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Written by ICF Consulting Services Ltd.
November 2017
Study of the European
Commission’s cooperation with the Network on
Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)
Directorate A — Strategy, Policy and International Co-operation
Unit: ECHO.A.2 Emergency Preparedness and Security
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations
November, 2017
Study of the European
Commission’s cooperation with the Network on
Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
Study of the European Commission’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian
Action (NOHA)
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Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017
Media/Volume: PDF/Volume_01
Catalogue number: KR-06-17-351-EN-N
ISBN 978-92-79-76458-5
doi:10.2795/284242
© European Union, 2017
Study of the European Commission’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian
Action (NOHA)
Table of Contents
Abstract .................................................................................................. 1 Executive Summary ........................................................................................... 2 1 Introduction .................................................................................. 6 2 Overview of NOHA ......................................................................... 8 3 Study findings ..............................................................................10 4 Conclusions and recommendations .................................................39 Annex 1. List of abbreviations ......................................................................42 Annex 2. Methodology ................................................................................43 Annex 3. Overview of NOHA and cooperation with DG ECHO ...........................47 Annex 4. Evolution of needs and priorities of the humanitarian sector in the last
two decades.................................................................................54 Annex 5. Study questions and sub-questions .................................................57 Annex 6. Mapping of Master offering ............................................................59 Annex 7. Survey of ECHO Framework Partners ..............................................73 Annex 8. Survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants .......................84 Annex 9. List of sources reviewed in the Study ............................................ 104
November, 2017 1
Abstract
The Network of Humanitarian Action (NOHA) is an international association of
universities that aims to enhance professionalism in the humanitarian sector
through higher education accredited courses. This study provides an independent
assessment of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Civil Protection
and Humanitarian Aid Operations’ (DG ECHO) cooperation with NOHA since the
creation of the network in 1993, looking at the relevance, coherence, EU added
value, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and visibility of the network and the
activities it offers. The findings revealed that the network’s activities are, on the
whole, relevant to the needs and priorities of the sector, that NOHA’s activities
are coherent and effective, and provide EU added value. The data available for
this study does not allow a full analysis of the efficiency on the network’s
activities. The network has taken steps to increase its sustainability, but this
aspect requires further progress.
The study recommendations include (i) the development of clearer working
methods, including needs assessment, stakeholders engagement plan, curriculum
and course mapping, (ii) strengthening the network in terms of internal capacity
and external outreach, (iii) further adapting the training offer to the relevant
audience and introducing more innovative teaching methods and (iv)
strengthening cooperation with DG ECHO.
November, 2017 2
Executive Summary
The Network of Humanitarian Action (NOHA) is an international association of
universities that aims to enhance professionalism in the humanitarian sector by
promoting humanitarian values through the provision of higher education
accredited courses. NOHA has been supported by the European Commission's
Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG
ECHO) in the area of humanitarian aid education, training and professionalization
since the start of the network in 1993.
This study reviews NOHA’s activity since its creation in 1993, with a particular
focus on the most recent period of activity (due to data availability) and focuses
exclusively on the activities related to funding provided by DG ECHO. More
specifically, the study looks at NOHA’s short-term courses, undergraduate module
(UG) and Joint Master (JM) degree.
Methodology
A variety of data sources were used to build the evidence base for the study,
most notably:
Documentary review: over 130 documents were reviewed including DG ECHO
policy documents, NOHA documentation, NOHA data and reports as well as
documentation from institutions and academic bodies engaged in the
provision of training in the humanitarian sector;
Field visits: face to face interviews were conducted at Aix-Marseille
Université, Université Catholique de Louvain, Københavns Universitet and the
University of Groningen as part of this study;
Telephone interviews: nineteen interviews were conducted with a range of
stakeholders including DG ECHO, NOHA Secretariat, NOHA university
members and partners, NOHA students, graduates and participants as well as
a training institute;
Online surveys: two online surveys were undertaken, the first one covering
DG ECHO Framework partners and the second addressed to NOHA students,
graduates as well as participants in NOHA’s short-term courses.
The study team used complementary research methods to enhance the validity of
the data collected and to provide the basis for cross-verification, corroboration
and triangulation of the study results. However, as with any study, there were
limitations to the methodology applied. The issues encountered relate mainly to
delays in the provision of access to NOHA-related information, the limited
information available for the period prior to 2013 and low responsiveness of a
number of stakeholders. Given these methodological caveats and limitations,
caution was exercised when interpreting data and producing the study findings.
Overall, ICF’s methodology and triangulation exercise allowed for the
development of robust findings, conclusions and recommendations.
Findings
Relevance
NOHA's education and training offer is, to a large extent, relevant to the
needs and priorities in the humanitarian sector with no major gaps
identified. This, thanks to NOHA’s relationship with NGOs and other stakeholders
and on-going exchanges between the members of the network, ensures a
continuous discussion that keeps network updated on the needs and priorities in
the field. However, the mechanism in place to assess sectoral needs could be
more systematic and inclusive. A more thorough mechanism would benefit the
network as a way to ensure the continuing relevance of its educational provision.
The specific content of the teaching offered by the network could reflect
the needs of the humanitarian sector to a higher extent and teaching
November, 2017 3
methods could be further adapted to enhance the practical aspects. This
study found a degree of mismatch between the skills needs identified by DG ECHO
framework partners and those NOHA students, graduates and participants report
to have acquired. In addition, the teaching methods, and more particularly the
practical aspects of the NOHA activities, could be further enhanced to better
prepare students for the reality of the field.
Although NOHA activities are open to all, it is mostly European students
who are benefiting from them. The large majority of NOHA students comes
from developed countries, especially European countries. This may be due to the
high cost of the JM programme or, in some cases, to restrictive visa
requirements, which prevent many students from accessing NOHA courses. These
thus show a limited mix of nationalities.
Coherence and EU added value
NOHA’s education and training offer is internally coherent. NOHA has a
wide education and training offer, which can be considered complementary in
terms of the themes and skills covered. No overlaps were identified between the
different activities. Repetition of certain themes, however, were identified within
the Joint Master courses (e.g. similar content on the evolution of the humanitarian
system, Humanitarian-Development nexus, and core humanitarian values were
reported to be covered by several courses).
NOHA is coherent with the objectives of the EU in the area of humanitarian
aid and is increasingly cooperating at global level, as it expands as a network.
However, this has not trickled down to the national level, where cooperation
occurs but is not necessarily systematic.
NOHA’s EU added value is mainly reflected in the establishment of its
network and the capabilities it offers. The network offers coordination
effects and networking possibilities, due to its scale, that would not have
created through the actions of individual Member States. The network
includes member and partner universities, academics, students and graduates, as
well as humanitarian actors. Such network allows for a greater emphasis on the
humanitarian debate and beneficially contributes to the humanitarian political
agenda from both an EU and a wider international perspective.
Effectiveness
Overall, NOHA’s objectives have been achieved to a large extent. Over the
years, NOHA's academic offer has grown mainly due to a targeted expansion
strategy at European and global level, which is expected to continue in the
coming years with the replication of the network in other areas of the world. In
addition, NOHA offers a range of quality courses and training, along with activities
that enable students to acquire both theoretical and, to some extent, practical
skills that are useful in the humanitarian sector.
The stakeholders consulted generally agreed on the importance of NOHA
activities’ contribution to DG ECHO’s objectives and to the objectives of the
humanitarian sector as a whole. This study also found that while NOHA’s activities
directly contributed to the professionalization of the humanitarian sector there is
currently a pressing lack of trained local humanitarian operators. This suggests
that NOHA could further orientate its training towards the field1.
1 NOHA reported to have made steps to orient its education, training and research initiatives to a greater extent towards the field through the NOHA Global Initiative, Erasmus+ scholarships, Building Resilience Through Education (BRTE) and Preparedness and Resilience to address Urban Vulnerability
(PRUV) projects. These elements fall outside of the scope of this study and therefore not assessed.
November, 2017 4
Efficiency
The information available does not allow to make a full judgement on whether the
results could have been achieved at a lower cost due to the number of objectives
and related activities implemented by the network as well as their very specific
characteristics that make comparison with similar organisations difficult. However,
the study found that DG ECHO’s contribution represents a significant share
of the costs of short-term courses, allowing NOHA to offer below market rates
training. This makes such training affordable to a wide range of individuals and
small NGOs and places NOHA in a highly competitive position. DG ECHO’s direct
contribution to the JM degree is comparatively less significant.
Nonetheless, this contribution, alongside the work of the network itself, allows
NOHA to increase the quality and attractiveness of the JM curriculum and
activities in comparison to similar offering.
Sustainability, coordination and acceptability
NOHA is currently heavily reliant on one source of funding (i.e. DG ECHO) to
sustain its current activities. This places NOHA in a vulnerable situation. More
diverse sources of funding would relieve NOHA of some of the risk it currently
faces in terms of sustainability as a potential discontinuation would likely
have consequences on the quality and accessibility of NOHA’s training
offer. Without external funding, the NOHA General Secretariat would not be a
sustainable element while the range and quality of short-term courses would be
affected. The Joint Mater Programme would probably continue, as it relies mostly
on alternative sources of funding.
In terms of visibility, the study found that NOHA’s presence on social media
has increased in the last five years, but this has not translated into
sufficiently increased visibility.
Recommendations
NOHA should strengthen its procedures and way of working to ensure a
systematic and inclusive assessment of needs in the humanitarian sector and
enhance its cooperation with national stakeholders.
NOHA should strengthen its network, in terms of internal capacity but also
in terms of external outreach. NOHA is currently heavily reliant on one main
source of funding to sustain its activities. In order to guarantee the
sustainability of its activities, NOHA should develop a long-term financial
strategy focused on self-sufficiency and should reinforce cooperation
amongst the different network universities and institutions. In addition, NOHA
should expand its visibility in Europe and around the world to attract more
international students.
NOHA should adapt its training offer to a wider range of target groups
through a more extensive use of innovative approaches (e.g. online courses)
and blended learning options to allow a broader range of students and
humanitarian operators in third countries to benefit from NOHA activities. As
there is an increasing trend to employ local staff in the humanitarian sector,
NOHA should also consider adapting its training offer to reach local staff. In
addition, although NOHA offers a wide range of quality courses and training,
there are differences in teaching methods between NOHA universities, and a
lack of harmonisation between theoretical and practical elements across
universities (with few universities organising field visits or simulations while
the majority focus exclusively on in-class learning), which should be
addressed.
While NOHA shows a high degree of engagement with and recognition in the
humanitarian field, and contributes to enhancing professionalism in the
November, 2017 5
humanitarian sector, more could be done with regard to the direct alignment
of its activities and objectives to DG ECHO’s priorities. In this regard, NOHA
should strengthen the cooperation with DG ECHO and seek for ways to
collaborate further and support DG ECHO’s work.
November, 2017 6
1 Introduction
This study provides an independent assessment of the European Commission's
Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations’ (DG
ECHO) cooperation with the Network of Humanitarian Action (NOHA). The study
was launched by DG ECHO in January 2017, and was carried out by ICF
Consulting.
This report details the work undertaken, provides a synthesis of the evidence
collected within the framework of this study and sets out its findings, conclusions
and recommendations.
1.1 Purpose and scope of the study
NOHA is a network of universities at European level and has been supporting DG
ECHO’s in the area of humanitarian aid education, training and professionalization
since the start of DG ECHO-NOHA cooperation in 1993. This study reviews NOHA’s
activity since its creation in 1993 with a particular focus on the most recent period
of activity, due to data availability. The study focuses exclusively on the activities
related to funding provided by DG ECHO. More specifically, the study looks at
NOHA’s short-term courses, undergraduate module (UG) and Joint Master (JM)
degree2.
The main aim of the study was to draw elements of analysis which would enable
DG ECHO to assess whether its funding has had an impact on and has been of
relevance to the humanitarian sector and to draw lessons for the future.
