F1HH 5030 - Humanitarian Diplomacy and Negotiation

Humanitarian actors negotiate daily to protect the lives affected by nature- or human-made disasters. They seek to get access to the most vulnerable, assess, and provide for, their needs. In that respect, they engage the relevant stakeholders at all levels; they strive to persuade them to trigger humanitarian impulse and take action in line with the humanitarian principles. They stay engaged to alleviate suffering as long as necessary. This humanitarian negotiation and diplomacy class has a double objective: (1) introduce students to negotiation concepts and skills and (2) analyze 150 years of humanitarian negotiation. It explores real-life cases involving humanitarian negotiations and provides an inquiry-based framework to support responsible field practice.

Additional requested information: students will learn to engage negotiation theories to take humanitarian practices and its specific aspects seriously, and to provide practitioners with relevant responsible negotiation theories and tools for the field.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) Foster a multi-layer responsibility as negotiator to engage people, to problem-solve constructively, and to facilitate an empowering process
2) Identify the challenges and dilemmas of humanitarian negotiators
3) Assess their relational and transactional skills as a potential humanitarian actor
4) Effectively engage with all people using guiding principles/methods that:
• Put people first (humanity, the needs of the most vulnerable, impartiality, proximity, identity, benevolence, cultural components, etc.)
• Network and advocate at all levels, aim for sustainable working relationships and overcome roadblocks and difficult behaviors
• Structure instructions, organizations, internal and external coordination, and coalitions
• Ensure dynamic mapping of stakeholders (including aid recipients, local communities, principals, headquarters, implementers, other humanitarian agencies, host governments, the elders, bystanders, the non-state armed groups, commanders and soldiery, perpetrators, sympathizers, the press, etc.)
5) Constructively solve problems through negotiations to:
• Leverage humanitarian values, principles, and norm compliance (humanity, impartiality, neutrality, etc.) beyond political/economic/religious/procedural obstacles in the search for adequate solutions (legitimate, legal, doable)
• Seek broadly acceptable solutions and agreements, which best respond to operate safely in specific contexts, i.e., maximizes assistance and protection, while minimizing risks and delays for all
• Achieve positive humanitarian impact of solutions on beneficiaries and keep the general environment safe, protective, caring, sustainable.
6) Successfully facilitate negotiations through processes that:
• Carry on a structured process to have access to, and to protect and assist those most in need in a timely fashion
• Empower beneficiaries at all stages, from assessing needs to implementing operations, reviewing them, and handing them over, when appropriate
• Build ownership of the solutions with all
• Structure a mandate which aligns local needs with the organizational mission and the headquarters instructions
• Implement local agreements in practice and overcome possible roadblocks at all levels (strategic, operational and field)
• Ensure broad accountability for any decision (i.e., not only with principals, but beyond the traditional two-level power structure) and build feedback loops

LEARNING OUTCOMES :

1) Understand the key negotiation pillars for negotiation strategy and preparation.
2) Increased awareness about negotiation complexity and responsibility in humanitarian contexts.
3) Improve the quality of solutions and relationships.
4) Develop active communication skills for perceiving and persuading in negotiations.
5) Assess personal approaches to negotiation et set objectives for improvement.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:

1) A practical framework for negotiation preparation.
2) Facilitative skills to overcome internal and external tensions.
3) Interpersonal communication skills for active comprehending and convincing.

Michele PEKAR,Alain LEMPEREUR

Séminaire

English

- Reading and Preparation for Class: up to 8 hours a week / 48 hours a semester
- Research and Preparation for Group Work: up to 5 hours a week / 30 hours a semester
- Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: up to 8 hours a week / 47 hours a semester

Participants in the class will also be exposed to case studies, exercises and video excerpts that they will be asked to review and analyze. Additional requested information: 3 to 4 hours.

In order to validate the course, students need to complete 1 group assignment and 2 individual assignments. In order to validate the course, students need to complete 1 group assignment and 2 individual assignments. Please see the table in the course outline for more information.

None

Spring 2025-2026

- Class Participation 25%
- Assignment 1 – Group Work 15%
- Assignment 2 – Individual Work 30%
- Assignment 3 – Individual Work 30%

To make this workshop as interactive as possible, simulations and role-playing are used and discussed in class. Participants are provided with concepts and techniques for humanitarian negotiations, for their preparations, actions, and reviews.

Students will receive immediate oral feedback on their presentations during the course. Students will receive written comments on their presentations, performance and final assignment within 2 weeks of the end of the course. .