​​​​PROTECTION WEEK :Advanced Course on Humanitarian Protection​

​

18–22 May 2026 | Aix-en-Provence | 35 Hours | In English

​

​

The Protection Week, Advanced Course on Humanitarian Protection is an innovative, intensive and practice-oriented programme designed to provide a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, ethical and operational understanding of contemporary protection challenges.

​

The training will take place In person with 2-hour online preparatory session the previous week. The course is delivered entirely in English, ensuring professional international immersion and alignment with humanitarian sector standards.

​

The training is designed for :

​

-Young and senior professionals working in:

• Humanitarian action

• Development

• Protection

• Social and medico-social sectors

• Law

• Education

• NGOs, associations, public institutions, international organisations, diplomacy.

​

Participants are expected to have basic knowledge of the humanitarian and protection system and a strong motivation to improve programme impact. Participants are required to demonstrate full commitment to active participation.

​

-DESU students who have free access.
 

Training Objectives and audience 

​

The Advanced Course aims to equip participants with the analytical frameworks, tools and operational knowledge necessary to design and implement effective humanitarian protection programmes.

​

Participants will be able to:

• Analyse protection risks and community-based strategies in violent contexts

• Prevent violence or mitigate its humanitarian consequences

• Integrate proactive protection measures into field operations

• Conduct protection dialogue with armed actors and authorities

• Design, implement and evaluate evidence-based protection programmes

• Combine academic, institutional and field perspectives

• Engage in peer learning with professionals and students

​

Pedagogical Structure

 

The Protection Week is organised around one introductory module and eight progressive and interconnected thematic blocks.

 

Introductory Module

Memory, Prevention and Protection

 

Developed in direct collaboration with the Camp des Milles and based on more than 20 years of transdisciplinary research, this module explores: lessons from history for understanding contemporary vulnerabilities; processes of discrimination, dehumanisation, and institutional violence; identity extremism and democratic fragility; and the responsibility and vigilance required of protection professionals.

​

Thematic Blocks

1. What is Protection and what is not?
   • Safe programming
   • Survivor assistance
   • Proactive protection

2. Legal and Operational Frameworks
   • Legal framework in situations of violence (IHL and IHRL)
   • Protection Cluster frameworks

3. Thematic Approaches
   • Forced displacement
   • Sexual and gender-based violence
   • Child protection

4. Community-Based Protection
   • Local capacity analysis
   • Co-design of protection strategies
   • Community coping mechanisms

5. Proactive Protection
   • Risk prevention
   • Protective presence
   • Threat mitigation

6. Protection Dialogue
   • Stakeholder analysis
   • Dialogue with weapon bearers
   • Strategies for behavioural change

7. Humanitarian Negotiation (with a focus on the use of bespoke AI tools)
   • Negotiating access, assistance, and protection
   • Real case studies
   • Practical negotiation frameworks

8. Programme Design and Evaluation
   • Project design
   • Monitoring, evaluation, and accountability
   • Qualitative and quantitative data
   • Community perception analysis

 

The course relies on an active learning approach combining expert lectures and roundtables, real case studies, simulations and role-play exercises, group work and peer exchange, as well as dedicated sessions at the Camp des Milles on prevention, radicalisation, and ethical responsibility.

​

Participants receive exclusive teaching materials.

​

A Course Anchored in a Recognised International Memorial Site

​

The Protection Week is organised in close collaboration with the Fondation du Camp des Milles, Site-mémorial, a major European site of memory, research and training. Please find their official website through this link : https://www.campdesmilles.org/

​

Formerly an internment and deportation camp during World War II, the Camp des Milles is today a recognised memorial site, a research and educational centre ans a national and international reference in genocide prevention.

​

Its work focuses on:

• Prevention of genocides and mass crimes

• Combating discrimination and exclusion mechanisms

• Understanding processes leading to collective violence

• Promoting fundamental rights and democratic values

​

This partnership gives the training a strong historical, ethical and civic dimension, connecting contemporary protection challenges with deep reflection on institutional, social and individual responsibility.

Participants move beyond a purely technical approach to protection and engage with broader questions of professional and civic responsibility.

 

A Course affiliated with the DESU, Diplôme universitaire Juriste internationaliste et Humanitaire de terrain

 

The DESU ​​is a specialized program offered by the Faculty of Law in Aix-en-Provence. It is primarily designed for students enrolled in the Master 2 in Humanitarian Action and Law (which they pursue alongside this diploma), as well as for students from other Master 2 programs, such as the Master’s in Public International Law. The program is also open to professionals or individuals wishing to engage in humanitarian field missions.