1.2 Methodology
The study was designed to respond to a specific set of study issues and questions,
as articulated in the Terms of Reference (ToR, see Error! Reference source not
found.). A variety of data sources were used to build the evidence base for the
study, most notably:
Documentary review: over 130 documents were reviewed including DG
ECHO policy documents, NOHA documentation, NOHA data and reports as
well as documentation from institutions and academic bodies engaged in the
provision of training in the humanitarian sector.
Field visits: Aix-Marseille Université, Université Catholique de Louvain,
Københavns Universitet and the University of Groningen were visited as part
of this study. The study team interviewed representative of the Board of
Directors, NOHA coordinators and teaching staff.
Telephone interviews: nineteen interviews with a range of stakeholders
were conducted including DG ECHO, NOHA Secretariat, NOHA university
members and partners, NOHA students, graduates and participants as well as
another training institute.
Online surveys: two online surveys were undertaken, the first one covering
DG ECHO Framework partners and the second addressed to NOHA students,
graduates and participants in short-term courses.
More details on the methodology utilised for this study are provided in Annex 2 of
this report.
2 The NOHA Board of Directors and Secretariat reported that other NOHA activities and projects such as BRTE, PRUV, or EUHAP have contributed to ECHO-funded activities. Yet, no or limited reference to these projects was been made by stakeholders consulted by ICF for this study, in relation to their ECHO-funded activities. As such, these projects are not addressed in detail in this report.
November, 2017 7
1.3 Validity of the study results
Complementary research methods were used to enhance the validity of the data
collected and to provide the basis for cross-verification, corroboration and
triangulation of the study results. The vested interests of different stakeholder
groups were also taken into account to address potential bias and to ensure
objectivity. However, as with any study, there were limitations to the
methodology applied. These are summarised in Annex 2 alongside the associated
measures taken. The issues encountered relate mainly to delays in accessing
information, the limited information available prior 2013 and the difficulties in
consulting some stakeholders. Given these methodological caveats and
limitations, caution was exercised when interpreting data and producing the study
findings. ICF clearly states, in the present report, where the evidence supporting
findings is less strong. Overall, ICF’s methodology and triangulation exercise
allowed for the development of robust findings, conclusions and
recommendations.
1.4 This Report
The remainder of this Report is structured as follows:
Section 2 provides an overview of NOHA and its cooperation with DG ECHO;
Section 3 presents preliminary findings per study criteria and the SWOT
analysis;
Section 4 outlines the conclusions and recommendations;
Annex 1 provides a list of abbreviations;
Annex 2 describes the methodology used for this study;
Annex 3 provides further details on NOHA and its cooperation with DG ECHO;
Annex 4 provides an overview of the evolution of needs and prioritises in the
humanitarian sector over the past two decades;
Annex 5 lists the study questions and sub-questions;
Annex 6 presents the mapping of the existing offer of post-graduate
programmes in humanitarian aid;
Annex 7 includes the analysis of the survey of DG ECHO Framework Partners;
Annex 8 includes the analysis of the survey of NOHA students, graduates and
participants;
Annex 9 provides the list of sources reviewed as part of this study; and
Error! Reference source not found. includes the ToR.
November, 2017 8
2 Overview of NOHA
This section provides an overview of NOHA and DG ECHO’s support to NOHA to
date. Further information on the network can be found in Annex 3.
2.1 NOHA’s objectives
NOHA is an international association of universities that aims to enhance
professionalism in the humanitarian sector by promoting humanitarian values
through higher education accredited courses. NOHA furthermore aims to foster a
humanitarian research ethos that encourages innovation in humanitarian policy
and practice.
In addition to this general objective, NOHA also aims to fulfil a number of specific
objectives which are articulated along the following priority action lines: (1)
Education and training courses and seminars; (2) Research and publications; and
(3) Conferences and awareness raising events. See Annex 3 for further
information.
NOHA’s status as a network allows it to implement these activities at European
and global level.
2.1.1 NOHA’s activities
NOHA’s most longstanding education and training offer is its JM degree in
Humanitarian Action, set up in 1993 as result of the concerted efforts of the
member universities, DG ECHO and the DG for Education and Culture (DG EAC).
Throughout the years, the JM has been increasingly complemented with shorter
courses which aim to provide both basic and advanced knowledge in humanitarian
action and which aim to cater for students and professionals alike. Since 2013,
NOHA also offers an Undergraduate Module (UM) in Humanitarian Action and has
started a collaboration with the publishing company Springer3, aiming to enhance
research in the field of humanitarian action.
2.1.2 NOHA’s evolution over time
Since 1993, the NOHA community has been expanding from its original five
members and JM degree, in terms of both its educational offer and in terms of its
members and partners. The first enlargement of the network was within Europe
but since 2005, NOHA has also been expanding globally as an Erasmus Mundus
Partnership. The network has since branched out across the Americas, Africa,
Asia, the Middle East and Oceania. By 2014, NOHA could boast 12 member
universities and five global partners. The evolution of NOHA’s membership and
partnerships to date is summarised in Figure 1 below.
3 NOHA. N.d. Research & Publications. Available at: https://www.nohanet.org/research
November, 2017 9
Figure 1. Timeline of new NOHA members and partners4
Source: ICF based on NOHA documentation
2.2 European Commission’s support to NOHA
The European Commission’s support to NOHA has been ongoing since 1993. The
support provided so far has facilitated the expansion of NOHA as a network as
well as contributed to the various activities offered by the network. Up to 2004,
the level of funding DG ECHO provided to NOHA is not consistently available for
consultation. However, on the basis of the information that is accessible, it can be
estimated that DG ECHO’s funding between 2000 and 2016 accounts for over
€7 million.
Other sources of funding are out of scope of this study but will be mentioned
where relevant. Most notably, the University of Deusto has received funding in the
form of competitive grants within the context of Erasmus Mundus and Erasmus+,
for a total of circa €5.8 million between 2008 and 20175. These grants are
provided to cover specific costs, with scholarships emerging as the most
frequently funded aspect.
4 In the context of the Joint Master, member universities are either home or host universities. Students will spend time at partner universities as part of the Regional Track. 5 2017 funding covers the period from 2018 to 2020.
November, 2017 10
3 Study findings
This section presents a synthesis of the evidence collected in response to each
study question. It is organised around the core study issues of relevance;
coherence and EU added value; effectiveness; efficiency; and sustainability (and
the specific questions contained therein). A full list of the study questions and
sub-questions are listed Annex 5.
3.1 Relevance
RQ1 - How relevant are NOHA activities for the humanitarian context?
To what extent were NOHA activities sufficiently flexible to meet/ cover the
(changing) needs and priorities in the humanitarian sector?
Refer to Annex 4 for a description of the evolution of needs and priorities of the
humanitarian sector in the last two decades.
3.1.1 Relevance of NOHA activities for the humanitarian context
In the 1990s, no specific training was required to work in the humanitarian sector.
Today, NGOs and international agencies are demanding specific profiles of
humanitarian aid workers. The humanitarian sector is becoming more specialised
than it was at the time NOHA was established: it is organised in clusters and
sectors (Health, Food Security, Logistics, etc.), distribution of tasks and
responsibilities is made according to the NGO's competences and there is
increasing coordination among humanitarian actors as well as extended
partnerships with various stakeholders. This evolution requires that the
humanitarian aid workers have specific profiles to fill in certain positions. It is no
longer sufficient to have a general knowledge of the humanitarian principles.
Humanitarian aid workers also have to be experts.
Evidence collected through this study indicates that the NOHA academic offer is
evolving to adapt to the needs and priorities of the sector. Although NOHA
possesses formal procedures and informal mechanisms to assess the needs, the
study found that this process is not sufficiently inclusive and systematic to ensure
its provision responds to the needs of the sector6. NOHA staff regularly interacts
with humanitarian professionals to ensure that NOHA’s offer is updated to the
current needs. The teaching staff reported to be in constant dialogue with
professionals. Nonetheless, discussions with stakeholders were reported as being
rather ad-hoc and potentially not representative of broader views within the
humanitarian sector. In addition, NOHA possesses internal quality processes and
every three years, it undertakes a survey of NOHA graduates.
For instance in 2003, the Intensive Programme (which is part of the JM
programme) focused on humanitarian aid in conflict zones, especially targeted
towards the war in Iraq7. In 2006, the Intensive Programme focussed on the
refugee issue, on the protection of victims as well as on the gender approach in
humanitarian actions8. In 2013, an advanced summer school was launched in
Humanitarian Supply Chain Management and Logistics in Humanitarian Action,
hosted by the University of Gadjah Mada9. UCL’s JM's module was developed in
collaboration with NGOs, while at the University of Warsaw, NGO representatives
are invited as speakers and often participate in smaller scale events (such as the
Fall and Spring schools). In 2015, NOHA created the Humanitarian Mobile
6 NOHA has informed ICF that such formal mechanisms have been put in place as part of the EUPRHA project. Stakeholders consulted did not refer to such mechanisms. 7 NOHA. 2003. Narrative Final Report. 8 NOHA. 2006. NOHA Activities 2006 – Final Report. 9 NOHA. 2014. Final Report of NOHA activities January 1st 2013 – December 31st 2013.
November, 2017 11
Exhibition, which gathered students, professors, practitioners, governments and
researchers to foster and encourage innovation in the humanitarian sector10. Last
year, UCL introduced new topics such as the "right to protection" which is a major
concern due to the high number of refugees and displaced people, in particular
women and children.
The student survey further reveals that for 86% of respondents, the activity they
attended was aligned with the needs in the field (see Figure 2)11.
Figure 2. To what extent is the NOHA activity you attend(ed) aligned to the main
needs and problems in the field of humanitarian aid at the time?
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). Q33.
It should be stressed that this data comes from participants in NOHA activities,
who could be expected to be interested in the topics these covered. In light of its
strong links with humanitarian actors at national and international level, NOHA
should consider adopting a more systematic approach to needs assessment. Other
training providers undertake regular needs assessment exercises exploring the
“employer” perspective and the “field” perspective. This happens through
technical committees held yearly and involving representatives of humanitarian
organisations who discuss the needs in the sector, review educational needs and
explore possible new areas for development of academic qualifications and for the
adaptation of existing qualifications.
3.1.2 Relevance of NOHA’s curriculum and teaching methods
Humanitarian aid workers are required to have expertise in specific sectors; they
also need to have good management skills, to be able to interact with different
stakeholders, including those from the private sector, and to be able to work in
very diverse contexts and unfavourable environments. In light of this, NOHA
curriculum is generally relevant, although teaching content could reflect needs in
the field to a higher extent and methods could be further adapted to enhance the
practical aspects.
NOHA survey of graduates12 indicates that over half (52%) of graduates reported
that the skills and knowledge they acquired matched those needed in the labour
market. The ICF survey of graduates, students and participants (see Figure 3)
further indicates that NOHA activities have helped students to develop skills for
the management of humanitarian aid organisations (according to 67% of the
respondents), and have also provided them with a global vision of the
10 NOHA. 2016. Final Report of NOHA activities 1 January 2015 – 31 December 2015. 11 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). To what extent is the NOHA activity you attend(ed) aligned to the main needs and problems in the field of humanitarian aid at the time? N=201. 12 NOHA. 2016. Survey of Graduates. N=236
November, 2017 12
humanitarian aid world (87% of the respondents) and an intercultural
understanding (81% of the respondents)13.
However, there is a degree of mismatch between the skills needs identified by DG
ECHO framework partners and those NOHA students, graduates and participants
reported to have acquired through their participation in NOHA courses (see Figure
3). For example, based on responses to the DG ECHO partners survey, one of the
most needed skills in the field relates to the management of complex
humanitarian responses (81% reported that this skill is needed),14 which 62% of
students, graduates and participants reported to have developed through NOHA
activities. Such skill, although taught theoretically through the master’s
programme, were reported to be best acquired through practical experience in the
field15. Implying that NOHA should be thinking of alternative kinds of provision for
such skills.
