Refugee Protection in Development Agendas: Law, Policy, and Practice

INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE LAW

Refugee Protection in Development Agendas: Law, Policy, and Practice

15 June – 24 July 2026 , Online

Live sessions of the Course will be held from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Rome time, 2 live sessions per week. Please, click here to check your time zone.

© Vincent Tremeau / World Bank

Protracted displacement has reshaped the global refugee landscape, with the majority of refugees hosted in low- and middle-income countries. In these contexts, effective protection requires moving beyond short-term humanitarian responses toward inclusive, resilience-based, and development-oriented approaches. This course is designed specifically for host countries and practitioners seeking practical tools to align refugee protection frameworks with national development priorities while upholding international refugee law and human rights standards.

Drawing on the principles of the Global Compact on Refugees and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the programme explores how to operationalize the humanitarian–development nexus in policy, financing, and institutional practice. Participants will examine strategies to promote refugee self-reliance, strengthen social cohesion, mobilize development financing, and embed protection safeguards within national systems.

Overall objectives

The course aims to strengthen national and institutional capacity to:

Integrate refugee protection standards within national and local development planning in host countries.
Operationalize the protection–development nexus in line with the GCR and the SDGs.
Promote socio-economic inclusion and self-reliance of refugees while supporting host communities to achieve sustainable responses.
Mobilize and strategically use development financing instruments, including concessional loans and blended finance mechanisms.
Apply data-driven, evidence-based approaches to displacement-inclusive policy design and monitoring.
Apply whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to displacement contexts.
Develop sustainable partnerships and financing mechanisms that support long-term solutions.

Target audience

This course is designed for mid- to senior-level professionals with at least five years of relevant professional experience in refugee protection, asylum systems, development planning, or related policy fields.

Eligible applicants include government officials from refugee-hosting countries engaged in asylum, development planning, social affairs, finance, and local governance; representatives of UN agencies and development actors; staff of international financial institutions; and civil society practitioners working at the intersection of refugee protection and development policy.

It is important for participants to have a very good knowledge of English in order to be able to consult background materials, attend lessons, and participate in group work and discussions (no simultaneous translation is available).

Methodology

The Online Course is structured over six weeks to provide an in-depth exploration of the training topics. The first two weeks consist of self-paced introductory modules, followed by four weeks of live sessions.

Self-paced modules can be completed at the participants’ own pace and must be finished before the live sessions begin. Participants who have previously attended our Online Course on International Refugee Law are not required to complete this introductory self-paced part.
Live sessions are pre-scheduled, last 120 minutes, and are delivered via Zoom for Education.

The course balances theory and practice through a participatory and creative teaching methodology designed to facilitate learning and the practical application of knowledge. Sessions feature lectures, panel discussions, case studies, group work, audiovisual materials, and other activities tailored to different learning styles within a diverse audience.

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Registration deadline: 18 May 2026

PROGRAMME

Queries on the course registration and administrative questions should be directed at admission.unit@iihl.org.

Duration:
6 weeks

Language:
English

Registration fee:
€ 750

End of course:
Official certificate

Application Procedure

Language

Certificate

Participation quota amounts to € 750. It must be remitted before the start of the Course by bank transfer. Visa and/or Mastercard are also accepted on the website of the Institute.

A limited number of scholarships is available for the Online Course and cannot therefore be guaranteed purely by application. Scholarships will depend upon funds available to the Institute thanks to the kind contribution of our donors. To apply for a scholarship, you must detail so in the dedicated field in the Registration Form.

The course will be conducted in English and reasonable language proficiency is required. There will not be simultaneous translation.

The official Certificate will be awarded only to those who attend the Course in full, including participation in live and self-paced sessions, and completion of assignments.

INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE LAW