Specialisation Programme on Protection Coordination

The Specialisation Programme on Protection Coordination is an inter-agency blended learning programme for coordinators, co-coordinators and local actors engaged in Protection Coordination in field operations. It is specifically designed and developed to strengthen the skills needed for effective Protection Coordination and to encourage a collaborative and harmonised protection response.

Between 2021 and mid-2023, the SPPC Programme has been delivered 12 times in English and in French to 266 participants coming from more than 35 different field operations.

The Programme Calendar for 2023

This year, four programmes are scheduled in English, French and Spanish allowing all regions to participate. Three courses will be delivered online, whereas the first edition of the Face-to-Face SPPC will take place on July 2023 and it will be held in the Institute’s Headquarter in Sanremo (Italy).

Who can participate?

The Programme specifically targets coordinators, co-coordinators and local actors in field operations, from UN agencies to government counterparts and NGO partners. To fully benefit and actively participate in the Programme, some knowledge, exposure to and/or experience with Protection Coordination is recommended.

Please note that a limited number of applications are selected to ensure the interaction of the sessions. 

Applications to the Programme are open several times a year and are disseminated to corresponding target audience by the Global Protection Cluster and the Areas of Responsibility.

The Programme

The programme takes place over a period of three months and is divided into 3 phases:

Phase 1 - Self-Study Phase

During the Self-Study Phase, participants work online, individually and at their own pace via the Sanremo Institute’s Online Learning Platform, Moodle. The platform offers micro-learning components divided per topic, such as an e-course, a document (checklist, an assessment), a video, a podcast, a visual or a link to a website. Per topic, there are mandatory and additional or recommended micro-learning resources to work on. Mandatory materials cover the essential content selected by the Global Protection Cluster and each of the Areas of Responsibility. The Self-Study Phase takes about 10 hours. Guidance and support is offered by the Programme’s facilitator team.

At the end of the Self-Study Phase, participants have to submit an assignment. Only participants who complete the Self-Study Phase will be invited to participate in the Virtual Workshop Phase.

Phase 2 - Virtual Workshop Phase

The Virtual Workshop Phase consists of 12 virtual and interactive workshop sessions. All sessions of the online course will be scheduled over a period of four to six weeks, whereas for the residential workshop they will be delivered over 5 days.

This Phase offers participants with an opportunity to practice and improve a range of soft skills needed for effective coordination – including, but not limited to, conducting protection analysis, advocacy, humanitarian negotiation, and decision-making. The different sessions are participatory, interactive and contain both individual and group work. In addition, examples and good practices are shared by expert facilitators throughout the Workshop Phase.

This phase is ‘paced’: it requires preparation and completion of specific activities and exercises before the next virtual session. Scheduling enough time for this Phase is essential!

Phase 3 - Final Phase

In the third and last Phase of the Programme, participants are asked to reflect on how to implement the skills and knowledge gained through the Programme into their daily work. During this phase, participants fill in an evaluation form and then attend a final meeting facilitated by the GPC to discuss jointly about the impact of the course on their work in protection coordination.

Programme developed in cooperation with: Global Protection Cluster

Contact us if you have any questions: special.courses@iihl.org