborative Enterprise
Explores the figure of a professional humanitarian worker: diverse roles that exist in the sector, professional structuring of the sector, skills, knowledge and competencies – both core and role-specific. Asks questions about the state of the system today, quality standards in training and education and debates the obstacles and challenges to its scaling up, particularly on national levels. Looks at the place and role of each key actor (universities, organisations, training providers, professional schools) in the system and how they relate to and collaborate with each other in the common undertaking of educating and training humanitarian workers.

11:30 Parallel thematic sessions (1)

Session 1

 1.1: The Work of a Humanitarian Aid Worker: are competencies good enough? 2.1: Scaling up national staff capacity within the context of a rapid onset emergency 3.1: Attributes of humanitarian masters’ graduates: a critical analysis of relevance of academic programmes to the world of work

13:00 Lunch and Networking

14:30 Parallel thematic sessions (2)

Session 2

 1.2: Facing the future:preparing tomorrow's humanitarian leaders? 2.2: How to make framework(s) for humanitarian training and education a reality? 3.2: Research, Innovation and best practices in humanitarian education and training

16:00 Coffee/Tea

16:30 Parallel thematic sessions (3)

Session 3

 1.3: Developing a Global Humanitarian Workforce 2.3: Academic education in humanitarian action: What role for the academia in the system? 3.3: Which collaboration and partnerships strategies for humanitarian career pathways?

18:00 End Day 1




Friday, 28th October 2011: Training and education in the humanitarian sector: the critical assessment

08:30 Reflections on Day 1 and introduction to Day 2

Jonathon Potter Humanitarian Chair of ELRHA Steering Group and Director of People in Aid

Thematic restitution (plenary)

Moderator Jonathon Potter Humanitarian Chair of ELRHA Steering Group and Director of People in Aid
Rapporteurs
Theme 1: Dr. Nathalie Herlemont Zoritchak Head of Strategic Policy Service, Handicap International / Lecturer, CERAH
Theme 2: Wendy Fenton ODI/HPN Coordinator, Humanitarian Policy Group
Theme 3: Emmanuella Del Vecchio NGO Management School

9:15 Breakout groups: Distilling next steps on key issues

Breakout Session Moderator Facilitator
Theme 1: Where Next: Humanitarian Curriculum Fernando Almansa CEO, NOHA Corinne Spielewoy FORMAPART
Theme 2:Where Next: The Framework for Professional Development Catherine Russ ELRHA Jess Camburn ELRHA
Theme 3: Where Next: Field Training and Education Sandrine Delattre Co-director, NGO Management School

11:00 Coffee/Tea
11:30 Breakout group restitution (plenary)

Moderator Prof. Doris Schopper Director, CERAH

12:00 Conference Closing Ceremony

Moderator
Prof. Doris Schopper Director, CERAH

Conclusions by Conference Chairpersons

Prof. Pierre Dominicè Honorary professor, University of Geneva
Claude Bruderlein Director of the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research, Harvard School of Public Health

Closing by Conference Organisers

Prof. Doris Schopper Director, CERAH
Jonathan Potter Humanitarian Chair of ELRHA Steering Group and Director of People in Aid

12:45 Lunch

14:00 End Day 2

Downloads

HET Conference Programme full.pdf
HET Conference Programme full.pdf  30.86 KB