Geneva | Core professional training on refugees, IDPs, and forced migrants: protection in law and practice

The course introduces humanitarian practitioners and policy professionals to the international legal frameworks and standards that protect refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and forced migrants, including international refugee law (IRL), the relevant provisions of international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL), and soft-law instruments. It also aims to foster reflection among participants on how States, international organisations, and other actors implement these norms and standards in practice.

More and more practitioners are working in situations of humanitarian crisis involving the displacement of people, whether within one country or across international frontiers. Protecting basic rights in these contexts is a task fraught with multiple conceptual, ethical, legal, political, and operational challenges. Over three and half days, this course aims to unpack this complexity and build humanitarian practitioners’ confidence and capacity around legal tools and sound protection practices.

Each edition of the new series on Displacement, Forced Migration, and International Law includes a Core Training of three and a half days followed by a set of Issue Roundtables over one and a half days. As a general rule, participation in the Core Training is a requirement for participation in the Issue Roundtables to ensure a shared level of understanding of the full range of relevant norms and practices prior to delving into more complex legal, policy, and operational discussions. Exceptions may be made on a case by case basis.

The course is designed for experienced professionals who have been exposed to the challenges of protection issues in humanitarian crisis situations – whether from a practical or policy perspective – and is crafted to accommodate mixed groups of participants working under different types of mandates, including staff of NGOs, components of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, the UN and other international organisations, donor agencies, and other governmental entities.

How to apply

Please use this application form to apply for the course.

The course is open to PHAP members and to non-members. PHAP members enjoy course fee discounts, as well as other benefits. If you are not yet a member of PHAP, you can apply for membership and the selected training simultaneously through the course application form.

PHAP members who have already attended five or more days of training courses offered by PHAP, HPCR, or HPCR International, may be eligible for our Returning Participant Discount Program.

Group discounts are available for agencies and employers wishing to send several staff to PHAP trainings. Please visit our fees and terms and conditions page or contact us directly.