The NOHA Intensive Programme (IP) is the first component of the NOHA Masters Programme. Each year a specific theme is developed for the participants (students, guest speakers and NOHA staff) to serve as a central element with which all the regular component parts can be approached against the background of an general contemporary theme. This year’s theme is the concept of humanitarian space and the threats and challenges it faces in the 21st century.
The objectives of the IP are to introduce students to:
- the concept of humanitarian action;
- the main actors working in the field of humanitarian action;
- key contemporary humanitarian issues and challenges;
The structure of the IP can be presented under four intertwined pillars:
I Introduction to NOHA, its educational activities with particular emphasis on the
Master’s programme and its research identity;
II Humanitarian Principles and Actors;
III Contemporary Humanitarian Issues in general;
IV Humanitarian space: threats and challenges
Humanitarian space: threats and challenges in the 21st century
Humanitarian space is basically the area in which humanitarian aid workers can do their work unhindered while being able to uphold the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, humanity and independence. Humanitarian space can have both a physical as well as a metaphysical meaning. Physically speaking, humanitarian space is the designated area in which aid workers alleviate suffering, e.g. refugee camps and safe havens. Metaphysically speaking, humanitarian space represents the liberty for aid workers to work unhindered according to their humanitarian principles, without fear to become confronted with violence, extortion, intimidation etc. Humanitarian space is in this context not a geographically determined area, but a principled phenomenon surrounded by a multitude of actors and continuously rapidly changing circumstances. In this space the four humanitarian principles can be more specified into
- Free access to and communication with those in need of aid;
- Independent needs assessment and evaluation of humanitarian necessities;
- Independent control on the distribution of aid goods and services;
- Independent monitoring of aid and proper final evaluation mechanisms;
- Proper guarantees for the protection of victims of manmade or natural disasters.
During the Cold War humanitarian aid workers worked independently from military (peace keeping) troops and kept firm distance from governments. They were mostly active in camps on the edges of conflict zones or in governmentally controlled safe areas. As a consequence, humanitarian space was a small but well defined area (both physically and metaphysically) and humanitarian aid a strictly delineated number of activities.
All this changed after 1991. Due to the geopolitical changes, the lesser respect for / relevance of the sovereignty of (weak) states and borders per se, media coverage of disasters as a result of which domestic pressure grew on governments to act and a mushrooming number of humanitarian organizations the humanitarian space widened up. Simultaneously, however, the newly widened humanitarian space got increasingly challenged. Intra-state warfare between troops and gangs with no knowledge of or respect for International Humanitarian Law, the profitability of endemic violence, the deliberate targeting of populations and aid workers, humanitarian interference by states and their military and NGO’s with suspected hidden political agendas and the blockage of effective co-ordination mechanisms are to be mentioned.
These developments have posed serious threats to the humanitarian space, threats that also at the beginning of the 21st century have not been dealt with. Fundamental questions need to be addressed, such as: who is humanitarian, are the humanitarian principles in need of revamping, what is the core business of humanitarianism and what is the maximum ‘stretch’ it can cope with; how should we deal with the tension between the need for humanitarian action and the role of sovereignty (the emerging norm of Responsibility to Protect)? All these issues will be dealt with in the various presentations, interventions and activities during the IP by both the NOHA staff and the invited guest speakers.
Thursday the 2nd of September 2010
15.00 – 21.00 Arrival of Participants in Warsaw and registration
18.00 – 21.00 Light Dinner
Friday the 3rd of September 2010: Introduction to NOHA
09.30 – 10.00 Welcome Addresses and introduction to Intensive Programme
Chairperson: Dr. Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza and Dr. Joost Herman
Speakers:
- Rector University of Warsaw - Introduction to the University of Warsaw
- Rector University of Groningen - International networks in the EHEA
- Dr. P. Gibbons, NOHA President – NOHA
10.00 – 11.00 Keynote Speech:
Chairperson: Dr. Pat Gibbons
Keynote speaker: Mdm. Michèle Striffler (EU-Standing rapporteur for Humanitarian Aid): the EU political view on the protection of humanitarian space
Keynote speaker: (tbc)
11.00 – 11.30 Coffee
11.30 – 12.30 Introduction to NOHA (Past, present and future)
Chairperson:
Speaker: Dr. Julia Gonzalez, Secretary General NOHA
12.30 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 – 15.30 Introduction DG Humanitarian Aid (ECHO)
Chairperson:
Speakers:
- René Guth, Head of Unit ECHO B/3, DG Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) (tbc)
- Vaéa S. Lefrancois, DG Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), Internships (tbc)
15.30 – 16.00 Coffee
16.00 – 17.30 Introduction to the NOHA Institutions (Teaching & Research)
Chairperson: Dr. Elżbieta Mikos-Skuza
- NOHA Erasmus Mundus Master of Excellence – Dr. Cristina Churruca
- NOHA Faculty and Fall schools – Dr. Catherine Gourbin
- NOHA Academy (NELINT) – Dr. Joost Herman
- NOHA Enlargement – Dr. Markus Moke
