Urban Humanitarian Emergencies Course

The Urban Humanitarian Emergencies Workshop will be held at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA in summer of 2020. All days will run from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, except for the final day, which will end at 3:00 PM. 

Humanitarian organizations, international agencies and governments serving populations affected by crises increasingly find themselves working in urban settings. Agencies face new challenges and some potential advantages in these complex urban environments and are only just learning how to approach them. These new challenges take many forms: complicated physical layouts, unprepared institutions and infrastructure, and mixed target populations of refugees and underserved locals. Furthermore, the difficulty in NGO coordination with uniquely urban communities as well as local authorities calls for urgent education and training in urban crises.

The Urban Humanitarian Emergencies Course is a four-day course organized by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative via its Lavine Family Humanitarian Studies Initiative to train humanitarian professionals on current issues and best practices involved in this ever-expanding and unique area of research and practice. The course faculty is experienced in humanitarian training with on-the-ground experience with humanitarian crises in urban areas.

Walking Activity: The first day of the workshop includes a walking activity in the city of Boston, in which participants will walk to and examine various urban features and vulnerabilities of the city. Participants will be expected to walk several miles over the course of the day. Please let us know if this presents an issue.

For more information and answers to your questions, including payment and cancellation policies, please see a page of frequently asked questions and policies for the course. 

For Registered Participants: Please consult your course Canvas page for a checklist to complete before the workshop begins and further information. You should have received an invitation from Canvas after registration.

Standard Registration Fee: $1600 ($1750 after May 17, 2019)

Please note it is best to complete registration in one session when you are ready to complete payment. Please have your payment details ready.

Course fees will cover the workshop, breakfast, lunch and course materials. Formal confirmation of enrollment will be sent upon receipt of course fees and review of requested registration materials. Please note that registration is not completed and your spot in the workshop is not guaranteed until full payment of the course fee has been received. The Urban Humanitarian Emergencies Course is a self-funded program and all participants are required to pay a registration fee. At this time participation scholarships are not available. Please note that accommodations and travel are not included in the course fee.

Experts in international humanitarian response from universities, NGOs, and non-governmental aid agencies.

Stephanie Kayden, MD, MPH - Director, Lavine Family Humanitarian Studies Initiative, Humanitarian Academy at Harvard

David Sanderson, BA (Hons), DipArch, MSc, PhD - Inaugural Judith Neilson Chair of Architecture, UNSW Australia

Ronak Patel, MD, MPH - Director, Urbanization and Resilience Program, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative