The Professional Development Program (PDP), produced by HPCR International since 2005, is composed of a series of educational opportunities for professionals engaged in humanitarian relief and protection. The PDP offers a unique opportunity for mid-career professionals to develop strategic and managerial skills, deepen their understanding of applicable legal and policy frameworks, and expand their informal networks. By engaging professionals on emerging challenges and issues, it also aims to enrich the humanitarian debate and improve the professionalism of the international responses to armed conflict.

The Professional Development Program is offered in collaboration with the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University, benefiting from the latest research from the Harvard-based Distance Learning Research Initiative and the IHL Research Initiative as well as regional partners such as the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy in Amman, and the South-East Asia Peace Lab at Universitas Paramadina in Jakarta. Course content and trainings are presented in cooperation with leading institutional partners.

Following consultations over the past year with its approximately 600 alumni, HPCR International has begun the implementation of a series of measures to enhance the reach and impact of its program. Feedback from the Professional Development Program alumni has revealed that, as individual practitioners assume stronger ownership over the field of humanitarian law and policy, they generate increasing demand for professional development training, and opportunities to engage in debates and build collective knowledge at a global level.

In response to this demand, and working directly with individual practitioners in the humanitarian sector, HPCR International and the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University are collaborating to facilitate the emergence of the first international association of professionals in humanitarian assistance and protection. The International Association of Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP) was officially founded in May 2010, under Belgian law, by a group of individual professional members with the mission to support the transformation of international organizations’ capacities to address emerging humanitarian challenges, through professional develpment, networking, and collaboration among practitioners engaged in humanitarian action. Practically, the professional association will act as a convening platform for communities from academia to field practitioners, from the military to human rights and advocacy groups, to share a variety of online and on-site resources and activities, and to foster opportunities for professional dialogue. PHAP looks forward to opening its doors to additional professional members in the coming months.

As of mid-2010, HPCR International is transferring primary leadership of the Professional Development Program to PHAP. Although the name and governance structure behind the PDP will therefore be changing, the operational structure, parterships, pedagogical style, and commitment to delivering high quality professional development opportunities will remain. Building on the successes of HPCR International, PHAP looks forward to offering its members a range of online and on-site professional development activities tailored for practitioners working in the field of humanitarian affairs. These activities will include expanded online modules providing a common baseline of knowledge; on-site core professional trainings designed for mid-career professionals; and Thematic Workshops and Working Groups to engage participants in in-depth dialogue with experts on specific policy challenges. Using online tools, the Working Groups will bring together professionals interested in a particular humanitarian issue to participate in ongoing collaboration and issue exploration.

During the past two years, HPCR International has offered its alumni the opportunity to pursue the Professional Certificate on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Management by fulfilling a number of online and on-site requirements. With the creation of the professional association, this structure of the certification process will be updated to become one of the central components of the new organization, taking advantage of valuable synergies within a larger community of practitioners. A new set of certification levels and requirements will be put in place in the summer of 2010, following the recommendations of the PHAP Training & Certification Committee and Board of Directors. Additional information on the association, the new certification pathway, and the carryover of completed components into the new professional certification process will be available in the coming weeks. Further details on the on-site and on-line requirements can be found on the Professional Certification page of this website.

On-site Trainings

Core Professional Trainings

Originally launched in 2001, the 2010 season of the Core Professional Trainings will offer participants standard curricula on two distinct topics: International Humanitarian Law and Management of Humanitarian Response. Each course will present the legal and policy tools available to professionals while exploring the challenges of IHL and humanitarian response in contemporary humanitarian issues. Information regarding the sessions offered in 2010 and application details is available on the Core Trainings page.

Thematic Workshops

The Core Trainings are complemented by elective Thematic Workshops which deepen the knowledge and experience of professionals on critical issues that are directly linked to practice and contemporary challenges. The Working Groups will bring together professionals interested in a particular humanitarian issue to participate in on-site Thematic Workshops and ongoing collaboration using online tools. Additional information on the specific themes offered in 2010 is available on the Thematic Workshops page.

E-Products

Forum on Humanitarian Law and Policy

HPCR International recognizes the growing demand for professional development and information sharing opportunities within the expanding peace and conflict management community. In response, HPCR International, in collaboration with the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University (HPCR) offers a Virtual Social Network which facilitates access to relevant information, and provides a platform for both critical analyses of policy dilemmas and interaction with peers and experts. To sign up for the Forum on Humanitarian Law and Policy, please visit http://ihlforum.ning.com.

Online Introductory Modules

In parallel, both partners have developed new web-based educational tools currently available on the Forum. For the last couple of years, participants who have been selected to attend the Core Professional Training on Humanitarian Law and Policy have been required to complete an Online Course as preparation. This requirement will continue in 2010, under the leadership of PHAP, with the release of new set of online training modules in IHL Essentials. This new distance learning course be available on an on-demand basis to members of the new association, and will consist of 16 distinct modules of approximately 8-15 minutes each.

Live Seminars

First produced in 2008 by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University, Live Seminars propose interactive web-based discussions with experts and senior field practitioners on area-specific challenges of International Humanitarian Law as well as theoretical debates on the place of IHL in current conflicts. Past recordings are available to those who join the online Forum on Humanitarian Law and Policy.

"From the Field"

Live presentations “From the field” are interactive exchanges on practical aspects of field missions and activities, providing opportunities for professionals involved directly in the work of humanitarian assistance and protection to engage with specialists on such matters as health, logistics, and other aspects related to well-being on mission.