It should also be mentioned that a perfect match between the responses of
framework partners and NOHA students, graduates and participants could not be
expected, given that a single programme or set of programmes is unlikely to be
able to cater for all the skills needed in a sector. Nonetheless, the data shows that
NOHA could develop certain skills further such as management of complex
responses or leadership and place less emphasis on some skills such as vision.
The NOHA graduates survey also reported some skills that could be further
developed such as project management, logistics and proposal writing,
emphasising the need for more practical and technical skills16. Again, the
mechanisms currently employed to assess sectoral needs might prevent NOHA
from identifying the most demanded skills and the best kind of provision to
develop those (e.g. theory, practical exercise, simulation, fieldwork, etc.).
13 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). To what extent has the NOHA activity helped you to develop the following knowledge, skills and attitudes? N=213. 14 ICF online survey of ECHO partners. 2017. What type of skills are more needed? N=69. 15ICF online survey of ECHO partners. 2017. How do you think existing skills needs can be best met through? N=70. 16 NOHA. 2016. Survey of Graduates. N=236
November, 2017 13
Figure 3. Skills needed in the humanitarian sector (based on DG ECHO
Framework Partners) versus skills developed through NOHA activities
Sources: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). Q10d. N=69. This is a multiple answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %. And
ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). Q35. Answers from 6 to "to a large extent" have been summed up and represented in this graph.
Stakeholders consulted raised some criticisms on the overall contribution of NOHA
to the professionalization of the humanitarian sector in light of its current needs.
There seems to be a shift from a lack of international humanitarian operators to a
growing need of local and sectorial humanitarian experts (see Annex 4), which
has a natural impact on humanitarian training. There is, however, some evidence
that NOHA is addressing this change through its Global Strategy, the Erasmus+
JM Programme and other projects (BRTE and PRUV), thus shifting its focus
directly towards countries in which humanitarian action is needed and addressing
sectorial gaps (e.g. expertise in WASH, cash-transfers, protection, etc.) through
its academic offer.
Feedback from DG ECHO partners as well as students, graduates and participants
also highlighted limitations of the teaching method, in particular a lack of
contextualization and practical exercises. Many of the respondents mentioned in
the survey that if no field based internship was accessible, at least more context
based project work and simulation exercises would be useful. A criticism that is
recurrent in the DG ECHO partners' survey highlights the lack of field experience
of general applicants17. Too often, the students are well educated and
knowledgeable in terms of theory. However, they have limited practical
experience and hence no understanding of the working environment. According to
DG ECHO partners, professional experience in the humanitarian field is essential
in the recruitment procedure. It is worth mentioning that an academic background
17 ICF online survey of ECHO partners. 2017. Additional comments.
November, 2017 14
in the humanitarian field is the least important factor of decision during the
recruitment procedure (see Figure 4)18.
Figure 4. In the recruitment procedures (related to humanitarian aid work) of the
organisation where you work, more emphasis is placed on:
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). Q16. N=70. This is a multiple answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
Recent changes in the JM Programme, with the adoption of the new 120 ECTS
system, is a step in that direction, the third semester includes a mandatory
internship or an exchange with one of the university partners (mostly outside
Europe), while the fourth semester is dedicated to the Master’s thesis. This third
semester offers the students the possibility to take a professionalization track with
an extended type of internship with the aim of learning on the job. Over the last
months, NOHA concluded agreements with eight NGOs to facilitate the work
placement of qualified NOHA students within the framework of the JM
Programme. NOHA is therefore developing its offer to respond to the needs for a
more practical approach by enhancing field experience in its curriculum.
3.1.3 Geographical openness (students and participants) and
accessibility of the academic offer
Although NOHA activities are open to all, it is mostly European students who are
benefiting from them. By contrast, the majority of humanitarian aid workers
employed are local staff rather than international staff. The importance of the
local workforce was recognised by major donors and actors at the World
Humanitarian Summit and the localisation of aid is one of the major commitment
of the Grand Bargain. It has however not been translated into NOHA activities as
yet.
A recurrent criticism expressed in both surveys undertaken for this study is that a
large majority of the NOHA students comes from developed countries, especially
European countries, as the high cost of the JM programme prevents many
students from accessing it and results in a low mix of nationalities. Other barriers
identified relate to national immigration requirements: in the Netherlands,
candidates from specific countries like Ethiopia, Nigeria, Syria or Myanmar have
difficulties in securing a study visa, due to the strict requirements of Dutch
immigration. Furthermore, until 2016, NOHA was not able to offer scholarships to
its students under European Commission funding. From September 2017, with the
participation to the Erasmus+ programme and consequent budget increase, NOHA
18,As part of the EUHAP project, a survey was conducted among 32 different organisations from 11 European countries (Recruitment process in humanitarian sector. Current systems and practices for assessment of skills and competencies). The findings of the survey are distinct from the one presented here, in particular when broken down between different types of vacancies and frequency of emphasis on certain qualifications. In almost each of the positions identified, the academic degree or certification was equally important as humanitarian related experience.
November, 2017 15
intends to establish scholarships schemes. Students argued that including more
non-westerners into the NOHA JM programme would make the contents more
interesting and relevant, as the various backgrounds represented in the
classrooms would lead to fruitful exchanges and discussions. Students coming
from countries affected by humanitarian crises are undoubtedly closer to the
reality of the ground and could share their experience and provide practical, real-
life experiences and examples.
3.2 Coherence and EU added value
RQ2 - To what extent are NOHA activities internally coherent?
To what extent has NOHA's activities complement each other, do not overlap and
produce synergies between the different learning/ training activities it offers?
3.2.1 Internal coherence of NOHA activities
NOHA’s education and training offer can be considered internally coherent.
However, coherence could be further reinforced.
The educational offer consists chiefly of the JM19 degree and the UM20. The UM is
intended as an introductory course and as such complements the content of the
JM. Stakeholders interviewed confirmed that the UM provides bachelor students
with an opportunity to assess their interest in humanitarian action and helps them
to decide whether to apply for the JM.
The JM itself offers a balanced and attractive curriculum covering a wide variety of
topic areas as a result of its structure: a set of common courses supplemented by
courses relevant to the expertise of the individual universities. This was confirmed
by the 90% of respondents to the survey of students, graduates and participants
who indicated the curriculum as an important factor in their decision to take part
in NOHA activities21. However, further analysis of open answers to the survey and
the follow up interviews revealed that there is some repetition of themes/subjects
within the content of some JM courses. Examples of topics covered under several
courses were reported by students and graduates and included for instance: the
evolution of the humanitarian system, Humanitarian-Development nexus, and
core humanitarian values. By contrast, other topics were not explored sufficiently
such as Project Cycle Management, Needs Assessment, Pathway of Change and
Log Frame, Monitoring and Evaluation. A lack of coherence in the distribution of
teaching materials was also reported as professors used different systems to
distribute study materials.
Similarly to the UM, the Fall, Spring and Summer Schools serve as an introduction
to Humanitarian Action and help students and professionals alike to better
understand the world of humanitarian action and to decide whether or not to
pursue a career or further studies in a relevant field. These introductory courses
are complemented by advanced courses, which aim at tackling specific topics such
as a course on cash-based interventions or an advanced course in Humanitarian
Mediation.
Complementarity can be further identified between the JM and the UM and the
shorter courses and conferences. As NOHA has progressively widened the
thematic coverage of its short courses,22 it has also fed notions from shorter
19A double degree diploma where required by national legislation. 20 This product is offered at 9 out of 12 partner universities: University College Dublin, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Vilniaus universitetas, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Københavns Universitet, L-Università ta' Malta, Uniwersytet Warszawski, Universidad de Deusto and Université catholique de Louvain. 21 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. How important were the following factors in your decision to take part in NOHA activity? N=208. 22 The courses are listed Annex 3.
November, 2017 16
courses into the JM. As one interviewee from NOHA pointed out, an example of
this is the above-mentioned course on cash-based interventions, which has since
been introduced into the JM as well, albeit as a topic for debate rather than as a
standalone course.
RQ7 - To what extent has external coherence been achieved?
To what extent are other organisations, institutions, academic bodies, programmes
offering education and training that complements (and does not overlap) with
NOHA's training offer?
3.2.2 NOHA external coherence
NOHA’s activities and objectives as a network are coherent with wider EU
objectives in the humanitarian and educational fields. Synergies can be observed
between NOHA’s educational offer and EU programmes. Since 2004, NOHA has
successfully participated in eight calls for proposals launched by the European
Commission. The calls have so far come under the Erasmus Mundus programme,
the Socrates II programme and more recently under the Erasmus+ programme.
The grants have focussed on supporting the mobility-related aspects of NOHA but
there have also been distinct projects funded such as the European Universities
on Professionalization on Humanitarian Action (EUPRHA) initiative and
subsequently the European Humanitarian Action Partnership (EUHAP). The two
projects involved a variety of partners, both academic and non-academic and
focused on facilitating the exchange of best practices with a view to boosting
competences and enhancing professionalization23.
In order to successfully access funding under the aforementioned calls, an
organization has to show synergy with EU objectives. As mentioned in the
Erasmus+ Programme24 (DG EAC, 2016), “[the Erasmus+ programme] supports
actions, cooperation and tools consistent with the objectives of the Europe 2020
Strategy and its flagship initiatives, such as Youth on the Move and the Agenda
for new skills and jobs. The Programme also contributes to achieve the objectives
of the Education and Training Strategic Framework for European cooperation in
Education and Training and of the European Youth Strategy through the Open
Methods of Coordination.”25
Other EU institutions and bodies with which NOHA has demonstrated synergies
are the Council of the EU (EU Council), the European Council and DG ECHO itself.
The synergy between DG ECHO and NOHA can be demonstrated through the fact
that 30 students from the JM work as interns every year at DG ECHO and by the
fact that 50% of participants in the Fall School are DG ECHO staff.
Furthermore, NOHA has been involved in various presidencies of the EU Council
and within this context has played a part in raising awareness about humanitarian
aid and humanitarian principles such as respect for human rights and democracy.
The EU Council defines and implements EU foreign and security policy, including
humanitarian aid26 and does so on the basis of guidelines set by the European
Council. Cooperation between these two EU bodies is based on shared values
of Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, and the mission to spread
these values throughout Europe and beyond27. As a network, NOHA has also
23 More information is accessible via: http://euhap.eu/ 24 Which now includes all other predecessor programmes. 25 DG Education and Culture. 2016. Erasmus+ Programme Guide. 26 Council of the European Union. N.d. The Council of Europe and the EU. Available at: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/ 27 Council of the European Union. N.d. The Council of Europe and the EU. Available at: https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage_en/1837/The%20Council%20of%20Europe%20and%20the%20EU
November, 2017 17
contributed to the spread of the aforementioned humanitarian values, especially
through its expansion towards Eastern Europe, where humanitarian affairs are
less developed as mentioned by one NOHA interviewee. Other examples of how
NOHA spreads humanitarian values include the Mobile Exhibition that was
launched in 2015 and its participation in events linked to the presidencies of the
Council of the European Union.
At national level, several examples of cooperation and synergies have been
provided by NOHA and are mentioned hereafter. The extent to which cooperation
takes part within ECHO-funded activities the extent to which these national links
depend on the action of the network –rather than individual universities- or the
extent to which there are systematic to develop linkages at the national level
were not specified.
Examples of cooperation at national level include28:
University of Warsaw works closely with key humanitarian stakeholders in
Poland in both research & teaching (e.g. NOHA Master’s, post-graduate
certificate studies, guest lectures) as well as awareness-raising activities.
