This Master level short course in Humanitarian Shelter Coordination is offered by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in partnership with the Centre for Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP) at Oxford Brookes University.
This course draws upon IFRC’s and UNHCR’s successful leadership of the Shelter Cluster, the interagency mechanism to coordinate humanitarian shelter sector preparedness and response at both global and country level.
This course aims to equip participants with the skills required to coordinate a shelter response in a humanitarian crisis caused by a natural disaster, a conflict or a combination of both. It will provide participants with an overview of the humanitarian reform process and the transformative agenda, the interagency cluster approach, the role of the Shelter Cluster and the principles and practice of shelter coordination in natural disasters.
At the end of the course, participants will have acquired strategic and practical knowledge of shelter coordination policies, methods, tools and procedures in the humanitarian response system and are prepared to apply these in the context of a humanitarian crisis.
Period of study
The course has two phases:
First phase: Tutored distance learning: This will take place during a period of five weeks (6 July – 9 August 2020) and participants will study through the online Red Cross Red Crescent e-learning platform. This first phase deals with most of the theoretical basis of the course.
Second phase: A 6-day face to face workshop (from 14 to 19 September 2020 in Geneva, Switzerland*). The face to face workshop is based on a scenario that simulates the deployment to and coordination of an evolving emergency.
* Dates of the face-to-face workshop might change depending on how the situation with COVID-19 evolves, and how it impacts travel and visa for participants to be able to attend.
Award received
Certified Masters-level credit rated course by Oxford Brooks University (10 UK masters level credits- CATS, equivalent to 5 European masters level credits- ECTS)
Tuition Award
In memory of Graham Saunders, former Global Shelter Cluster Coordinator, the IFRC will support one participant by covering the course fee. Those willing to benefit from this opportunity must indicate so in the online application form. The criteria for selection include number of years of experience, cluster experience and languages. Nationals from less developed countries and staff or volunteers from the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement will be prioritized.
How to register:
Target audience
Applications are welcome from individuals working in the humanitarian and shelter sectors for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, United Nations agencies or Non-Governmental Organisations, or Governments, particularly agencies or institutions actively involved in the interagency shelter cluster at global or country level. The course is also open to individuals seeking to advance their understanding of and expertise in the field of interagency, humanitarian coordination.
Applications must be submitted online before 14th June 2020 via the following link.
Any additional inquiries can be addressed by email to: shelter.settlements@ifrc.org