Latest UNHCR emergency training aimed at senior managers
Staff from UNHCR and its partners take part in a simulated humanitarian crisis as part of a Workshop for Emergency Management hosted in chilly Sweden.
REVINGE, Sweden, March 17 (UNHCR) - Aid workers scrambled to meet the needs of thousands of people fleeing fighting between government troops and separatist rebels in the countryside near southern Sweden's main university campus in Lund.
Operating from a sprawling base camp atop a frozen hill on the outskirts of Revinge, 24 long-time aid workers arrived from across the globe earlier this month to address humanitarian needs facing the host community and the uprooted civilians. The humanitarian crisis was actually part of a Workshop for Emergency Management organized by UNHCR and hosted at the Rescue Services College in Revinge.
The mock crisis was loosely based on the situation in northern Yemen, where a temporary ceasefire between Yemen's forces and local Houthi tribes is allowing aid agencies like UNHCR to expand operations. Fighting that erupted there in 2005 has displaced more than 250,000 people, more than half of them since mid-2009.
The exercise was the first emergency training specifically for senior managers, mostly UNHCR staff but also personnel from key partners including the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Humanitarian City (Dubai) and personnel from two Scandinavian UNHCR standby partners, the Danish Refugee Council and the Norwegian Refugee Council, as well as the US government Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration.
The participants converged from current operations in places such as Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Somalia to hone their skills to ensure staff are poised to respond to displacement crises in a matter of hours.
"UNHCR conducts these training seminars three times yearly to ensure our staff may refresh their skills," said Iain Hall, chief of UNHCR's Emergency Preparedness and Response Section. "The government of Sweden has long been an enthusiastic supporter of this effort, and together with Norway, Germany and other states helps ensure that we have a variety of staff able to meet urgent needs in humanitarian crisis situations, be they man-made [conflict] or caused by natural disaster."
Participants agree to be deployed anywhere in the world within 72 hours for up to four months, and they remain on this emergency roster for two years. Preparation for the course and eventual deployment as part of one of UNHCR's Emergency Response Teams means getting their current offices to agree that they serve on the roster, as well as the understanding of their families.
"This exceptional training effort is about ensuring that we have highly skilled senior managers who also undergo this special course to address the needs of displaced persons and the humanitarian community's cluster," Hall said.
Participants were enthusiastic, despite sub-zero nights in tents and tense days facing those playing angry officials and traumatized displaced people. "It is very good, and I'm impressed with all the people here," said Odd Einar Olsen of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Monica Sandri currently works with the Afghan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development in Kabul as an emergency and social protection adviser and in the past served with the Norwegian Refugee Council. She took part in the UNHCR course as a member of the Danish Refugee Council emergency stand-by roster.
"This course is giving me more knowledge in how to manage an emergency and, more importantly, how to manage relations in a crisis," Sandri said. "I have always worked with refugees and internally displaced persons, so for me this senior level training is more focussed on management and how to address emergencies."
By Peter Kessler in Revinge,Sweden
Related news and stories
Helping vulnerable children to find their inner hero
In Sweden, storytelling to boost refugee children's mental health
Refugee survivors of sexual abuse find help in Rwanda
UNHCR, UNICEF and IOM urge European states to boost education for refugee and migrant children
UNHCR Desperate Journeys report provides snapshot of changing refugee movements to Europe
Architect helps Syrian trio build new lives in Sweden
Your search for « workshop » matched 3801 results. Only the first 1,000 results are displayed. Displaying page 3 of 112 pages.
-
UNHCR's engagement with integrated UN missions: Report of a lessons learned workshop
Aug 2009 ... UN missions Report of a lessons learned workshop Vicky Tennant, Policy Development and .........1 Background and workshop rationale ......... -
Evaluation of UNHCR's policy on refugees in urban areas: Report of a workshop, Moscow, March 2002
31 Oct 2002 ... on refugees in urban areas. Report of a workshop, Moscow, March 2002 By Kemlin Furley, Naoko ......... 3 Workshop findings and recommendations ...... -
Agenda - Workshop on research on the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees (13 November 2019)
10 Nov 2019 ... INTERDISCIPLINARY NETWORK (‘GAIN’) WORKSHOP ON RESEARCH ON THE OBJECTIVES OF THE GLOBAL ... Gillian Triggs, UNHCR 09h20-09h30 Aims of the workshop and links to the Global Compact on Refugees ...... -
APRRN-ICVA-Mercy Malaysia Workshop on Capacity Strengthening - Follow-Up to the High Commissioner's Structured Dialogue on UNHCR‐IFRC-NGO Partnership
19 Sep 2016 ... H otel, B angkok Summary: This workshop brought participants ... In order best frame the workshop and assess its success based ...... -
The use of cash grants in UNHCR voluntary repatriation operations: Report of a 'lessons learned' workshop
30 Sep 2008 ... operations Report of a ‘lessons learned’ workshop Franziska Troger and Vicky Tennant, Policy ... Table of contents 1. Background and workshop rationale ......... -
Tanzania HC Structured Dialogue mission report
Oct 2016 ... Structured Dialogue Tanzania Workshops Report– October 2016 Executive Summary From ... The mission team held a workshop at the UNHCR sub-office level in Kibondo and one at the UNHCR ...... -
Local integration for refugees in the CIS region: Report of a workshop held in Chisinau, Moldova, November 2003
1 Jan 2004 ... for refugees in the CIS region Report of a workshop held in Chisinau, Moldova, November 2003 By ... 3. On 24 and 25 November 2003, UNHCR held a workshop in Chisinau, Moldova to discuss the ...... -
Kenya HC Structured Dialogue mission report
Jan 2015 ... The HC’s Structured Dialogue – Kenya Workshops January 2015 REPORT Executive Summary A joint ... The mission team held two workshops: one in Dadaab for partners working in the camps and one for ...... -
Ahmed Badr
... creative expression of displaced youth through publishing, partnerships, workshops, and fellowships. ... participating in Model UN activities and facilitated storytelling workshops with displaced youth. ......