Humanitarian Academy

Negotiation

Humanitarian Negotiation: Access, Acceptance and Agreements in the Field

Island of agreement, iceberg, network of influence and red lines: negotiate access and make agreements hold in the field.

  • 4 days · 24 hours
  • 3 levels · 3 certificates
  • 3 scenarios
  • Verifiable certificate
Start the course
  • Free, unlimited access
  • 4 one-day modules
  • 3 scenarios and 12 quiz questions
  • 3 graded case studies and 3 exams
  • Certificate in your name, verifiable online

What you will learn

  • Place a humanitarian negotiation within its legal framework, its principles and the organisation's chain of mandate.
  • Prepare a negotiation: context analysis, island of agreement, iceberg of positions and motives, network of influence, objectives and red lines.
  • Conduct the meeting, manage tension and refusals, conclude, document and follow up the agreement.

Course information

Level
Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced (one certificate per level)
Study time
24 hours over 4 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
Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN) · OCHA (G. McHugh and M. Bessler) · ICRC

💼 Safety, security and access jobs

Put this course into practice: the latest jobs in this field.

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Prepare for the written test and interviewA model written test in this field, interview questions with sample answers and the STAR method.See the model test →

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 what humanitarian negotiation is and its legal framework.
  • Distinguish the roles of negotiator, mandator and support team.
  • Identify what is and is not negotiable.
  1. Day1Understanding humanitarian negotiationWhat is humanitarian negotiation? · Legal framework and principles · Negotiator, mandator and support team · The negotiator's posture · Typology of negotiations, counterparts and levels of decision-making · The legal framework in depth: sources, obligations and limits · Building and formalising the negotiation mandate · Acceptance, perception and negotiation capital · Worked example: mapping a base's negotiations and building the mandate · Common mistakes, contextual variations, interview questions and references Scenario: When the letter is not enough
  2. Graded case study : The bridge checkpoint Access road to three isolated villages · 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:
  • Prepare a negotiation with CCHN tools: island of agreement, iceberg, network of influence.
  • Set objectives, margins, red lines and a best alternative with the mandator.
  • Conduct a meeting, with active listening and an interpreter.
  1. Day2Preparing: context, iceberg and network of influenceAnalysing the context and finding the island of agreement · The iceberg: positions, reasoning, motives · The network of influence · Objectives, margins, red lines and fallback options · Step-by-step preparation: timeline, roles and sources · The CCHN analytical tools applied in detail · Mapping and mobilising the network of influence · Worked example: preparing the resumption of the Moranga mobile clinics · Preparing meeting security and the conditions for walking away · Common mistakes, contextual variations, interview questions and references Scenario: Preparing to meet the commander
  2. Day3Conducting the meeting and making the agreement holdConducting the meeting · Active listening and working with an interpreter · Tension, refusals and unacceptable demands · Concluding, documenting and following up · Detailed flow of a negotiation meeting: timing, roles and wording · Recognising and responding to pressure tactics · Working with an interpreter: recruitment, briefing and risks · Documenting, monitoring and measuring agreements · Worked example: from the meeting to six weeks of follow-up · Common mistakes, contextual variations, interview questions and references Scenario: The last-minute demand
  3. Graded case study : The lists and the commander's "share" Area controlled by a non-state armed group · 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:
  • Manage dilemmas and compromises without crossing red lines.
  • Conduct a multi-level negotiation and build common positions.
  • Protect the negotiator and the organisation from pressure and threats.
  1. Day4Advanced module Complex negotiations: dilemmas, compromises and common positionsDilemmas and acceptable compromises · Negotiating at several levels · Common positions and access coordination · Protecting the negotiator and the organisation · Analysing a dilemma and deciding on a compromise: a structured method · The multi-level access strategy and the coordination architecture · Building common positions and joint operating principles · Worked example: the inter-agency convoy to Tal Varen · Protecting the negotiator and the organisation: duty of care, compliance and reputation · Common mistakes, contextual variations, interview questions and references
  2. Graded case study : Negotiating access to a besieged town Town of 60,000 people encircled for four months · 20 questions including a case study · 80% to pass

Who is it for?

Base and project managers, coordinators, access and security officers, liaison officers, national staff dealing with authorities and armed groups, distribution teams.

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.

Frontline negotiation
Negotiation conducted in the field with the parties that control access.
Mandator
Person who sets the mandate and red lines and takes the final decision.
Island of agreement
Facts and values already shared with the counterpart; the starting point of the meeting.
Iceberg
A party's visible position, reasoning and deeper motives.
Network of influence
People and groups who influence the counterpart.
Red line
A limit the organisation refuses to cross whatever happens.
Best alternative
What you will do if no agreement is possible.
Joint operating principles
Minimum conditions shared by the organisations in the same area.
Humanitarian access
The ability to reach populations and the ability of populations to access aid.

References and recommended reading

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

  1. Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN) (2019). CCHN Field Manual on Frontline Humanitarian Negotiation. frontline-negotiations.org
  2. OCHA (G. McHugh and M. Bessler) (2006). Humanitarian Negotiations with Armed Groups: A Manual for Practitioners. www.unocha.org
  3. ICRC (2005). Rule 55: access for humanitarian relief (customary international humanitarian law). ihl-databases.icrc.org/fr/customary-ihl/v1/rule55
  4. R. Fisher, W. Ury and B. Patton (1981). Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. www.pon.harvard.edu