“At our Centre, we believe that strengthening the capacity of humanitarian professionals — wherever they work — is key to enabling effective, ethical, and evidence-based responses to today’s complex crises. Through research, education, and dialogue, we aim to support and empower those at the heart of humanitarian action”.
Who we are
The Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies is a unique platform dedicated to advancing professional practice, research, and dialogue in the field of humanitarian action.
Rooted in Geneva’s distinctive humanitarian ecosystem, we draw on our location and strong institutional partnerships — particularly with the University of Geneva — to enhance the academic experience of humanitarian professionals worldwide.
We are committed to bridging research and practice, promoting critical thinking, and facilitating the exchange of diverse global perspectives. Our students benefit from a dynamic learning environment enriched by expert lecturers, practitioners, and unique connections within International Geneva.
What we offer
Through our education programmes, research initiatives, and global dialogue activities, we aim to strengthen the capacity and practice of humanitarian professionals. Our goal is to equip them with the analytical tools, strategic insights, and evidence-based knowledge needed to address complex crises ethically and effectively.
We go beyond technical training: we encourage reflection, ethical engagement, and open exchange of ideas to foster a more accountable and transformative humanitarian system.
“Our educational approach goes beyond technical skills. We foster critical reflection and open exchange to challenge assumptions and help shape a more effective, accountable, and transformative humanitarian system…”
Our Strategic Priorities
Our 2021–2025 Strategy defines the Centre’s priorities in a changing humanitarian landscape. It sets out how we aim to expand access to professional education, address neglected issues in humanitarian action, and support open, global dialogue grounded in evidence and practice.
Reed the full strategy.
Our History
In the 1970s and 1980s, some of the larger humanitarian organisations based in Geneva started offering operational training for humanitarians. A decade later, in the aftermath of the Rwanda genocide, the Balkans war and the ensuing mass mobilisation of new humanitarian actors, the need to ‘professionalise’ the sector became evident.
1998 – Back then, there were no academic courses on humanitarian action, but thanks to the University of Geneva, several international organisations and the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a Plurifaculty Programme for Humanitarian Action – PPAH, was born. The Plurifaculty Programme for Humanitarian Action was the first iteration of the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies. The objective of this visionary programme was to offer high-level, continuous education for humanitarian practitioners.
2004 – The programme was radically transformed under the impulse of the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) and re-named PIAH – Interdisciplinary Programme in Humanitarian Action. PIAH offered a wider course programme, including a Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Action, in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières Switzerland.
2008 – The partnership between the University of Geneva and the IHEID changed the programme’s name into CERAH – Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action. In 2012, the Centre expanded its course offer by adding to the Master DAS, CAS and Executive Short Courses. In 2017, the Centre launched its Humanitarian Encyclopedia research project, and in 2018 it celebrated its 20th anniversary.
2020 – We have evolved further and became the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies. The name reflects a new vision for the Centre: we used 2020 – a challenging year for everyone – as a foundation to learn and build on our experience of distance learning and research collaborations, to assess what further transformations are needed and feasible to increase access and availability of our courses and research to frontline humanitarian workers and organisations.
Our Team
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Our Students
Each year, over 200 professionals join our courses — doctors, nurses, lawyers, communicators, project managers, and emergency coordinators — all committed to improving humanitarian response worldwide.
Our participants bring a wide range of experience and reflect the diversity of the sector. Around half come from low- and middle-income countries, contributing to a rich exchange of perspectives in every class.
Since 2020, we also welcome graduate students with relevant experience, creating an environment where experienced professionals and early-career humanitarians learn from each other.
Our Alumni
Many of our Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Action (MAS) alumni are experienced professionals who return to their organisations with new skills and perspectives — often stepping into expanded roles. Others transition into new opportunities in international organisations, NGOs, or public institutions.
We encourage alumni to stay connected with us and with each other through our mailing list and social media channels.
Discover what they say about the MAS!
Our Partners
Partnerships are central to our work. We collaborate with a wide range of institutions — academic, operational, and policy-focused — to design relevant education programmes and conduct applied research that responds to real humanitarian needs.
Our three strategic humanitarian partners — the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and the Swiss Confederation — play a key role in shaping our courses and ensuring our work remains grounded in practice.
“For the past 20 years, the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies has been a partner to the ICRC – testing our assumptions, pushing us to think out of the box, and ultimately helping to ensure the relevance and effectiveness of humanitarian action in an increasingly complex, challenging humanitarian environment.”
— Yves Daccord, Former Director-General, ICRC
We also work with a wide network of technical and institutional partners. These collaborations enrich our teaching and research and help us remain connected to diverse humanitarian perspectives.