United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Apr 2018
InterWorks conducted an Emergency Management Training (EMT) from 22 – 26 April 2018 in Dubai, UAE.
The workshop was co-sponsored by UNHCR and the International Humanitarian City (IHC) with support from the UNHCR Global Learning Centre (GLC). It included traditional workshop training sessions delivered at the hotel conference room as well as an intensive two-day field mission simulation exercise run at the IHC warehouse complex near the Maktoum International Airport.
The main objective of the event was to familiarize managers and key decision-makers with the practical realities of international humanitarian response and to improve decision-making, planning, and funding of international humanitarian responses, making them more effective amid a humanitarian emergency. The workshop included key issues from strategic management and funding perspectives, provided a realistic simulated field experience to highlight practical needs in the field, and a review of assessment, monitoring, evaluation, and funding of emergency response activities. The overall training event included guidance and skills practice sessions on:
- current trends in international humanitarian response
- humanitarian fundraising and donors’ concerns
- humanitarian coordination and leadership structures
- protection and needs of vulnerable groups
- standards and procedures-setting for quality response programmes
- working with operational partners and coordination in emergencies
- security, risk assessment and reporting of security incidents
- media relations and interview skills
- assessment, monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian response activities
The participants attended from Government, NGO, and Red Crescent partners from the Gulf States. Although the course was designed as an English language event, most of the training sessions were presented in Arabic due to lack of English comprehension of some participants, and generally higher comfort level with Arabic overall.
Overall this workshop was extremely valuable. Being able to “fail” in a safe environment is a great way to learn, and as a result a lot of info will stay with me beyond this workshop.
– Workshop participant