​

The Diploma is directed by Professor Ludovic Hennebel and administered by the Institute of International Humanitarian Studies.

Delivered over the course of an academic year, the program provides highly practical training based on workshops, simulations, and hands-on exercises. Enrolled students may also participate in the International Human Rights Law Clinic, where they work in teams on real cases involving the defense of victims of human rights violations, international humanitarian law breaches, or international criminal law matters.

​

Faculty and Guest Experts

​

The training will be delivered by protection practitioners and academics including :

​

Pr. Ludovic Hennebel - Director, Institut d’Études Humanitaires Internationales. Expert Member, UN Committee on ESC Rights

Jérôme Grimaud - Deputy Head of Mission, Médecins Sans Frontières. Accredited mediator.

Bob Ghosn - Former ICRC, and Belgian Red Cross 

Lena Casiez - Head of Education, Culture and Research, Fondation du Camp des Milles. Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair

Dariha Erketaeva – Frontline Associates, ex-MSF

Sadia Bungaard - Former ICRC

Elsa Laurin – Former ECHO

Pierre Gentille – UN & Former ICRC

​

Joined by a collective of seasoned protection practitioners.

​

Certification and fees 

​

Participants who complete the full programme will receive a Certificate of Participation jointly delivered by the Institut d’Études Humanitaires Internationales, Université d’Aix-Marseille and the Fondation du Camp des Milles.

Attendance is free for DESU students, while the registration fee for professionals is €950, with a reduced early bird rate of €800 available for registrations completed before 6 april 2026.

Fees include teaching materials.
Travel, accommodation, meals and visa costs are at participants’ expense.
Reduced fees may be granted upon request.

 

Application & Selection

​

Applications are mandatory and subject to selection. The capacity is limited to ensure quality exchanges.

​

Application file:

• CV

• Short motivation letter (not AI-generated)

• Required information via application link : https://forms.gle/Mu5EDXYPNWeNTvuaA

Timeline:

• Applications: 

Early Bird Rate : Before 6 April 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so please apply early

​

📧 Contact:

- Master@aixhumanitaire.org 

- lena.casiez@campdesmilles.org​​​

​

​

​

L'institut d'études humanitaires internationales, créé en 1993 au sein de la faculté de droit et sciences politiques et fondateur du réseau NOHA, délivre actuellement le diplôme de Master 2 Action et droit humanitaires.

 

Le Master Action et droit humanitaire de la Faculté de droit d'Aix-en-Provence est l'une des meilleures formations en Europe dédiée aux juristes internationalistes de terrain et aux humanitaires.

 

Unique en France et inédit, ce Master juridique repose sur une expérience de plus de vingt années, et s'inscrit dans le cadre du réseau international NOHA (Network On Humanitarian Action) financé et soutenu par la Commission européenne (Union européenne).

​

Le Master est complété par ailleurs par la formation du Diplôme universitaire Juriste internationaliste et humanitaire de terrain destiné à renforcer la préparation pratique des futurs professionnels de l'humanitaire sur le terrain.

​

Nos méthodes pédagogiques sont innovantes et dynamiques. Elles reposent sur un équilibre entre des cours fondamentaux, indispensables pour renforcer les acquis et l'esprit critique des étudiants, et des ateliers et modules pratiques faisant intervenir des praticiens partageant avec les étudiants leur expérience de terrain sur la base d'une méthode d'enseignement casuistique et interactive.

 

Par ailleurs, les étudiants du Master et du Diplôme sont invités à s'impliquer dans le cadre de la Clinique de droit international des droits de l'homme et travaillent sur des dossiers contentieux réels ou des campagnes de promotion ou de défense sous la supervision de professeurs et de praticiens. Cette expérience leur permet de tester leurs compétences en phase réelle, tout en étant encadrés et stimulés par les conseils de leurs professeurs.

​

Le Master et le Diplôme sont organisés par l'Institut d'études humanitaires internationales de la Faculté de droit d'Aix-en-Provence, dirigé par le Prof. Ludovic Hennebel.

​

L'Institut organise régulièrement des conférences internationales portant sur le droit international, le droit international des droits de l'homme, le droit international pénal, ou encore le droit global mettant à l'honneur des universitaires ou des praticiens.

​

L'Institut est en outre partie prenante à l'organisation d'une école d'été sur la pratique du droit international des droits de l'homme qui se tient au mois de juin chaque année.

​