During almost 10 years of NOHA presence in Warsaw, joint initiatives were
launched in partnership with Polish Humanitarian Action, Polish Aid (Ministry
of Foreign Affairs), Polish Centre for International Aid, Polish Red Cross,
Foundation Refugee.pl and many others.
University College Dublin is the preferred partner of Irish Aid. The Centre
served as a focal point and organiser of the Irish Humanitarian Summit (prior
to the World Humanitarian Summit), is an active participant of numerous
initiatives along with plethora of local stakeholders (e.g. the working group on
GBV, BRTE project focusing on localisation of humanitarian education, etc.)
and engages many stakeholders in their teaching, research and outreach
activities (Concord Worldwide, GOAL Ireland, Comhlámh, etc.). All teaching is
delivered in partnership with humanitarian practitioners for the last 20 years
and more than 40 internships are offered through the network.
University of Deusto, the Institute of Human Rights collaborates since its
creation with the Vasque Agency for Development Cooperation and
Humanitarian Action and the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation
and Humanitarian Action. It has been in charge of the evaluation of the
implementation of the Vasque Humanitarian Strategy and actively
participates in the 4 elaboration of the new one. It participates actively in the
discussions organized by both agencies with its implementing partners. The
main humanitarian national and local stakeholders are engaged in their
teaching, research and dissemination activities (Acción Contra el Hambre,
Save the Children, Oxfam, MSF, ALBOAN etc.)
The Université catholique de Louvain has established strong partnerships
with a wide range of Belgian-based humanitarian organisations. Its new
humanitarian Masters programme (launched in September 2017), was
designed in close collaboration with these organisations, including Caritas and
MSF. Several other joint initiatives were conducted with Belgian humanitarian
stakeholders: MFA Belgium, ICRC Brussels, Handicap International, MSF
Belgium, Oxfam, Médecins du Monde etc.
Looking into other available education offer and training, 60% of respondents to
ICF’s survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants29 did not identify a
course comparable to NOHA, thus suggesting that NOHA is providing a unique
28 Examples provided by NOHA. Note that only some examples are provided here. 29 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. Do you know of any other education or training that is comparable to the NOHA training you took? N=216.
November, 2017 18
educational offer. This is corroborated by the responses of those who identified
similar offers. When looking at the individual courses listed, the study team did
not find equivalent courses in relation to all NOHA features. This is due to the fact
that, often, the network element of NOHA was not taken into account by
respondents. These may have listed an education provider offering a course in
humanitarian action or alternatively a network providing a course that includes a
mobility aspect but not in humanitarian action or not resulting in a joint or dual
degree.
RQ8 - What is the added value of NOHA activities compared to existing
national training and learning activities in the Humanitarian sector?
What results of the intervention can be identified that could not have been achieved
without a coordinated effort at the EU level?
To what extent and how should DG ECHO support these synergies?
3.2.3 EU added value of NOHA
NOHA’s EU added value is mainly reflected in its network and the capabilities it
offers. As explained by one interviewee “an advantage [of NOHA] is the power of
the network and its international cooperation”. The network includes member and
partner universities, academics, students and graduates, as well as humanitarian
actors. Such network allows for a greater emphasis on the humanitarian debate
and beneficially contributes to the humanitarian political agenda from both an EU
and a wider international perspective.
For universities, being part of the network provides unique advantages and clear
benefits. It allows them to:
reach out in a coherent and unified way;
increase their visibility;
have direct relationship with practitioners and political organisations,
widening and strengthening their network;
offer a unique, interdisciplinary Joint Master’s;
attract eminent speakers for conferences and courses;
promote high level of interdisciplinary cooperation between different faculties;
and
secure more financial resources needed for conducting research in
humanitarian action.
Graduate and students consider the network as a key element unique to NOHA in
comparison to other similar training30. Such network helps them find internship
and employment opportunities as one student stated: “NOHA was a game
changer in terms on contacts. I would never have gotten an internship without
NOHA’s contacts and consequently would not have found a job either”31 and
another one further added: “the JM has succeeded in linking everyone with each
other and sharing internship and job opportunities”. Students also highlighted the
importance of such network once active in the sector. Most graduates (55%)
surveyed as part of this study reported that it took them less than three months
to find employment once they completed the JM32 and most of them have never
30 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. In comparison to other similar training, what are in your view the main elements on which NOHA stands out? Q46. N=185. 31 Follow-up interview with a NOHA graduate. 32 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. How long did it take you to find employment once your Master completed? Q19. N=122.
November, 2017 19
been involuntarily out of employment33 (see section 3.3.3). This was corroborated
by DG ECHO Framework Partners who indicated that it was easier for a NOHA
graduate to find employment34. The survey further indicated that having a NOHA
Master is an advantage for the professional development/ progression of someone
working in the humanitarian sector35.
A particular aspect emanating from the network is mobility, which is another key
added value and refers mostly to the JM Programme. 80% of students, graduates
and participants who took part in ICF’s survey identified international mobility as
a decisive factor in their choice to take part in NOHA activities. The important role
that mobility plays is further corroborated by the overall numbers of students
participating in the mobile track compared to non-mobile. It is also confirmed by
DG ECHO partners surveyed36: majority mentioned that mobility during higher
education is advantageous for those working in the humanitarian field.
International mobility is also available for scholars, but to a limited extent in
comparison to student mobility. However, it is also considered an added value
allowing scholars to have exchanges with colleagues abroad and learn from
different educational contexts.
3.3 Effectiveness
RQ5 - To what extent have the objectives of NOHA been achieved?
Enlargement across Europe and global partnership
Implementation of new products (for example qualifications framework or short
training)
Quality of NOHA education programmes
Academic certification recognition
Engagement with and recognition in humanitarian sector and university area
NOHA’s organisational development
3.3.1 Enlargement across Europe and global partnerships
One of the aims of the NOHA network is to enhance the quality of humanitarian
aid training across the EU, beyond the countries with well-established training
traditions in this area. Over the course of the years, NOHA has largely achieved
this objective through targeted expansion strategies, which allowed the inclusion
of several European and non-European universities into the network, with a
consequent substantial expansion of the quality and scope of the NOHA offer.
Since 2003, NOHA has sought to expand its activities and network towards
Central and Eastern Europe, initially planning to incorporate one university per
each of the following countries: Baltic States, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic,
33 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. Have you been involuntarily out of employment since you graduated? –for other than health or personal reasons (exclude short periods of up to one month). Q20. N=121. 34 ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). To what extent do you agree with the following statements: It is easier for a NOHA graduate to find relevant employment in comparison to a graduate from an equivalent course at a different university. Q13. N=31 (14 respondents agreed, 11 did not know) 35 ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). Would you consider that having any of the following education/ training is an advantage for the professional development/ progression of someone working in the humanitarian sector? Q17. N= 30. 36 ICF online survey of ECHO partners. 2017. To what extent do you agree with the following statements: having undertaken an international mobility period/studied abroad during your higher education is advantageous in the field of humanitarian aid. N=31.
November, 2017 20
and Poland. Such expansion strategy has partially been achieved, mainly through
the incorporation in 2008 of Uniwersytet Warszawski (Warsaw, Poland) and
Vilniaus Universitetas (Vilnius, Lithuania). Furthermore, a formal Enlargement
Strategy was adopted by the NOHA General Assembly in September 2011.
Consequently, other universities have, through the years, been granted
probationary status and/or integrated as a members, partners or observers into
the network, bringing their expertise in specific humanitarian action fields. For
example, in 2013 the University of Copenhagen was integrated as a member,
bringing its specialisation in Global Health as well as expertise in e-learning37.
In 2005, the NOHA network expanded beyond Europe, particularly when it was
awarded the Erasmus Mundus Partnership. NOHA established a framework for
cooperation and student/scholar mobility between NOHA institutions and other
global institutions -including global partners across the Americas, Africa, the
Middle East and Oceania. Through an Erasmus+ award obtained in 2017, NOHA
universities will receive additional financial resources for the next four years in
order to offer scholarship schemes to students. NOHA has also recently developed
Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with non-European universities, which will
deliver a full semester under the JM Programme. For example, NOHA has recently
reached cooperation agreements with the International Christian University (ICU)
of Tokyo and with Deakin University (Australia) and additional MoU have been
signed with 12 non-European universities38.
After 2013, NOHA extensively increased its global partnership and strengthened
its relationship with third country partners, providing support to Asian, Latin
American and African partners seeking to establish similar networks of
universities. Such expansion is part of a NOHA Global Strategy, which aims to
regionalise NOHA’s education model across the globe and reach competence
building and knowledge sharing tailored to the different regional and local needs
(see Figure 5). As a result, NOHA Southeast Asia was officially launched in
December 2016, putting together the University of Gadjah Mada (Indonesia),
Chiang Mai University (Thailand), the International Islamic University of Malaysia
(Malaysia), Miriam College (The Philippines) and the University of Social Sciences
and Humanities (Vietnam)39 into a regional network of universities. In 2017,
following the results obtained in Southeast Asia, NOHA plans to launch its second
non-European network in Latin America, including universities from Colombia,
Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Argentina and Brazil. The further target is to
establish NOHA Middle-East in 2018, as well as NOHA Africa.
37 NOHA. 2013. Final report to ECHO. 38 For more information see https://nohanet.org/network 39 NOHA. 2016. Final report to ECHO.
November, 2017 21
Figure 5. NOHA expansion 1993-2017
Source: ICF based on NOHA documentation and interviews
3.3.2 Implementation of new products
The current offer of academic degrees as well as short-term courses does not
always meet the needs of all staff in the humanitarian sector, mainly because of
time or geographical obstacles hindering the participation of professionals working
full time or in the field. To address this issue, NOHA has made efforts to innovate
its offer to attract new audiences. For example, universities under the NOHA
network have developed e-learning systems to integrate the traditional offer with
online material and to offer online courses. To this end, as reported in section
3.3.1, the strategic partnership with the University of Copenhagen brought
expertise in the field of e-learning systems and products. Since 2015, NOHA has
developed 11 online and e-learning products, most of which have been led by
UCPH. In 2016, only one e-learning course, on Humanitarian Protection, seems to
be active (delivered as a full on-line course since 2015) while two are in pilot/
development phase40. Other online products include online modules (e.g. on
public health) as well as videos developed with partner organisations (e.g. World
Food Programme). In 2016, NOHA decided to build a dedicated platform gathering
all NOHA online products in a single space, for ease of reference and to facilitate
their management and dissemination41.
NOHA (through the University of Groningen) has developed a Humanitarian
Analysis and Intervention Design Framework, which resulted into a published
book42 used as learning material in the second semester of the JM Programme.
NOHA Groningen reported that this product has been increasingly adopted in the
field by NGOs and other organisations and NOHA had requests to provide training
to NGOs’ staff, although no figures were made available.
40 NOHA Psychology course, Human Resources and Humanitarian Action course. 41 NOHA. 2016. Annual Report to the General Assembly. 42 L. Heyse, A. Zwitter, R. Wittek, J. Herman. 2015. Humanitarian Crises, Intervention and Security. A Framework for Evidence-Based Programming. Routledge
November, 2017 22
3.3.3 Quality of NOHA education programmes
Overall, the stakeholders consulted as part of this study consider NOHA’s
academic offer to be of good quality, and that NOHA has been successful in
training professionals who are employed in the humanitarian sector. A large
majority of respondents (95% of participants and 93% of graduates) believes that
a degree or training from a NOHA university facilitates finding work in the
humanitarian sector43. Research carried out in 2011 shows that the majority of
NOHA graduates find a job within a few months following the completion of their
studies. In 2010, about 42% of graduates was reported to be unemployed after
finishing the NOHA JM (in most cases for less than 6 months) and it is estimated
that 82% were employed at the time of the survey44.
