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About This Course
Forced displacement remains one of the most critical humanitarian challenges of the twenty-first century. With over 110 million people displaced globally by conflict, persecution, climate-related disasters, and human rights violations, the demand for skilled professionals capable of managing complex displacement situations has never been greater. Governments, international organisations, and civil society actors are under sustained pressure to respond effectively, protect vulnerable populations, and pursue solutions that restore dignity and self-reliance.
This five-day training programme provides a rigorous, practice-oriented foundation for those working with or on behalf of refugee and internally displaced populations. Participants will gain a thorough understanding of the international legal architecture governing forced displacement, including the 1951 Refugee Convention, the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, and the Global Compact on Refugees. They will also develop operational competencies in camp coordination, protection mainstreaming, case management, livelihoods programming, and inter-agency coordination.
TrainingComplex has designed this course to bridge the gap between policy and field reality. Sessions draw on frontline case studies from the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes Region, West Africa, and the Middle East, ensuring that participants leave with contextually grounded skills they can apply immediately. Whether you are entering the humanitarian sector or seeking to sharpen your technical expertise, this programme offers the conceptual depth and practical tools needed to respond effectively to displacement crises with professionalism, accountability, and a rights-based approach.
Who Should Attend
- Humanitarian programme officers and field coordinators working with displaced populations
- Government officials in ministries responsible for refugee affairs, social welfare, or interior
- NGO and INGO staff managing protection, livelihoods, shelter, or WASH programmes
- Camp managers and settlement administrators in refugee-hosting areas
- UN agency staff and cluster coordinators involved in displacement response
- Peace and security practitioners engaged in conflict-affected environments
- Policymmakers and advocates working on migration, asylum, and displacement policy
- Community development officers and social workers serving displaced communities
Learning Objectives
- Explain the international legal framework governing refugee status, asylum processes, and internal displacement
- Apply rights-based and protection principles across all phases of displacement response
- Design and manage camp and settlement operations in line with Sphere standards and UNHCR guidelines
- Coordinate effectively within the cluster system and inter-agency humanitarian architecture
- Conduct protection risk assessments and implement case management systems for persons of concern
- Design livelihoods, education, and psychosocial support programmes tailored to displaced populations
- Integrate gender, age, and diversity mainstreaming into programme planning and implementation
- Develop monitoring and evaluation frameworks for displacement response programmes
- Analyse durable solutions strategies including voluntary repatriation, local integration, and resettlement
- Advocate for the rights and dignity of displaced persons within national and international policy processes
Course Modules
Module 1: Foundations of Forced Displacement: Concepts, Causes, and Scale
- Global displacement trends, statistics, and regional hotspots
- Distinctions between refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs, stateless persons, and economic migrants
- Root causes of displacement: conflict, persecution, climate change, and development projects
- Humanitarian principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence
- The role of UNHCR, IOM, and key NGO actors in the global displacement response architecture
- Duration and protractedness of displacement: understanding why short-term crises become long-term realities
Module 2: International Legal Framework for Refugees and IDPs
- The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol: scope, definitions, and obligations
- The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and their application in national law
- Regional instruments: the OAU Convention, the Kampala Convention, and the Cartagena Declaration
- The Global Compact on Refugees and its implications for burden and responsibility sharing
- Non-refoulement as a cornerstone principle: legal basis, scope, and exceptions under international law
- Gaps and limitations in the international legal framework: who falls outside protection and why
Module 3: Refugee Status Determination and Asylum Procedures
- Individual and group-based RSD processes managed by UNHCR and states
- Fair and efficient asylum procedures: standards, safeguards, and appeals mechanisms
- Documentation, biometric registration, and identity management for persons of concern
- Statelessness: identification, prevention, and reduction strategies
- Credibility assessment in RSD: standards of proof, benefit of the doubt, and common methodological pitfalls
- Exclusion and cancellation clauses: when and how refugee status can be denied or withdrawn
Module 4: Camp Coordination and Settlement Management
- Camp planning principles: site selection, layout, zoning, and infrastructure standards
- Sphere Handbook standards for shelter, water, sanitation, and food security in displacement settings
- Camp governance, community participation, and accountability to affected populations
- Transition from emergency camps to integrated settlements and host community arrangements
- Environmental impact of displacement settlements: mitigation strategies and sustainable site management
- Camp closure planning: criteria, sequencing, and managing community resistance to transition
Module 5: Protection Mainstreaming and Case Management
- Protection risk analysis: identifying and prioritising threats facing displaced populations
- Gender-based violence prevention and response in humanitarian settings
- Child protection, unaccompanied and separated children, and best interest assessments
- Case management systems: referral pathways, data management, and inter-agency coordination
- Detention of asylum seekers and migrants: legal standards, advocacy, and alternatives to detention
- Human trafficking and smuggling in displacement contexts: identification, referral, and survivor support
Module 6: Inter-Agency Coordination: The Cluster System and Humanitarian Architecture
- The UN humanitarian coordination system: OCHA, HCT, and the cluster approach
- Roles and responsibilities of lead agencies within the Global Cluster system
- Humanitarian programme cycle: needs assessment, strategic response planning, and monitoring
- Accountability to affected populations and the Core Humanitarian Standard
- Coordination with national governments and civil society: navigating sovereignty, access, and partnership
- Funding mechanisms for humanitarian response: CERF, pooled funds, and donor engagement strategies
Module 7: Livelihoods, Social Protection, and Economic Inclusion
- Livelihoods frameworks and market-based approaches for displaced populations
- Cash and voucher assistance: design, targeting, and accountability mechanisms
- Social protection systems and how they can be extended to refugees and IDPs
- Fostering economic self-reliance and reducing aid dependency in protracted displacement
- Legal frameworks for the right to work: how national legislation enables or restricts displaced persons' economic participation
- Private sector engagement and impact investment as tools for scaling livelihood opportunities in displacement settings
Module 8: Gender, Age, and Diversity Mainstreaming in Displacement Response
- Understanding intersecting vulnerabilities: women, children, elderly, and persons with disabilities
- Age, gender, and diversity analysis as a tool for inclusive programme design
- Psychosocial support and mental health programming for displaced populations
- Community-based protection and empowerment of displaced women and youth
- Addressing sexual and reproductive health needs of displaced populations across all age groups
- Preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse by humanitarian actors: standards and reporting obligations
Module 9: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Accountability in Displacement Programmes
- Developing results frameworks and indicators for displacement response programmes
- Data collection tools: surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews in field settings
- Real-time monitoring, complaints and feedback mechanisms, and adaptive management
- Reporting to donors, clusters, and oversight bodies: standards and best practices
- Ethical considerations in data collection with displaced populations: informed consent, data protection, and do-no-harm principles
- Using population-level outcome data to identify programme gaps and drive evidence-based decision-making
Module 10: Durable Solutions: Repatriation, Local Integration, and Resettlement
- The three durable solutions framework and criteria for determining when solutions are achievable
- Voluntary repatriation: preconditions, return monitoring, and reintegration programming
- Local integration: legal, economic, and social dimensions in host countries
- Resettlement and complementary pathways: procedures, criteria, and advocacy for expanded access
- Measuring the achievement of durable solutions: indicators beyond legal status, including safety, livelihoods, and social cohesion
- Addressing secondary displacement: why some returnees and locally integrated populations are re-displaced and how to design preventive programming
Requirements & Prerequisites
Participants should have at least one year of experience working in humanitarian, development, or government contexts related to migration, displacement, or social protection. A basic familiarity with humanitarian principles and the general structure of the UN system is helpful but not mandatory. No advanced legal or technical background is required, as the course introduces all frameworks from foundational principles.
Training Methodology
- Structured case study analysis drawn from displacement crises in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and the Middle East to contextualise legal and operational concepts
- Protection scenario simulations in which participants act as camp managers or protection officers responding to real-time incidents involving GBV, unaccompanied minors, or statelessness
- Inter-agency coordination role plays replicating cluster meetings and humanitarian country team dynamics
- Participant-led situation analysis using displacement data sets and needs assessment tools
- Hands-on workshops using Sphere Handbook standards, UNHCR registration tools, and case management frameworks
- Small-group policy drafting exercises that challenge participants to develop standard operating procedures and referral pathways
- Guided reflection sessions linking field realities to global policy commitments such as the Global Compact on Refugees and the Sustainable Development Goals
- Peer knowledge exchange drawing on participants' own field experiences from diverse country and organisational contexts
Organisational Benefits
- Strengthened organisational capacity to respond to displacement crises in compliance with international standards
- Improved coordination with UN agencies, government bodies, and other humanitarian actors
- Reduced protection risks and improved outcomes for displaced populations served
- Enhanced staff competence in applying Sphere standards and rights-based programming approaches
- Better-designed livelihoods and social protection programmes that promote self-reliance
- More effective monitoring and accountability mechanisms aligned with Core Humanitarian Standard
- Stronger institutional positioning for accessing humanitarian funding and cluster leadership roles
- Increased ability to influence displacement-related policy at national and regional levels
Where Is Managing Refugee and Internally Displaced Populations (IDPs) Training Offered?
This course runs in-person across: Lagos, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Nairobi, Zanzibar, Pretoria, Addis Ababa, Dubai, Arusha, Abuja, Dar es Salaam, Cape Town, Kigali, Riyadh, Naivasha, Accra, Kampala, Johannesburg, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.
Upcoming Schedules
| Location | Format | Dates | Price |
|---|
| Lagos, Nigeria |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,500 |
| Mombasa, Kenya |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Nakuru, Kenya |
In-Person |
12 Oct 2026 – 16 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
17 Oct 2026 – 8 Nov 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Kisumu, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Zanzibar, Tanzania |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,500 |
| Pretoria, South Africa |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,300 |
| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,400 |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 4,100 |
| Arusha, Tanzania |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,100 |
| Abuja, Nigeria |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,800 |
| Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,300 |
| Cape Town, South Africa |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
+233 more dates — view live schedule →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a legal or policy background to attend this course?
No legal or policy background is required. The course introduces all relevant frameworks from first principles and is designed for practitioners from diverse professional disciplines including programme management, social work, community development, and government administration.
Will I receive a certificate upon completion?
Yes. Participants who attend the full five days and engage in the practical exercises will receive a Certificate of Completion from TrainingComplex, which can be used for professional development records and humanitarian sector applications.
Is this course relevant to government officials as well as NGO staff?
Absolutely. The programme is specifically designed to serve both government officials responsible for refugee affairs or immigration and NGO and UN agency staff working in the field. The mixed cohort format also fosters valuable cross-sector dialogue and networking.
What geographical contexts does the course draw examples from?
Case studies and scenarios are drawn from displacement situations across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes Region, West Africa, and the Middle East, with the flexibility to incorporate examples most relevant to participants' own country contexts.
Can this training be customised and delivered in-house for our organisation?
Yes. TrainingComplex offers tailored in-house delivery of this programme for organisations wishing to train larger teams or adapt the content to a specific country programme or operational context. Please contact us directly to discuss your requirements.
