The number and complexity of disasters is growing significantly. Governments and international organizations, therefore, make great effort to increase their technical, financial and organizational preparedness for addressing disasters in a predictable, timely and efficient manner. Reducing risk and vulnerabilities as well as adapting to climate change is part of these efforts. The course is designed to teach students strategies, methods and guidelines promoting sustainability in the shelter response from relief to recovery and reconstruction. Students will be prepared to address shelter and settlements challenges in accordance with local needs and build on local resources. It is an important feature of the course to teach students to integrate risk and vulnerability reduction strategies in recovery programming. The students will learn to consider local building technologies and materials as part of "building-back-better" strategies. The course embraces the common phases of the emergency cycle, emergency shelter, transition shelter, early recovery, and reconstruction.

Who Should Apply?

This course is designed for students and experts in disaster related fields. 

Duration: 5 Days

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will:

• Have adequate knowledge of the humanitarian response system, the role and functioning of the shelter cluster and the various shelter and settlements typologies, tools, standards and approaches
• Have acquired strategic and practical knowledge of shelter and settlements policies, methods, tools and procedures in the humanitarian response system and will be prepared to practice these in a sustainable manner from relief to recovery.
• Identify key shelter and settlements challenges and opportunities, apply relevant shelter assessment methods and prepare sustainable shelter and settlements strategies relevant to specific intervention phases.

Course Content

The content consists of the following modules:

• Shelter and settlements policies
• Disaster and complex emergencies (conflicts)
• Natural disasters
• Planning and co-ordination 
• Human Resources
• Humanitarian response systems

Requirements

Participants should be reasonably proficient in English. 

Methodology

The instructor will use the international humanitarian system that was established in 2005 with a view to making the response system more effective and timelier. The students will learn to consider local building technologies and materials as part of "building-back-better" strategies. The course embraces the common phases of the emergency cycle, emergency shelter, transition shelter, early recovery, and reconstruction.