80% of respondents to ICF’s survey45 reported to be currently employed, 64% of
which in the humanitarian sector46, while only 6% reported to be unemployed. A
large majority (81%) of the employed graduates and participants consulted
reported to have found employment within six months of completion of the NOHA
JM, and over half of them currently work in a managerial position.
These positive outcomes were achieved through a rigid set of internal quality
assurance (QA) mechanisms. NOHA ensures a continuous quality evaluation and
enhancement of its education programmes through a defined set of quality
assurance procedures. The different NOHA universities and NOHA network
institutions are required to perform, within their respective areas of competence,
QA exercises aimed at monitoring and evaluating a various set of actions47. There
is strong evidence of the use of such evaluation outputs by NOHA, as feedback
collected through surveys and interviews with graduates and participants reflects
recent changes applied to the NOHA offer. For example, several graduates would
have expected foundation courses on technical or specialist skills, which are now
part of the second semester of the new Erasmus+ JM Programme (e.g. courses on
conflict, peace building, protection, humanitarian law, migration, etc.)
However, NOHA could make improvements in terms of adaptation of the learning
offer to the rapidly changing needs of the sector. Other training providers
reported higher levels of flexibility and faster reaction times to adapt their offer to
training demands of operational humanitarian actors. Nevertheless, such variation
can be linked to the nature of the NOHA network, which includes several
universities, inevitably causing a lengthier decision processes. Standalone training
entities (as opposed to a network of entities like NOHA) appear to be more
flexible in adapting their offer to operational needs and to deliver tailor-made
courses to humanitarian operators.
Moreover, and while as outlined in Figure 6, most of the survey participants rate
the different components of NOHA very positively (on a satisfactory scale from 1-
not satisfied to 10-completely satisfied), there are other areas in which the quality
of NOHA activities requires significant improvement, according to NOHA students,
graduates and participants. Only around one third of respondents considered the
career services provided as sufficient, and less than half are satisfied with the
43 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. Do you believe that a degree/training from a NOHA University will facilitate/facilitates finding work in the humanitarian sector? Graduate N=97, Participants N=19. 44 NOHA. 2010. NOHA Overview. 45 148 graduates and 44 participants. 46 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. Which of the below options best represent your current status? Graduate N=148, Participants N=44. 47 QA exercises include: Academic performance analysis; Overall satisfaction assessment; Module evaluations; Mobility evaluations; Internship evaluations; Master thesis evaluations; Labour market integration analysis; Broadcasting the degree; Suggestions and complaints; Termination of the degree; Meta-evaluation of the programme; Quality enhancement planning.
November, 2017 23
flexibility of the learning offer. Such figures suggest that students and graduates
surveyed are happier with the academic elements of NOHA and generally less
satisfied with the practical/ employability and graduate networking aspects.
Figure 6. How would you rate the following aspects of NOHA’s offering?
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). Q27. The Figure shows the proportion of respondents that were satisfied with the different aspects.
3.3.4 Academic certification recognition
Academic certification recognition concerns the recognition of NOHA’s
qualifications and training programmes by national academic authorities. All
NOHA Partner Institutions shall ensure that the JM programme is correctly
registered and accredited as a JM degree for 120 ECTS in each national
jurisdiction, in accordance with national regulations48. Stakeholders interviewed
reported that the NOHA JM programme is accredited and recognised in all EU
Member States. Furthermore, as outlined in Figure 6, 64% of students and
graduates surveyed rated the academic recognition of the NOHA degree as
satisfactory. Although this may suggest that there is room for improvement,
students seem to rate this higher than graduates, suggesting that, in recent
years, NOHA was able to make improvements towards a full academic recognition
of its Master’s.
However, NOHA ensures that member universities are part of an internationally
recognised credit system. In Belgium, a request for recognition has also been
made in relation to the e-learning options. 74% of respondents to the survey of
students, participants and graduates indicated that the NOHA programme in
which they participate(d) is recognised across Europe, while the percentage
decreases to 51% with respect to worldwide recognition49. Such lower figure may
48 NOHA. 2009 and 2017. Consortium Agreement. 49 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. In your view, is the NOHA programme in which you participate recognised. Graduate N=149, Students N=24, Participants N=44.
November, 2017 24
be increased through the NOHA Global Strategy, which can contribute to make
NOHA more visible worldwide and, potentially, to make the JM Programme
recognised in extra-European countries, which will be part of the NOHA global
network. Furthermore, NOHA has recently been granted participation in the
Erasmus+ Programme through the University of Deusto, meaning that the JM is
accredited in all Erasmus+ countries.
3.3.5 Engagement with and recognition in the humanitarian sector and
university area
Universities and employers in the humanitarian sector have a positive view on the
quality of NOHA’s products, and also recognise it in terms of employment. Over
77% of DG ECHO partners indicated that the NOHA JM Programme has a strong
reputation in the humanitarian field (Figure 7)50. Furthermore, the large majority
of DG ECHO partners consulted (over 90%) considers that NOHA education and
training offer is an advantage for the professional development and/or
progression of individuals working in the humanitarian sector51. However,
participants in NOHA courses surveyed do not seem to be completely satisfied
with the career prospect given by participation in one of the NOHA shorter
courses, as only 57% rated this aspect as satisfactory.
Figure 7. To what extent do you agree with the following statements
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). Q13. N=31.
Stakeholders also reported that being part of NOHA constitutes an advantage for
each single university, as the network brings international visibility as well as
richness and diversity of students (mainly from Europe), due to the international
scope of the academic offer. Furthermore, universities consulted highlighted that
NOHA brought a high level of interdisciplinary cooperation between different
faculties, as the broad range of themes covered allows for the involvement of
teaching colleagues from a wide range of faculties (e.g. from faculties of
medicine, law, political science, etc.). Such cooperation indicates that NOHA was
successful in engaging with the management of universities participating in the
network, and that the JM Programme is well received by rectorates and faculties,
which are not directly involved in NOHA activities.
3.3.6 NOHA’s organisational development
Over the years, NOHA seems to have strengthened and enhanced its internal
capacity and governance structure (see Annex 3), as well as the degree of
engagement of its network. At university level, the number of staff
(administration and teaching staff) involved in NOHA activities has grown over the
years.
Furthermore, in 2003 NOHA strengthened the involvement of its graduates into its
activities, by formally launching the NOHA Alumni Association. More recently
(2017), NOHA decided to integrate its Graduates Platform within the General
50 ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners. 2017. To what extent do you agree with the following statements? N=31. 51 ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners. 2017. Would you consider that having any of the following education/ training is an advantage for the professional development/ progression of someone working in the humanitarian sector? Master’s programme N=30, NOHA training (e.g. summer/ winter school) N=17.
November, 2017 25
Secretariat, with the aim of facilitating the exchange of reflections on
humanitarian issues and sharing valuable experience gained by alumni in their
jobs. Such enhanced involvement of alumni and centralised management of the
Graduates Platform might contribute to a more effective assessment of needs of
the humanitarian sector (through direct contributions of alumni working in the
field) as well as to intensify the contributions of professionals in NOHA courses
(e.g. through lectures and video-conferences).
RQ6 - To what extent NOHA’s activities contributed to achieving DG ECHO’s
objectives?
3.3.7 NOHA contribution to achieving DG ECHO objectives
The main objective of NOHA is to enhance professionalism in the humanitarian
sector by promoting humanitarian values through higher education accredited
courses, and by fostering a humanitarian research ethos that encourages
innovation in humanitarian policy and practice. The stakeholders consulted
generally agreed on the importance of NOHA’s activities contribution to DG
ECHO’s objectives and to the objectives of the humanitarian sector as a whole.
Within the boundaries of its academic mandate, NOHA indirectly contributes to
the achievement of some of DG ECHO’s objectives, particularly those outlined in
Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/9652 by forming and training humanitarian
operators who currently are and will be managing humanitarian assistance at
international level. Additionally, NOHA’s academic offer includes advanced schools
on Protection, Humanitarian Supply Chain and Cash-Based Interventions, and the
second semester of the JM programme includes modules on several thematic
specialisations, such as Humanitarian Intervention Design, Conflict and Peace
Building as well as Protection, Migration and Security, thus contributing to Council
Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 objectives. However, the evidence collected through
this study does not allow to assess the extent to which NOHA’s activities directly
contributed to achieving DG ECHO’s objectives. The main direct contribution, at
the moment, is given by the provision of NOHA students as interns for DG ECHO
units.
RQ7 - To what extent NOHA’s activities contributed to enhancing
professionalism in the humanitarian sector?
3.3.8 NOHA contribution to enhancing professionalism in the
humanitarian sector
Generally, stakeholders consulted consider that NOHA activities directly contribute
to the professionalization of the humanitarian sector and are an investment in
high quality training in-line with EU standards and vision in the area of
humanitarian aid. Over 3,000 NOHA graduates working in the humanitarian field
acquired the necessary skills and knowledge to undertake work in this sector,
thus contributing to the enhance professionalism in the sector. 73% of employed
NOHA alumni reported to be working outside of Europe, exporting the
52 E.g. (a) to save and preserve life during emergencies and their immediate aftermath and natural disasters that have entailed major loss of life, physical, psychological or social suffering or material damage; (b) to provide the necessary assistance and relief to people affected by longer-lasting crises arising, in particular, from outbreaks of fighting or wars, producing the same effects as those described in subparagraph (a), especially where their own governments prove unable to help or there is a vacuum of power; (e) to cope with the consequences of population movements (refugees, displaced people and returnees) caused by natural and man-made disasters and carry out schemes to assist repatriation to the country of origin and resettlement there when the conditions laid down in current international agreements are in place;
November, 2017 26
competences learned through the NOHA academic offer53. A large majority (77%)
of NOHA JM Programme graduates also reported that their involvement in NOHA
training improved the standards of their work54, while 66% affirms using the
knowledge and skills acquired through the training in their daily work55.
Furthermore, stakeholders reported that NOHA universities provide students with
the possibility to take a professionalization track (during the third semester of the
JM Programme, this will be mandatory from 2017 onwards) through an extended
type of internship in DG ECHO, partner organisations and NGOs. Such “learning
on the job” experience is perceived to be key for the professional development of
students and useful in their future work in the humanitarian field as highlighted in
earlier in section 3.1.2. Nevertheless, NOHA graduates and participants
interviewed reported that recruitment processes in NGOs and International
Organisations working in the humanitarian field have become more stringent. This
might be due to a higher competition in the humanitarian job market mainly
derived by an increase of qualified international humanitarian staff, which enabled
the application of stricter criteria in selection processes (e.g. some organisations
do not consider unpaid internships as work experience). At the same time, there
appears to be a lack of trained local humanitarian operators, suggesting a
possible shift of training needs and consequent changes in the operational
implementation of humanitarian training towards the field. To this end, the NOHA
Global Strategy could be seen as a step forward in order to meet the needs of
humanitarian operators.
3.4 Efficiency
RQ8 - To what extent have the objectives of NOHA been achieved at a
reasonable cost?
3.4.1 DG ECHO contribution to the network activities
The majority of DG ECHO’s NOHA related funding is allocated to NOHA activities
(i.e. short-term courses) and the JM degree (i.e. contribution to universities) with
a quarter being allocated to NOHA personnel56 and operational57 costs. The figure
below presents the break down for 2016.
53 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. Where do you work? Graduate N=314, Participants N=57. 54 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. To what extent is the NOHA activity you attend(ed) aligned to the main needs and problems in the field of humanitarian aid at the time? Graduate N=148. 55 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. Do you use the knowledge and skills acquired through the training today? Graduate N=149. 56 Personal costs include salaries of the NOHA staff in Brussels. 57 Operational costs include office rent and supply.
November, 2017 27
Figure 8. Allocation of DG ECHO funding
Source: NOHA. 2016. Annual Report to the General Assembly.
