Course description
Protection work is carried out by a range of actors, all working towards the shared goal of ensuring that the rights of individuals are respected in disaster response and complex emergencies. However, different organizations at the domestic and international level approach and operationalize protection in different ways. These approaches are often complementary, but can sometimes be confusing or even contradictory. To successfully operate within this space, and to harmonize and coordinate efforts, protection professionals need a firm understanding of both the shared notions of protection and the differences between organizations.
This course aims to strengthen understanding of the underlying shared principles and frameworks of protection in humanitarian response, as well as how the different conceptions of protection are implemented in practice by organizations operating in this space. The course will also use the Professional Standards for Protection Work as a point of reference throughout the week. The course starts with an overview of the notions behind protection and the relevant legal frameworks. It will then cover the architecture for protection at the domestic level and then at the international level, as well as coordination mechanisms. The course will also take a more in-depth look at the implementation of protection by using the project cycle to examine the programs of different organizations. While the course will address current issues and challenges throughout the week, there will be a particular focus on data protection and the use of data in protection work.
The faculty includes protection specialists and legal experts, as well as organizational representatives presenting their programs. As the course is highly interactive, participants are also expected to participate actively and analyze, reflect on, and discuss their own experience of protection work.