Negotiating for Humanitarian Access Online Course
Gaining access for humanitarian assistance is a constant challenge. Numerous constraints exist, among them insecurity, lack of coordination, bureaucratic requirements, and attempts by parties to conflict to intentionally block access. Navigating these obstacles is never easy, but Mercy Corps has developed a Negotiating for Humanitarian Access Playbook that has been made into an online course available in Arabic and in English.
In this one-hour course, you will learn essential strategies for negotiating humanitarian access. As you go through the course, you will explore different scenarios and navigate through common negotiation issues involving state actors, armed groups, peer organisations, restricted access, and checkpoints. These scenarios will help you to understand how to apply tactics to gain safe access while adhering to humanitarian principles.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Determine how to use the 'Seven Elements of Negotiation and Circle of Value' to reach agreements based on trust and respect.
- Develop an understanding of when to walk away and when to stay involved during negotiations.
- Understand the steps to conducting stakeholder mapping, assess where power resides, analyse support, opposition, and relationships among stakeholders, and develop an influence strategy.
- Identify the five pillars of negotiation when dealing with armed groups. We hope you find the course useful, as you conduct the essential work of gaining access to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance.