Looking further into the break down, information for 2014 and 2015 shows that
DG ECHO funding covers the costs of the large majority of NOHA activities in line
with the network objectives58 (see Table 1). Based on the analysis of the
effectiveness, which highlighted the positive achievements of the network, the
funding can be assessed as sufficient to achieve NOHA’s objectives. The
information available does not allow to make a judgement on whether the results
could have been achieved at a lower cost due to the number of objectives and
related activities implemented by the network59 as well as their very specific
character that prevents comparison with similar organisations.
Table 1. DG ECHO’s investment in achieving NOHA’s objectives (proportion of
NOHA total cost covered by DG ECHO funding)
NOHA objectives 2014 2015
Enlargement across Europe 100% -
Increase global partnership 76% 100%
Implementation of new products 100% 98%
Increase quality of NOHA educational products 92% 93%
Engagement with and recognition in humanitarian sector and university area 100% 94%
NOHA’s organisational development (NOHA board and general assembly) 100% 100%
Internal & External communication 100% 100%
Total 94% 95%
Source: NOHA. 2014 and 2015. Annual Report to the General Assembly.
3.4.2 DG ECHO contribution to NOHA short-term courses
DG ECHO’s contribution to NOHA short-term courses is significant. To date, short-
term courses have been heavily subsidised. DG ECHO funding allocated to short-
term courses represented 92% of the total cost (this proportion varies by courses
from 70% to 100%)60 representing an average investment from DG ECHO of
58 The reporting template changed in 2016 and did not provide a breakdown of expenditure by NOHA objectives. 59 This would imply analysing each activity individually and is out of scope of this study. 60 NOHA. 2016. Annual Report to the General Assembly.
November, 2017 28
€219 per participant in 201661 while the cost per participant ranged from €105 to
€614 depending on the course with an average of €319.
With the exception of the Protection course, which will run exclusively on
incoming fees from 2017 onwards, all the other courses require additional
funding, as fees are either too low or waived for too large a number of
participants62. This is particularly the case with the Fall School, for which half of
the seats are reserved for DG ECHO staff who do not pay any participation fees.
However, NOHA is making its way towards self-sustainability. Since 2013, the
network has been charging participation fees for some courses; the fees have
remained constant over the years with an increase in 2017 for two courses
(Spring and Fall schools).
External funding allows NOHA to offer below market rates for its short-term
courses. NOHA’s fees vary between €215 and €800 for a three to five-days
training, suggesting that NOHA is the cheapest option available on the market.
For a five days courses, similar trainings charge between €500 and €2,600. These
includes training from other universities such as Harvard, London School of
Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Fordham University but also trainings provided by
institutes such as the Bioforce Institute and RedR UK. Such high subsidies may
interfere with the market and further increase in participant fees would still place
NOHA in a competitive position.
3.4.3 DG ECHO’s contribution to the NOHA Joint Master’s programme
The DG ECHO funding allocated to the JM degree (€192,000 in 201663) represents
a relatively small proportion (approximately 14%64) of the total Master cost65. The
JM is therefore implemented thanks to other sources of funding coming chiefly
from the overall budget of the hosting universities. The main sources of funding
for the universities include incoming participation fees (coming through NOHA)
and state budget. In 2016, the participation fees transferred to the eight
universities offering the JM represented €1 million; information on state budget
and other sources is not available.
On average, DG ECHO invested €1,038 per JM student (average for all
universities) in 201666 (see Figure 9), each university received €24,000. Most of
the funding was used to cover staff costs (€20,000), equipment (€1,200) and
direct costs (€2,800)67.
61 This includes Spring School, Protection School, Logistics School, Fall School and Winter School. 62 NOHA. 2016. Annual Report to the General Assembly. 63 NOHA. 2016. Annual Report to the General Assembly. 64 Estimates provided during an interview with a NOHA university, it only accounts for the direct funding provided to NOHA universities and does not account for the work undertaken by the network itself. 65 The proportion varies per university. 66 This figure varies per university based on the number of students. 67 The breakdown is the same for the period 2013-2016.
November, 2017 29
Figure 9. DG ECHO investment per JM student (2016)
Source: NOHA. 2016. Annual Report to the General Assembly.
Feedback from the interviews and visits suggests that the funding provided by DG
ECHO helps to improve the JM offering. This funding is used to invite practitioners
from the field, and teaching staff from other universities to teach on the
programme and organise conferences. These features are key to the NOHA JM,
and therefore suggest that DG ECHO help strengthening the JM. Without it, the
universities interviewed believe that the quality of the programme would
significantly suffer (see section 3.5.2 for more details). The financial support
given by ECHO for the JM on a non-competitive basis, however, raises questions
regarding interferences with the operation of the higher education market. An
alternative means to enhance the professionalism in the sector would be for the
Commission to open a competition for grants, whereby applicants could study a
range of courses in this field, previously approved by the European Commission
based on their focus and quality. However, given the increasing
professionalization of the field there is little evidence that this approach would be
justified.
3.4.4 Cost of the NOHA Joint Master’s programme
The NOHA JM degree costs between €170,000 and €240,000 per year per
university68. The delivery costs vary substantially by country (e.g. Dublin and
Spain are the most expensive). This represents a cost per students ranging from
€8,000 to €16,000 per year. In 2013, 48% of NOHA graduates were employed in
the humanitarian sector69, while data collected through the ICF survey in 2017
showed that 64% of NOHA graduates who responded to the survey were
employed in the humanitarian sector at the time of the survey70. Applying these
proportions to the 2015/2016 cohort, it gives a cost per graduate employed in the
humanitarian sector ranging from €11,010 to €15,135.
In 2016, the NOHA JM tuition fees were relatively high in comparison to the fees
applied to EU students in other universities offering Masters in humanitarian
assistance. Such fees range from zero on average in Germany to €16,197 in
Switzerland (see Figure 10). However, in comparison to tuition fees applied to
68 Estimates of the total cost of delivering the JM as provided during an interview with a NOHA university. 69 NOHA. 2013. NOHA Alumni Survey Report. Note: this only take into account respondents that selected Humanitarian as a response and does not include public sector and development. 70 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. Which of the below options best represent your current status? Graduate N=148.
November, 2017 30
international students, the NOHA JM fees are equal to the average Master fees
applied in Europe (i.e. €11,97271). For the 2017/2018 academic year, the tuition
fees will increase to €12,000. This rate will be applied for both EU and
International students making the NOHA JM less competitive in terms of pricing
for EU students. Consequently, this will potentially further restrain accessibility to
the Master as highlighted in the relevance section (see section 3.1.3).
Figure 10. Average tuition fees per country as well as for NOHA and UNITAR72
Source: ICF mapping of graduate offer.
3.4.5 Transparency and overall efficiency
The allocation of funding within the network is transparent as revealed by the
documents distributed by the network to its donors and members (e.g. annual
report) and the regular meetings involving the university members. As one
interviewee reported: “each budget line is discussed in detail during meetings”.
There appears to be no formal mechanism for assessing the efficiency of the
different NOHA activities. Data indicates that the most cost-effective activities
(based on the cost per participant) include the Logistics school followed by the
Winter school. While the simulation exercise and the Fall School seems to be the
least cost effective. The latter is due to a number of seats assigned to DG ECHO
71 ICF calculation based on the mapping of graduate offer, see Annex 6 72 UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research) is an autonomous UN body established in 1963 and has the mandate to enhance the effectiveness of the UN through diplomatic training, and to increase the impact of national actions through public awareness-raising, education and training of public policy officials.
November, 2017 31
staff who do not pay participation fees. Universities were unanimous in believing
that the NOHA JM degree was the most efficient activity due to the time and effort
invested in it but also the fact that it is mainly sustained by individual contribution
from universities. In one interviewee’s opinion, the least efficient activity is the
research aspect due to the lack of investment to date. However, no evidence was
provided to substantiate the above.
Although not formally assessed, efficiency is a key concern of NOHA, as reported
during interviews. The network aims to ensure that the funding is efficiently
utilised for the development and implementation of its activities. Effort to increase
efficiency can be observed through personnel costs that are kept to a minimum
with 12 NOHA Directors giving their time without additional remuneration and a
small General Secretariat team with up to three people73. In addition, efficiency is
also sought through the well-established system of exchange of teaching staff
making best use of the knowledge in the network as well as the development of
online courses –provided these are used.
3.5 Sustainability, coordination and acceptability
RQ9 - To what extent are NOHA activities sustainable?
Does NOHA heavily rely on EU funding to implement its activities and to impact on
the ground?
What were the main sustainable results of EU funding for NOHA?
3.5.1 NOHA reliance on EU funding
DG ECHO’s support to NOHA has constantly increased over the past 16 years as
shown in Figure 11 below. In 2017 however, the grant allocated was reduced.
Figure 11. Evolution of DG ECHO investment over the years (2000-2017)74
Source: DG ECHO grant agreements (2008-2017) and DG ECHO reports (2000-2017)
NOHA relies heavily on donor funding, placing the network in a fragile position.
The donor dependency75 was calculated by NOHA to 45% in 201676, however,
73 The General Secretariat team was composed of two staff in 2013-14, three staff in 2015-2016 and is back to two staff members as of May 2016. 74 The figures do not take inflation into account. 75 Proportion of external funding in comparison to the total. 76 NOHA. 2016. Annual Report to the General Assembly.
November, 2017 32
removing the share of student participation fees redistributed directly to the
universities and therefore not financing the network activities77, this proportion
raises to 87%. DG ECHO represents NOHA’s main source of funding since the
creation of the network in 1993. Other sources include the DG EAC (Erasmus
grant), the participation fees collected for the JM and the short-term courses.
NOHA is looking to reduce the dependence on donor funding, for instance, by
increasing the JM and short-term course fees.
Figure 12. NOHA sources of funding (2014-2017)
Source: NOHA. 2016. Annual Report to the General Assembly.
3.5.2 Consequences of a potential discontinuation of DG ECHO funding
A potential discontinuation of DG ECHO funding would negatively affect the quality
of and accessibility to NOHA’s training offer.
As mentioned earlier, NOHA relies mainly on external funds and in particular DG
ECHO’s grants. A survival ratio of 12.67 days was estimated by NOHA in 2016,
meaning that NOHA could sustain its current activities for a little over 12 days if
external funds were to be discontinued78. The General Secretariat would not be a
sustainable element without external funding, and this would negatively affect the
network, as it would place a greater administrative burden on university staff. In
addition, not having a dedicated team would make the implementation of NOHA
more challenging in the opinion of the universities that are part of the network.
The General Secretariat ensures the daily management of NOHA including
finances, internal and external communication, stakeholders’ relations and
provide support to NOHA universities for the planning and implementation of
decentralised activities79.
Universities interviewed and visited unanimously believe that a discontinuation of
DG ECHO funding would negatively affect the short-term courses. Without
external funding, the network would not be able to offer such a range of courses.
Although NOHA started charging fees for most of its short-term courses with the
aim to ensure their self-sustainability, it is believed that a sole reliance on fees
could prohibit some groups such as private individuals, emerging and small NGOs
from the global south from access such training. Around 70% of the participants
77 Out of the total tuition fees paid by student (i.e. €12,000 from 2017), a contribution of €900 per students is kept by NOHA and allocated to the Pool Fund, the remainder is transferred to the universities directly and contributes to the JM only. 78 The ratio excludes staff salary costs, which would still be covered for a period of six months. 79 NOHA. 2016. Annual Report to the General Assembly.
November, 2017 33
surveyed reported they would not have been willing to pay more to take part to
NOHA courses80. However, as mentioned earlier (see 3.4.2), increase in
participant fees would still place NOHA in a competitive position. Therefore, to
ensure both, sustainability and accessibility, the increase could be combined with
needs-based grants.
