In short
Course Date/Duration	06 – 17 July 2026
Course Capacity	32 participants
Target Group	The course is tailored for professionals involved in humanitarian assistance, disaster preparedness and response, and peacebuilding, including but not limited to: State authorities (national/local government, ministries, emergency management agencies) (I)NGOs and civil society organisations (humanitarian and peace organisations) Security forces (military and police) involved in humanitarian action, protection, and coordination
Course Language	The course will be delivered bilingually in English and French
Application Deadline	18 May 2026

 

Course Aim

The HAWA Core Course is a flagship, practice-oriented training delivered at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) under the Preparedness for Humanitarian Assistance and Peacebuilding in West Africa (HAWA V) programme. It strengthens individual and institutional capacities for gender-responsive humanitarian crisis preparedness and response and environmental peacebuilding in West Africa by enhancing practical skills, cross-sectoral coordination, and application of humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus approaches.

Participants work on translating Women, Peace and Security (WPS), and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) commitments, as well as climate and environmental aspects into operational planning, coordination and decision-making across humanitarian, development, peacebuilding and security actors—with a clear focus on what can be implemented in real crises and cross-border settings.

Beyond classroom learning, the course is designed as an entry point into a broader HAWA learning pathway. It is complemented by Training of Trainers (ToT), a specialised course on gender-responsive climate action in humanitarian assistance, local impact workshops in cross-border zones, structured alumni engagement, and follow-up initiatives—all aimed at increasing measurable impact in the field and within participants’ organisations. Thereby, the HAWA Core Course is part of the HAWA programme, which is jointly implemented by the Austrian Centre for Peace (ACP), the KAIPTC, and CARE, and is funded by the Austrian Development Agency and the Austrian Ministry of Defence as part of International Partnerships Austria.

Target Group

The course is tailored for professionals involved in humanitarian assistance, disaster preparedness and response, and peacebuilding from and operating in West Africa, including but not limited to:

• Staff from state authorities and emergency management institutions (national and local levels).
• Representatives from (I)NGOs and civil society organisations working on humanitarian action, protection, and peacebuilding.
• Military and police personnel involved in humanitarian support, civil-military coordination, and crisis response.
• Professionals working on border-area coordination, migration and displacement, climate/environmental risk management, or community-based preparedness initiatives.

Preference will be given to applicants who can demonstrate their ability to apply the knowledge gained within their institutions, for example, through their job responsibilities or planned follow-up activities such as staff briefings or in-house workshops.

We aim to achieve at least 45% female participation in the course. In addition, reserved places are available for young professionals under 35 years of age, and applications from this group are strongly encouraged (see further details below).

Learning Objectives

• Apply HDP nexus thinking to improve preparedness, response, and recovery planning.
• Integrate gender responsiveness (incl. WPS) and inclusion into humanitarian action and peacebuilding practice.
• Integrate environmental and climate considerations into humanitarian action and peacebuilding practice.
• Apply conflict sensitivity and ‘do no harm’ approaches in volatile, cross-border contexts.
• Incorporate climate, environment and environmental peacebuilding considerations into crisis preparedness and response.
• Strengthen practical coordination across sectors (government, CSOs, NGOs, security forces) and build professional networks for joint action.
• Apply practical tools for gender analysis, protection and inclusion (e.g., GBV risk mitigation, safeguarding and accountability to affected populations) in crisis preparedness and response.
• Design a realistic preparedness or response improvement plan for your organisation/area of responsibility, including ‘early action’ steps and organisational readiness measures.
• Strengthen civil-military coordination and cross-border cooperation by clarifying roles, information flows and coordination mechanisms in line with humanitarian principles.
• Translate course learning into concrete application to support organisational follow-through.

 

Eligibility Criteria

Selection follows KAIPTC standard admission criteria and aims at a balanced class composition. Key criteria include:

• minimum qualification/professional status;
  • previous education and/or practical experience in humanitarian assistance and/or peacebuilding work
  • language proficiency in either English or French
• quotas for citizenship (balancing participants from West African countries, in particular but not limited to Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo), and further geographic diversity (including professionals working in or with border areas).
• quotas for gender (minimum 45% of participants should be women). Women may be prioritised where qualifications are comparable. Barrier-reduction measures can be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Diversity of organisational background/sector (approx. 30% security sector, 30% government officials, 40% NGOs/CSOs),
• quotas for young professionals (minimum 15% of participants should be under 35);
• institutional affiliation and demonstrated potential to apply learning (incl. willingness to brief colleagues and support organisational follow-through).

