Leading in Crisis: NGO Leadership for Fragile and Conflict-Affected Areas Training Course

Introduction

Operating Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in fragile and conflict-affected areas (FCAs) presents an unparalleled set of challenges, demanding exceptional leadership capabilities beyond those required in stable environments. Leaders must navigate extreme insecurity, complex political dynamics, diverse cultural sensitivities, acute humanitarian needs, and limited resources, often while ensuring the safety and well-being of their teams. The ability to make rapid, ethical decisions under pressure, build trust amidst mistrust, and deliver impactful programs in highly volatile contexts is critical for humanitarian response and peacebuilding efforts.

This intensive training course is meticulously designed to equip participants with a comprehensive and practical understanding of leadership principles and operational strategies specifically tailored for NGOs working in fragile and conflict-affected areas. From exploring the unique complexities of FCAs and various humanitarian principles to mastering security management, ethical decision-making, remote leadership, and resilience-building, you will gain the expertise to lead effectively in crisis. This empowers you to protect your teams, deliver life-saving assistance, contribute to peacebuilding, and strategically navigate the intricate challenges of operating in the world's most vulnerable regions.

Target Audience

  • NGO Country Directors and Program Managers in FCAs.
  • Humanitarian Aid Workers and Field Coordinators.
  • Security Managers and Advisors for NGOs.
  • Project Managers operating in High-Risk Environments.
  • Head of Missions and Regional Directors.
  • Human Resources Professionals supporting FCAs.
  • Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Specialists in FCAs.
  • Anyone in a leadership or senior operational role in NGOs working in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

Duration: 10 days

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this training course, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the unique characteristics and complexities of fragile and conflict-affected areas (FCAs).
  • Grasp core humanitarian principles and their application in challenging contexts.
  • Analyze various security risk management strategies for NGO operations.
  • Comprehend ethical dilemmas and decision-making frameworks in FCAs.
  • Evaluate different approaches to remote management and team well-being.
  • Develop practical skills in crisis leadership, negotiation, and conflict sensitivity.
  • Navigate the complexities of donor relations and accountability in FCAs.
  • Formulate robust strategies for building organizational resilience and ensuring impactful programming in high-risk environments.

Course Content

  1. Understanding Fragile and Conflict-Affected Areas (FCAs)
  • Definition and characteristics of FCAs.
  • Typologies of conflict and fragility.
  • Impact of conflict on populations, governance, and infrastructure.
  • Political economy of conflict and humanitarian response.
  • The humanitarian-development-peace nexus.
  1. Humanitarian Principles and International Frameworks
  • Core humanitarian principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, independence.
  • International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) relevance.
  • The Sphere Standards and other humanitarian accountability frameworks.
  • Role of UN agencies, international NGOs, and local actors.
  • Donor policies and guidelines for FCAs.
  1. Security Risk Management for NGO Leaders
  • Comprehensive security risk assessment: threat, vulnerability, likelihood, impact.
  • Developing and implementing security plans and protocols.
  • Personal security awareness and hostile environment awareness training (HEAT).
  • Incident management and crisis response.
  • Duty of care for staff in high-risk environments.
  1. Ethical Leadership and Decision-Making in Crisis
  • Navigating ethical dilemmas in FCAs: resource allocation, access, protection.
  • Frameworks for ethical decision-making under pressure.
  • Accountability to affected populations (AAP).
  • Preventing and responding to sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PSEAH).
  • Leadership integrity and anti-corruption measures.
  1. Remote Management and Team Well-being
  • Challenges and best practices of remote management in FCAs.
  • Building and maintaining trust with remote teams.
  • Communication strategies for dispersed teams.
  • Staff care and well-being: stress, trauma, burnout.
  • Mental health support for humanitarian workers.
  1. Program Design and Implementation in FCAs
  • Conflict-sensitive programming: "Do No Harm" principle.
  • Needs assessment in complex emergencies.
  • Adapting program design to volatile contexts.
  • Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) in FCAs.
  • Integrating protection principles into all programming.
  1. Negotiation, Access, and Civil-Military Coordination
  • Principles of humanitarian negotiation with state and non-state armed actors.
  • Gaining and maintaining humanitarian access.
  • Understanding civil-military coordination in humanitarian operations.
  • Building relationships with local authorities and communities.
  • Advocacy for humanitarian space and principles.
  1. Financial Management and Accountability in FCAs
  • Managing finances in high-risk environments: cash management, fraud prevention.
  • Donor compliance and reporting requirements.
  • Budgeting for security and operational complexities.
  • Auditing and financial transparency.
  • Risk-sharing with local partners.
  1. Partnership Management and Localization
  • Building effective partnerships with local NGOs and community-based organizations.
  • Principles of localization in humanitarian action.
  • Capacity strengthening for local partners.
  • Power dynamics in partnerships.
  • Joint programming and resource mobilization.
  1. Organizational Resilience and Future Trends
  • Building organizational resilience in unpredictable environments.
  • Adaptive leadership in FCAs: learning and adjusting to change.
  • Digitalization and technology in humanitarian response.
  • Climate change and its impact on fragility and humanitarian needs.
  • The future of NGO leadership in FCAs.
  • Personal resilience and self-care for leaders.

CERTIFICATION

  • Upon successful completion of this training, participants will be issued with Macskills Training and Development Institute Certificate

TRAINING VENUE

  • Training will be held at Macskills Training Centre. We also tailor make the training upon request at different locations across the world.

AIRPORT PICK UP AND ACCOMMODATION

  • Airport pick up and accommodation is arranged upon request

TERMS OF PAYMENT

Payment should be made to Macskills Development Institute bank account before the start of the training and receipts sent to info@macskillsdevelopment.com

For More Details call: +254-114-087-180

 

Leading In Crisis: Ngo Leadership For Fragile And Conflict-affected Areas Training Course in Guinea-Bissau
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