In the universities’ opinion, if DG ECHO funding were to be discontinued, the
NOHA JM degree would still be delivered as it relies mostly on alternative sources
of funding (i.e. state budget and tuition fees) but the quality of the programme
would be affected as it would be difficult to afford external lecturers and practical
exercises, for instance. In addition, as mentioned in an interview with DG ECHO,
“Each university could continue the Master; it is the European dimension which
would be lost without the funding”. In addition, as the comparison of tuition fees
presented above in this report suggests, the NOHA JM degree is expensive. As
such, increasing the tuition fees would potentially reduce further the accessibility
of the JM and lead to only a small number of students being able to afford it, even
at European level. The online survey further strengthened the above, as 71% of
graduate and 79% of students reported they would not have been willing to pay
more for the JM81.
Another potential consequence derived from an interruption of funding would be
that the material created thus far would suffer because it would no longer be
updated with the frequency and detail required. The nature of the humanitarian
sector, constantly evolving, implies that there is a need to frequently review and
adapt activities and products. If the network were to stop updating their activities
and products to help humanitarian aid operations, the existing ones could become
obsolete in a few years.
Feedback collected as part of this study suggested that a discontinuation of
funding and consequently a reduction of NOHA’s activities and offering would
inevitably lead to consequences for the humanitarian sector in the longer term.
However, the examples given to substantiate this claim were few: reduction of
humanitarian aid workers trained based on EU culture, systems and values, a
lesser emphasise on the professionalization of the humanitarian sector, loss of
connection between the academic and practitioner worlds.
The nature of NOHA would therefore change in the absence of equivalent amounts
of funding. NOHA’s overall offer would also have to be re-thought.
NOHA’s reliance on DG ECHO funding is not however to be attributed to a lack of
initiative from NOHA in seeking diverse sources of funding. Since 2004, NOHA has
been participating in calls for proposals from DG EAC, which, in addition to the
lump sum mentioned above, have provided funds for Erasmus Mundus
scholarships. To this end, NOHA has increased its ‘brand recognition’ insofar as,
according to a NOHA interviewee, it is more difficult for an educational institution
to raise funds than it is for humanitarian organisations, which actually implement
projects.
RQ10 - To what extent can we observe changes in the perception of NOHA
activities by the public?
Are NOHA activities visible to the public?
80 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. Question: Would you have been willing to pay more - at the time - for your participation in your NOHA training? Participant N=215 81 ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants. 2017. Question: Would you have been willing to pay more - at the time - for your participation in your NOHA training? Graduate N=147 and Students N=24
November, 2017 34
3.5.3 NOHA’s visibility
NOHA has increased its social media presence over the past few years but it has
yet to translate into increased visibility.
In 2013, NOHA chose to step up its communications activity and to embrace the
use of social media. In doing so, NOHA set up accounts with Facebook, YouTube
and Twitter that year. The NOHA Facebook account currently counts 4,795 ‘likes’
and several other, more recent, Facebook pages (NOHA Warsaw, JIHA - Journal of
International Humanitarian Action, NOHA Deusto and NOHA Alumni) representing
the wider world of NOHA have on average 1000 ‘likes’ each. NOHA’s Twitter
account currently has 1,047 followers and has posted 1,629 Tweets. NOHA’s
YouTube account contains videos presenting the network and the profiles of the
graduates. As of 2016, NOHA also has LinkedIn groups for the network, for
graduates and for alumni. This latter group also has their own Instagram account.
NOHA has also persisted in the production leaflets and booklets, which are
distributed during events organised by NOHA or in which NOHA staff takes part.
Leading up to the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016, NOHA created a Mobile
Exhibition. This is an itinerant display, originally launched in Warsaw, which aims
to raise awareness about humanitarian action and the work of both the network
and DG ECHO.
In spite of NOHA’s efforts over the years, a majority of students, graduates and
partners that undertook ICF’s survey still feel that the network’s visibility on social
media is only either limited or moderate (see figures Figure 13 and Figure 14
below for more detail).
Figure 13. In your opinion, to what extent is NOHA visible to the public through
social media and similar networks?
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). Q41.
Figure 14. In your opinion, to what extent is NOHA visible to the public through
social media and similar networks?
Source: ICF online survey of DG ECHO Framework Partners (2017). Q21. N=43.
Furthermore, NOHA’s communications activities have had no noticeable impact on
the number of applications made to the NOHA JM course (Table 2). Since
academic year 2012/2013, the number of applications on the mobility track has
November, 2017 35
significantly declined from 581 to 397 (32%), even though the number of
students has increased from 84 to 117 (39%). Similarly, the overall number of
applicants (both mobile and non-mobile) has declined over the years.
Table 2. JM Mobile and non-mobile applicants, students and graduates (2012-
2017)
Applicants Students
Academic Year Mobile Non-mobile82
Total Mobile Non-mobile
Total
2012-2013 581 919 1500 84 75 159
2013-2014 499 701 1200 84 83 167
2014-2015 457 643 1100 100 69 169
2015-2016 371 ¨ ¨ 101 92 193
2016-2017 397 ¨ ¨ 117 68 185
Total 2305 2263 3800 486 387 873
Source: Documents provided by NOHA.
3.6 SWOT analysis of the NOHA programme
For the past 20 years, DG ECHO and NOHA have worked together and mutually
supported each other's activities strengthening the European educational offer in
the humanitarian sector and constantly evolving and adjusting to a changing
humanitarian landscape. NOHA’s strengths and weaknesses are summarised in
the table below, together with the external opportunities and threats that NOHA
faces, as identified through this study.
Table 3. SWOT Analysis
Strengths Weaknesses
Network
20+ years of experience, creating and
implementing a variety of products
On-going cooperation with DG ECHO
since NOHA foundation, meaning that
both organisations are familiar with
each other.
Strong partnerships with universities
across Europe and outside Europe
Existence of strong partnerships with
NGOs
Individual partner/member universities
provide individual thematic expertise
that are complementary
NOHA is seen as a label of quality
(strict existing QA mechanisms in
place)
Partner/member universities may learn
from other scholars through regular
interaction, visits and exchanges
Network
Implementation of activities bound to
the rules of individual universities
and to their human resources, as well
as to country rules
Processes to design the educational
offer of the network rely on needs
assessment processes that could be
further formalised
Heavy reliance on external funding,
including non-competitive funding
The NOHA network remains unknown
by the general public
Network synergies with national
institutions are unclear
The high number of partner
universities slows down NOHA’s
decisional process
Limited collaboration in terms of
82 This is obtained via subtraction of the number of mobile applicants from the total. This latter amount was found in EMMC reports and may be an approximation.
November, 2017 36
The NOHA Secretariat guarantees
coordination and administrative
support to universities
research
Joint Master
Partner/member universities provide
thematic and geographical focus and
expertise
Mobility opportunities for students with
partner and member universities
(Europe and global)
Opportunity for students to specialise
during the second semester
Students may benefit from work
experience (from 2017)
The Master’s degree provided is joint
(or dual according to national
legislation)
The JM is accredited and recognised in
all EU Member States
Existence of a Graduate network
Practitioners from the field may be
involved in the delivery of modules
Joint Master
Relative lack of contextualisation and
practical exercises in the curriculum
Limited opportunities for students to
network with potential employers
Varied quality of teaching and
courses between universities
High fee levels for EU students in
comparison with some of the national
fee levels for other Master
programmes in Europe
No specific NOHA scholarship
available
Low participation from non-EU
countries
Low level of students from third
countries leading to a reduced
cultural exchange and reducing
networking opportunities
Relative lack of development of local
humanitarian aid workers –although
a number of steps are being taken to
address this point
Short courses
Partner/member universities provide
thematic and geographical focus and
expertise
Affordable in comparison to those
offered by other providers
Cover current topics
The Fall School provides DG ECHO
staff with training
The Summer School offers grants to
non-EU applicants which results in a
good mix of participants
Practitioners from the field may be
involved in the delivery of the courses
Short courses
Geographically, they take place in
few locations, which are mostly in
Europe, making it more difficult for
non-EU residents to participate.
Strong dependence on donor funding
Lack of evidence of a clear business
plan to make the courses financially
sustainable while preserving student
diversity
Relative lack of development of local
humanitarian aid workers –although
a number of steps are being taken to
address this point
The length of some may be excessive
for professionals (full-time
employees)
The offer of online courses is limited
Little flexibility in terms of adaptation
to rapidly changing needs of the
sector
Limited NOHA scholarship available
Opportunities Threats
November, 2017 37
Network
Possibility to replicate the network
outside Europe
Joint research could be conducted by
partner and member universities
Could provide further input to the
humanitarian sector (research and
evaluation)
Could play a role in contributing/
informing DG ECHO decision making
and strategy (e.g. research, technical
advice)
Growth potential (in terms of numbers
of members and partners)
Network
Discontinuation of DG ECHO funding
will possibly lead to the
discontinuation of the network
The existence of NOHA is very much
linked to the efforts of the NOHA
directors and their pro bono work
Withdrawal of partners would lead to
gaps in thematic and geographic
expertise
Competitors are increasingly moving
into the humanitarian aid training
market, potentially threatening the
uniqueness of NOHA’s offer
Increasingly qualified international
humanitarian pools of applicants the
employability of graduates more
challenging
Joint Master
Facilitating the participation of non-EU
students could enhance the quality of
the programme by providing more
diverse and regional input to lectures,
and make it to better respond to the
need to qualify “local” staff.
Joint Master
There is a high amount of
competition from other providers and
online training is being increasingly
used by others, potentially
threatening the uniqueness of
NOHA’s offer.
Increasingly qualified international
humanitarian pools of applicants may
make the employability of graduates
more challenging
The market may increasingly hire
local staff as opposed to international
staff.
The educational landscape seems to
be moving towards the provision of
more specific trainings, which may
threaten the perceived value of the
programme
Discontinuation of DG ECHO funding
will lead to changes in the courses
offered and to the amounts charged
Short courses
Expanding the geographical location of
the courses to increase opportunities
for those outside Europe
Increasing the number of advanced
courses aimed also at those already
deployed (in particular online courses)
Short courses
High degree of competition from
other providers (e.g. the Bioforce
Institute, RedR, and other NGOs)
Discontinuation of DG ECHO funding
could lead to an increase in fees
which may potentially lead to a
decrease in participants and to a less
inclusive offer
Increasingly qualified international
humanitarian pools of applicants
November, 2017 38
making the employability of
participants more challenging
November, 2017 39
4 Conclusions and recommendations
This section sets out the conclusions and recommendations of this study, based
on the evidence collected.
4.1 Conclusion
In recent years, the changing nature of conflicts, climate change, extreme poverty
and poor governance have intensified the complexity and length of humanitarian
crises. Consequently, training needs and skills have evolved significantly in recent
times. At the same time, the number of graduates with qualifications relevant to
the humanitarian sector has increased significantly in the course of the past
twenty years. While NOHA is achieving its goal of providing professionally trained
staff to the humanitarian sector, an increasing number of providers are now
targeting that market. This suggests that the uniqueness of NOHA as a provider in
is being put under increasing pressure in recent times. Nonetheless, the unique
features and characteristics of NOHA as a network of universities represent a clear
EU added value. Such network provides beneficial contributions to the
humanitarian field and agenda from both an EU and a wider international
perspective. This is further reinforced through NOHA’s coherence with the
objectives of the EU in the area of humanitarian aid and its increasing cooperation
at global level, as the network expands outside of Europe. Cooperation at national
level within the EU is not systematic and NOHA’s visibility among the general
public remains limited, although NOHA’s presence on social media has increased
in the last five years.
NOHA is also heavily reliant on one source of funding (i.e. DG ECHO) in order to
sustain its activities in their current form and this places NOHA in a vulnerable
situation. More diverse sources of funding would relieve NOHA from some of the
risk it currently faces in terms of sustainability. As it stands, a potential
discontinuation of ECHO funding would have important consequences on the
quality and accessibility of NOHA’s training offer.