- NOHA Research – Dr. Inga-Lill Aronsson
- NOHA PhD trajectory – Prof. Dr. Julia Gonzalez
- NOHA Flagship projects – Dr. Pat Gibbons
- NOHA Advisory Council – Prof. Dr. Horst Fischer
- NOHA Summer academies, – Renata Vaisviliene LLM
- Discussion and Question & Answer Session
17.30 – 19.00 Dinner
Saturday the 4th of September 2010: NOHA Master Programme
09.00 – 09.30 Introduction to NOHA Modular Programme Semester I
- NOHA representative
09.30 – 11.00 Introduction to NOHA Optional Programme Semester II
- NOHA representative
- Discussion and Question & Answer Session
11.00 – 11.30 Coffee
11.30 – 13.00 Introduction to NOHA Semester III and Erasmus Mundus Partners
Chairperson: Dr. Cristina Churruca
- Beirut (Lebanon) – Speaker
- Bangalore (India) – Speaker
- Columbia, New York (USA) – Speaker
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch
14.30 – 16.00 Introduction NOHA Erasmus Mundus Partners (15 min each)
Chairperson: Dr. Cristina Churruca
- Gadjah Mada (Indonesia) – Speaker
- Javeriana (Colombia) – Speaker
- Monash (Australia) – Speaker
- UWC (South Africa) – Speaker
- Panel Discussion all EM Partners
16.00 – 16.30 Coffee
16.30 – 18.00 Introduction NOHA Alumni
- President of the NOHA Alumni Association
- Discussion and Question & Answer Session
18.00 – 19.30 Dinner
21:00 Integration Night – Organised by NOHA Alumni Association
Sunday the 5th of September 2010: Humanitarian space, workshops and research
09.30 – 11.00 Humanitarian workshops by NOHA Faculty members
11.00 – 11.30 Coffee
11.30 – 13.00 Humanitarian Workshops by NOHA Faculty members
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch break
14.30 – 16.30 Poster Presentations on NOHA Faculty Research
17.00 Dinner
Monday the 6th of September 2010: Presentations on dimensions of Humanitarian Space
09.30 – 11.00 Challenges and threats to the principles of Humanitarian Space
Chairperson: Dr. Andrej Zwitter
Speakers and topics:
Dr. Joost Herman: Principle challenges and threats to Humanitarian Space
11.00 – 11.30 Coffee break
11.30 – 13.00 Challenges and threats to the principles of Humanitarian Space
Chairperson: Dr. Andrej Zwitter
Speakers and topics:
Dr. Patrycja Grzebyk (University of Warsaw): The respect for and challenges to IHL in Humanitarian Space
Larissa Fast (Kroc Institute): Violence in Humanitarian Space (tbc)
Ad Beljaars (Dutch Red Cross): Humanitarian Principles in Humanitarian Space (tbc)
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch break
14.30 – 16.00 Challenges and threats to the principles of Humanitarian Space
Chairperson:
Speakers and topics
Marc Dubois (MSF UK Executive Director): NGO perspectives on the protection of humanitarian space (tbc)
Kathrin Schick (Director VOICE): NGO perspectives on the protection of humanitarian space (tbc)
16.00 – 16.30 Coffee break
16.30 – 18.00 Challenges and threats to the principles of Humanitarian Space
Chairperson
Speakers and topics
Gen (ret) Ton Strik: Civil-Military relationships in Humanitarian Space
Mrs. Hanna Schreiber (University of Warsaw), “The role of culture in Humanitarian Space”
18.30 Dinner
Tuesday the 7th of September 2010: Presentations on dimensions of Humanitarian Space and introduction to simulation exercise
09.30 – 11.00 Humanitarian Space: actors and processes
Chairperson: Dr. Markus Moke
Speakers
Leon Willems (Director Press Now): the influence of the media on the preservation of humanitarian space
Konstanty Gebert (Gazeta Wyborcza)
Urska Potocnik (Slovenian MoFa): New donors/actors and their quest for access to humanitarian space (tbc)
11.00 – 11.30 Coffee break
11.30 – 13.00 Humanitarian Space: actors and processes
Chairperson: Dr. Markus Moke
Speakers
Bram Janssen: needs driven operations in humanitarian space (tbc)
Polish WHO expert: (tbc)
Polish IHL expert: Rights based approach to humanitarianism: access denied??
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch break
14.30 – 16.00 Humanitarian Space: actors and processes
Chairperson:
Speakers:
Chamutal Eitam (University of Groningen / Humanitarian Consultancy): assessment and evaluation as mechanism to improve effective aid delivery in Humanitarian Space
16.00 – onwards possibility to explore Warsaw
Wednesday the 8th of September 2010: Simulation exercise and intercultural sensitivity
09.00 – 09.30 Introduction to the simulation exercise Humanitarian Space and Disaster Risk Reduction
09.30 – 11.00 Humanitarian Space and Disaster Risk Reduction (Simulation Exercise)
11.00 – 11.30 Coffee break
11.30 – 13.00 Humanitarian Space and Disaster Risk Reduction (Simulation Exercise)
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch
14.30 – 16.00 Humanitarian Space and Disaster Risk Reduction (Simulation Exercise)
16.00 16.30 Coffee
16.30 – 18.00 Exploring the intercultural dimensions of the NOHA Family
18.00 Dinner
Thursday the 9th of September: Presentations on dimensions of Humanitarian Space and Simulation Exercise
09.00 – 11.00 Humanitarian Space and Disaster Risk Reduction (Simulation Exercise)
11.00 – 11.30 Coffee
11.30 – 13.00 Humanitarian Space and Disaster Risk Reduction (Simulation Exercise)
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch
14.30 – 16.00 Humanitarian Space and Disaster Risk Reduction (Simulation Exercise)
16.00 – 16.30 Coffee Break
16.30 – 18.00 Humanitarian Space and Disaster Risk Reduction (Simulation Exercise)
18.00 – 19.30 Dinner
Friday the 10th of September: Presentations on dimensions of Humanitarian Space and Simulation Exercise
09.30 – 11.00 Final Presentations, debriefing and Evaluation of Simulation Exercise
Speakers: Dr. Markus Moke & Dr. Andrej Zwitter
11.00 – 11.30 Coffee Break
11.30 – 13.00 Final Presentations, debriefing and Evaluation of Simulation Exercise
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch
14.30 – 15.30 IP evaluation and closure
Speakers: Dr. Elżbieta Mikos-Skuza & Dr. Joost Herman
Departure Participants
