Humanitarian Academy

Essentials

Humanitarian essentials: principles, law, system and standards

Principles, humanitarian law, clusters, Sphere: everything you need to know to start in humanitarian work.

  • 3 days · 18 hours
  • 3 levels · 3 certificates
  • 2 scenarios
  • Verifiable certificate
Start the course
  • Free, unlimited access
  • 3 one-day modules
  • 2 scenarios and 9 quiz questions
  • 3 graded case studies and 3 exams
  • Certificate in your name, verifiable online

What you will learn

  • Explain the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, and apply them to real dilemmas.
  • Know the essential rules of international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers.
  • Describe the humanitarian system (actors, coordination, funding) and the Sphere and CHS quality standards.

Course information

Level
Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced (one certificate per level)
Study time
18 hours over 3 days (lessons, case studies, exercises)
Format
Online, at your own pace, free and unlimited access
Assessment
Per level: graded case study + 20-question exam (30 to 40 min, pass marks 70%, 75% and 80%)
Credential
Named, numbered certificate of achievement, verifiable online (QR code)
Reference frameworks
Sphere Association · CHS Alliance, Groupe URD, Sphere · ICRC

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A 3-level certification pathway

Progress from Beginner to Advanced. Each level ends with a graded case study and a timed exam, and leads to its own verifiable certificate.

Level 1Beginner

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 70% to pass

Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Explain the four humanitarian principles and the basic rules of IHL.
  • Identify the main actors: the State, the UN, the Red Cross Movement, NGOs.
  • Know Sphere and the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS).
  1. Day1Humanitarian principles and international humanitarian lawWhat is humanitarian action? · The four humanitarian principles · International humanitarian law (IHL) · Everyday dilemmas · From principles to decision-making: an operational method · IHL in practice: classification, operational rules and complementary frameworks · Full example: three dilemmas in six weeks in Valmora district · Reusable tools: dilemma grid, decision log and compliance check · Variations by context and common mistakes · Interview questions and key references Scenario: The convoy and the checkpoint
  2. Graded case study : A tense distribution in Kalemba camp Displacement camp, conflict zone · 20 questions including a case study · 70% to pass
Level 2Intermediate

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 75% to pass

Intermediate certificate · Opens after the Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Apply the principles to access and cooperation dilemmas.
  • Find your way in the humanitarian programme cycle and the clusters.
  • Choose the right funding mechanism (CERF, country-based pooled funds, donors).
  1. Day2The humanitarian system and quality standardsThe actors · Coordination and the programme cycle · Funding · The standards: Sphere and the CHS · The humanitarian programme cycle step by step: timeline, products and roles · Funding a response: mechanisms, rules and donor requirements · Sphere in practice: reading, applying and adapting the minimum standards · The Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) in practice: commitments, evidence and verification · Full example: from a Sphere diagnosis to a country-based pooled fund application · Contextual variations, common mistakes and evaluators' expectations · Interview questions and key references Scenario: First day at the cluster meeting
  2. Graded case study : The convoy and the escort Access road to a besieged town · 20 questions including a case study · 75% to pass
Level 3Advanced

Exam: 20 questions · 40 min · 80% to pass

Advanced certificate · Opens after the Intermediate certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Negotiate humanitarian access while preserving acceptance.
  • Analyse the trade-offs of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.
  • Defend a principled position under political or military pressure.
  1. Day3Advanced module Humanitarian access, negotiation and principled dilemmasHumanitarian access: a process, not a given · Preparing a negotiation: the CCHN method · Civil-military coordination and red lines · Analysing access in a structured way: constraints, severity and strategy · Frontline negotiation step by step: the CCHN tools · Full example: negotiating access to the Dôle-Ouest valley · Civil-military coordination: operational rules and the escort decision · Reusable tools: preparation sheet, incident log and access checklist · Contextual variations, common mistakes and donor expectations · Interview questions and key references
  2. Graded case study : The nexus put to the test Province in protracted crisis · 20 questions including a case study · 80% to pass

Who is it for?

Anyone starting out in humanitarian work or wishing to work in the sector: students, new NGO employees, national staff, volunteers, professionals changing careers.

The certificate

With at least 70% correct answers in the final assessment, you receive a certificate in your name, with a unique code that recruiters can verify on Humanitaires Jobs. A free Humanitarian Network account is required.

Key concepts

The vocabulary you need to master for this course and the exam.

Humanitarian principles
Humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence, enshrined in United Nations General Assembly resolutions 46/182 and 58/114.
International humanitarian law (IHL)
Rules that limit the effects of armed conflict: protection of people who are not taking part in hostilities and restrictions on the means of warfare.
Internally displaced person (IDP)
A person forced to flee who has not crossed an international border.
Localisation
Strengthening the role, capacities and direct funding of local and national actors.
Nexus
Linking humanitarian action, development and peacebuilding.
Do No Harm
Analysis of the possible negative effects of aid, particularly on tensions and power relations.
Humanitarian space
An environment that allows humanitarian actors to reach populations and act in accordance with the principles.
Accountability
The responsible use of power: informing, involving and being answerable to affected people.

References and recommended reading

The official texts and sector reference works on which the course is based.

  1. Sphere Association (2018). The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. spherestandards.org/fr/manuel-2018
  2. CHS Alliance, Groupe URD, Sphere (2024). Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS). www.corehumanitarianstandard.org
  3. ICRC (1977). The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols. www.icrc.org/fr/droit-et-politique/conventions-de-geneve
  4. United Nations (OCHA) (1998). Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. www.unhcr.org/fr
  5. ALNAP (2022). The State of the Humanitarian System (report). www.alnap.org