Second Masters level course in Humanitarian logistics and management

Advisory ICT, Capacity Building ICT, Activities, Foundation, UN Crisis Information Management Strategy (CIMS), Crisis Information Management Capacity Building, Strategic Input into UN peacekeeping, peacebuilding and humanitarian operations, ICTs and Human Rights Protection, New media for crisis management and peacebuilding, Big data

20. October 2011

The ICT4Peace Foundation once again taught at the first of its kind Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Logistics and Management Programme (MAS HLM) at the University of Lugano, Switzerland. Sanjana Hattotuwa was the lead trainer from the Foundation, and collaborated with Andrew Alspach from UN OCHA who taught the fundamentals of crisis information management.

In addition to UN OCHA’s content, the Foundation did three sessions on the use, dangers and role of web, Internet and mobile technologies, tools and platforms in crisis information management. This included a comprehensive overnight simulation exercise that involved using around 35 of the leading crisis information management platforms in use today.

The Foundation and OCHA first taught this Masters level programme in 2010. Overall, the course aims to,

Increase the capabilities and capacity of information management amongst staff involved in humanitarian affairs
Begin steps towards professionalization and mainstreaming of Information Management in humanitarian responses
Expose participants to cutting-edge information and communications technologies and new media tools
Provide hands-on experience in the use of some of these tools, using simulations that mirror ground realities
Promote the understanding of information management as a core skill in crisis response, preparedness and recovery.