 

 

Pedagogical Approach

This training applies adult-learning methods and a highly interactive, practice-oriented approach. It combines expert inputs, facilitated discussions, group work, case clinics, and scenario-based simulations, with structured peer exchange between Francophone and Anglophone participants. To create more time for practical application during the residential phase, blended learning is used: participants are required to complete self-paced learning modules (with certificates submitted in advance). A dedicated youth component can include a pre-course mentorship webinar and mentorship during & after the course for young professional participants, aligned with the YPS agenda. Throughout delivery, the programme applies environmentally responsible practices (e.g., resource efficiency).

 

Course Content

The course combines conceptual foundations with applied tools and field-oriented exercises. It is structured around the following core modules:

• Humanitarian principles, standards and coordination mechanisms in complex environments (incl. roles, mandates and civil-military interfaces);
• Disaster preparedness, early action and organisational readiness (risk analysis, contingency planning, SOPs and coordination triggers);
• Gender-responsive humanitarian action, protection and inclusion (WPS/YPS linkages, safeguarding, GBV risk mitigation and accountability);
• Climate, environment and environmental peacebuilding in crises (climate-security dynamics, natural resource pressures and environmental risk drivers);
• Conflict sensitivity and context analysis (stakeholder mapping, ‘do no harm’, risk management and operating in cross-border settings);
• Cross-sectoral and cross-border collaboration (government/NGO/CSO/security actors), civil-military coordination.
• Applied coordination skills: information management, joint planning, decision-making under pressure and communication in multi-actor environments.
• Capstone practical exercise, including scenario-based simulation

 

Follow-on Opportunities and Impact in the Field

HAWA V is designed to move from learning to measurable practice. After the Core Course, participants are encouraged to stay engaged through follow-up initiatives and to apply their learning within their organisations and cross-border networks. This includes structured alumni support and, where relevant, participation in field-oriented activities in border zones.

• Training of Trainers (ToT): high-performing alumni may be considered for ToT (English or French), enabling them to deliver HAWA-aligned training and support capacity development in their institutions.
• HAWA Alumni Platform: moderated online channels and regular community meetups support peer exchange, professional cooperation and access to resources and opportunities; alumni may showcase improvements implemented after the training.
• ‘Fit for Practice’ follow-through: participating institutions are encouraged to enable trained staff to brief colleagues, run in-house workshops, join relevant working groups, and contribute to policy or SOP improvements.
• Cross-border local impact workshops: selected activities engage communities and organisations in border zones (e.g., Ghana-Burkina Faso, Ghana-Togo, Ghana-Côte d’Ivoire) to strengthen preparedness and coordinated response, linking course learning to real-world contexts.
• Women’s leadership and reflective practice: complementary HAWA Women Initiative workshops and Gender Labs strengthen leadership and crisis-management skills and provide a reflective space on gendered dynamics and masculinities in humanitarian and peacebuilding work.
• Specialisation pathway: a dedicated course on gender-responsive climate action in humanitarian assistance deepens the climate/environment strand beyond what can be covered in the Core Course.

 

Application and Selection Process

Interested applicants are kindly requested to click on the “How to Apply” button and submit the online application form (LMS link to be provided). Only fully completed applications submitted via the portal will be considered.

The LMS will guide you through the application process. There you will find all required fields and the information needed to complete your application.

 

After the deadline, the KAIPTC selection board will review applications and decide based on merit and a balanced class composition (sector, gender, nationality, and youth quotas).

• The selection board will decide on shortlisted and waitlisted applications.
• Shortlisted candidates will be asked to confirm their seats within a specified deadline.
• If seats remain, they will be offered to waitlisted candidates in order of availability.

For administrative issues	For course content issues only:
Mr. Desmond Ofosuhene Training Coordination officer Tel: 00 233 (0) 302 718200 Ext 1012 Fax: 00 233 (0) 302 718201 Email: Admin.Events@kaiptc.org Email: training.coordination@kaiptc.org	Lt Col Michael NOVOTNY Austrian Armed Forces Course Director Tel: +233 (0) 302 718 200 Ext. 2165 Omit (0) when calling from outside Ghana Mob: +233 (0) 53 602 58 96 Email: Course.Director-AUT@kaiptc.org