23/03/21
News
The Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies, a joint centre of the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute, is proud to launch its 2021-2025 Strategy. The aim of the strategy is to ensure the Centre keeps pace with the changing humanitarian landscape as it provides relevant, timely training for humanitarian professionals, carries out pertinent research on under-researched issues within the sector, and offers a neutral space for debate on sensitive subjects.
Visit our Strategy page for more information: https://humanitarianstudies.ch/centre-strategy-2021-2025/.
Highlights
Within the strategy the Centre undertakes to fulfill three institutional commitments to:
- breakdown barriers to access learning opportunities for humanitarian professionals in middle and lower income countries
- ensure our training and research is multi-faceted, and covers a wide range of perspectives and schools of thought that explore humanitarianism
- adapt the Centre to humanitarian reality by continuously analyzing new trends and under -researched issues
‘’We are determined to make our Centre inclusive, diverse, innovative and cutting edge in what it does to further enable humanitarian professionals to fulfil their potential and deliver effective humanitarian programmes. We will challenge existing rhetoric and practices to ensure our training and research is fit for the 21st century humanitarian reality’’ explains Professor Karl Blanchet, Director of the Centre.
The Strategy includes an updated Vision and Mission, a group of underlying Principles in Action to guide its work, and four strategic pillars: Education, Research, Humanitarian Exchange, and Management, Collaboration & Partnerships.
The Strategy reflects on the changing humanitarian landscape and the challenges this produces, including those most recently caused by the COVID19 pandemic which has exacerbated national protectionism, increased the marginalization of vulnerable communities and has seen the principle of working ‘for the common-good’ eroded, in the race to find national solutions.
In response to the many challenges that make transformation of the sector difficult, the Centre will;
- make training as accessible as possible by increasing online and blended courses
- provide more scholarships for participants from lower and middle income countries
- support refugees and migrants who have seen their education interrupted
- explore under-researched issues and trends and share all findings free and widely
- be a neutral entity where debate can take place in confidence
The Centre will evolve in close collaboration with its institutional and humanitarian partners including the University of Geneva, the Graduate Institute, ICRC and MSF.
Please visit our strategy page for more information: https://humanitarianstudies.ch/centre-strategy-2021-2025/.