In addition, certain elements could be further reinforced/improved to enhance the
effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and added value of NOHA, notably the
cooperation between both, NOHA and DG ECHO. NOHA can further build on its
strengths and take advantage of existing opportunities to reinforce its position as
a leading global network and training provider. In light of this, the next section
provides a series of recommendations based on the analysis of data collected in
this study
4.2 Recommendations
4.2.1 Recommendation 1: It is recommended that NOHA seeks ways to
improve its capacity and procedures to ensure a more systematic
assessment of needs in the humanitarian sector, feeding into its
offer.
NOHA should seek for ways to improve its capacity and procedures to ensure a
systematic and thorough assessment of needs in the humanitarian sector. Such
procedures should include a more in-depth and inclusive assessment of training
needs (at international and local level). The assessment should be carried out on
a regular basis using a defined methodology, and regular consultations with
humanitarian organisations, alumni and university partners. It is therefore
recommended that NOHA:
Establishes a formal step-by-step needs assessment mechanism to ensure
the relevance of its different training courses;
Establishes a systematic way of cooperating with national humanitarian
stakeholders, making greater use of the connections already established by
the individual partner/member universities. A mapping of their connections
November, 2017 40
would also be useful to identify potential gaps and new partnerships in the
future;
Explores ways for engaging new partners in the humanitarian field;
Maps the JM curriculum and course content to ensure complementarity
between providers and topics and avoids overlaps;
Establishes a formal way of selecting the topics for new short-term courses
and ensuring coherence with the curriculum of the JM, for example by making
use of network meetings. External stakeholders from the field (e.g. NGOs),
and potentially DG ECHO, could take part in such discussions to provide their
input systematically.
4.2.2 Recommendation 2: It is recommended that NOHA enhances its
network and develops a long-term financial strategy focused on
sustainability.
NOHA is currently heavily reliant on one main source of funding in order to
sustain its activities in their current form. In order to enhance the sustainability of
its activities, NOHA should develop a long-term financial strategy focused on self-
sufficiency and should reinforce cooperation amongst the different network
universities and institutions. In addition, NOHA should expand its visibility in
Europe and around the world to attract more international students. It is
recommended that NOHA:
Prepares a plan to become self-sustainable (not dependent on no-tender
grant funding) in the short to medium term;
Prepares a contingency plan in the event that funding be reduced/
discontinued in order to swiftly adapt its education and training offer
according to lower funding levels;
Continues to seek alternative sources of funding (public and private) by
having one person who dedicates part of her/his time to monitor potential
sources of income on an ongoing basis and respond to incoming
opportunities. Multi-annual funding should be preferred to yearly funding;
Increases the number of partnerships with NGOs for the work
placement/internship of the JM students;
Makes more use of the existing network in order to exchange knowledge and
initiate projects between universities in specific fields of research and to
further generate resources for its activities, increase its visibility and policy
influence and increase the quality of its academic offer;
Upgrades its public relations strategy and collaborates more intensively with
universities and charities/ NGOs to introduce NOHA to Bachelor students and
graduates. Alumni could also be involved in conveying the message, for
example by speaking at universities.
4.2.3 Recommendation 3: It is recommended that NOHA adapts its
training offer and further stimulates innovation in teaching and
learning
NOHA should adapt its training offer to a relevant audience through a more
extensive use of innovative approaches (e.g. online courses) and blended
learning, allowing students and humanitarian operators in third countries to
benefit from NOHA activities. Although NOHA offers a wide range of quality
courses and training, there are differences in teaching methods across NOHA
universities, and what was reported by some stakeholders as an excessive degree
of diversity and lack of balance in the use of theoretical and practical elements
across universities (with few universities organising field visits or simulations -e.g.
with the support of NGOs- while the majority focus exclusively on in-class
learning), which should be addressed. As there is an increasing trend to employ
November, 2017 41
local staff in the humanitarian sector, NOHA should further adapt its training offer
to reach local staff83. It is recommended that:
NOHA universities include more practical aspects and perspectives in their
activities by, for instance, making greater use of practical exercises and case
studies;
NOHA considers offering scholarships to students outside Europe and from
partner universities by either seeking greater EU funding or increasing and
redistributing part of the student fees;
NOHA gives consideration to further developing its online offering of courses
to reach a wider target audience;
NOHA considers making more use of the expertise of member and partner
universities (e.g. University of Copenhagen) for the development of
alternative academic material/ products and to promote innovation within the
network;
NOHA organises short-term courses and conferences in partner universities
allowing more local students to attend or in partnership with international or
local organisations to attract local humanitarian aid workers;
NOHA considers adapting its offer, particularly of shorter courses, to the
needs of the humanitarian sector and humanitarian operators in a more rapid
way, ensuring greater flexibility in its response to evolving issues in the field.
4.2.4 Recommendation 4: It is recommended that NOHA explores new
ways to strengthen its cooperation with ECHO, to more align its
activities to ECHO’s priorities
While NOHA shows a high degree of engagement with and recognition in the
humanitarian field, and contributes to enhancing professionalism in the
humanitarian sector, more should be done with regard to the direct alignment of
activities and objectives to DG ECHO’s priorities. NOHA should seek to strengthen
the cooperation with DG ECHO and explores ways to:
Collaborate closer by establishing a working mechanism which includes
regular exchanges of information (e.g. on NOHA courses);
Support DG ECHO activities by offering research and academic services.
83 NOHA has already made steps to orient its education, training and research initiatives to a greater extent towards the field through the NOHA Global Initiative, Erasmus+ scholarships, BRTE and PRUV projects. These elements were outside the scope of this study and therefore not assessed.
November, 2017 42
Annex 1. List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BRTE Building Resilience Through Education
DG EAC Directorate General for Education and Culture
DG ECHO Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations
ECTS European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
EQF European Qualifications Framework
EU European Union
EUHAP European Humanitarian Action Partnership
EUPRHA European Universities on Professionalization on Humanitarian
Action
IASC Inter-Agency Standing Committee
ICVA International Council of Voluntary Agencies
JIHA Journal of International Humanitarian Action
JM Joint Master
LLP European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme
LRRD Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development
MOOC Massive Online Open Course
NOHA Network on Humanitarian Action
OCHA United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
PRUV Preparedness and Resilience to address Urban Vulnerability
QA Quality Assurance
RUG University of Groningen
UCL Université Catholique de Louvain
UCPH University of Copenhagen
UM Undergraduate Module
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
WHS World Humanitarian Summit
November, 2017 43
Annex 2. Methodology
This annex describes the methodology of this study in more details.
Documentary review
Over 130 documents were reviewed for this study including DG ECHO policy
documents, NOHA documentation, NOHA data and reports as well as
documentation from institutions and academic bodies engaged in the provision of
training in the humanitarian sector. The list of sources reviewed can be found in
Annex 9.
The purpose of the review and analysis of the above data and information was to
further understand NOHA and its (educational) offer, as well as the nature of the
partnership established between DG ECHO and the Network. For the review, a
mapping template was created in excel, allowing the team to gather information
by study criteria.
A mapping of the existing offer of graduate programmes in the
humanitarian aid field
The study team mapped the existing offer of graduate programmes in
humanitarian aid. The mapping was primarily based on desk research and was
further completed using the information gathered through the interviews and
online surveys (Annex 7 and Annex 8). It is to be noted that the exercise aims to
list all available programmes in the sector and not only offers comparable to
NOHA.
The mapping of the existing offer of graduate programmes in humanitarian aid
can be found in Annex 6.
Field visits to selected NOHA universities
ICF conducted field visits to four NOHA universities. Three universities were
selected through discussion with DG ECHO during the Kick-Off meeting and one
was selected by ICF on the basis of financial information received from NOHA.
Table 4 presents the university selection.
Table 4. Field visit selection
Country Rationale Status
France The Aix-Marseille Université is one of the founding
members of the NOHA network and can provide a
historical perspective on it.
Undertaken in
April 2017
Belgium The Université Catholique de Louvain will no longer
offer the JM. It will be interesting to explore the
reasons behind this decision.
Undertaken in
April 2017
Denmark The Københavns Universitet is of interest insofar as
it does not host the JM yet, but hosts other NOHA
activities.
Undertaken in
September
2017
Netherlands The University of Groningen (RUG) was selected on
the basis of financial information received from
NOHA. RUG received the highest amount of funding
in 2013 and 2014 and second highest in 2015 and
2016. RUG also implements more activities than
other universities; they received funding for
Logistics school, simulation exercise, blackboard,
and publications. On the latter, RUG has a NOHA
Groningen research group undertook research
Undertaken in
July 2017
November, 2017 44
related to the Network of Humanitarian Action. In
addition to the JM, it will be interesting to explore
this research component further.
During the visits, the study team sought to meet with a selection of stakeholders
involved in the implementation of the JM programme at the NOHA member
university and included:
NOHA coordinators: to gather factual information on NOHA learning/
training activities and on NOHA graduates and better understand the needs of
the humanitarian sector.
NOHA core teaching staff at the member university: to gather
information on teaching profiles/ methods, on the evolution of the curricula
and to understand whether NOHA is evolving to adapt to new needs.
Representatives of the Board of Directors from the NOHA member
university: to gather information on numbers of participants in NOHA
learning/ training activities, on the progress made by NOHA in adapting to
changes in the humanitarian sector, its efforts in increasing accreditation
rates and any information on funding.
During one of the visit (at Aix-Marseille University), the study team also had the
chance to exchange with current students and to collect their views on the NOHA
JM degree as well as gather further information on the rationale behind their
choice and their career prospect. Unfortunately, two visits were conducted outside
the academic year and in one further visit, students were not available.
Telephone interviews
In addition to the interviews carried out as part of the visit to NOHA selected
universities, 19 other interviews were carried out. The interviews were carried out
by phone and aimed to gather key stakeholders’ perspectives on the study
criteria.
The interviews included:
Five scoping interviews conducted with DG ECHO officers overseeing
funding and collaboration with NOHA, and the area of humanitarian aid
training more widely, and key NOHA HQ staff. The aim of these scoping
interviews was to understand the needs and expectations of the users of this
study and to enhance the team’s understanding of NOHA. Interviewees were
identified with the help of DG ECHO, who provided the contact details.
Four interviews (out of five) with selected NOHA universities and one
other training institute conducted to collect information on the effectiveness
and efficiency of NOHA’s learning and training activities. The interviews with
NOHA universities gathered information on funding and on efforts made by
NOHA to adapt and improve its offering to the evolving context and needs.
The universities were identified through discussion with DG ECHO and after
reviewing financial information from NOHA. The interview with the Bioforce
Institute was undertaken to gather the perspectives of another training
providers in the humanitarian sector.
Ten follow-up interviews conducted with students, graduates and
participants to gather more in-depth information on key aspects of the survey
responses. The interviewees were selected from a pool of survey participants
who agreed to take part in the follow up interviews, based on their responses
to key survey questions. The aim was to have a balance of graduates,
students and participants as well as a balance of graduation years and of
universities attended by interviewees. Those who work or intend to work in
the humanitarian field were prioritised in order to gather more meaningful
information on the sector. On that basis, a priority and a backup list were
created.
November, 2017 45
Online surveys
As part of this study, two online surveys were undertaken.
An online survey of DG ECHO Framework Partners. Engaging humanitarian
stakeholders, this survey offered provided information the humanitarian context
and the skills currently needed in the sector. The survey was launched on 19 June
2017 and remained open for 6 weeks. An invitation request was sent directly by
DG ECHO to 202 framework partner contacts followed by three reminders (one
per week). A total of 72 responses were received (representing a response rate of
36%). The survey analysis can be found in Annex 7.
A second survey was undertaken to gather responses from current students,
graduates and participants in NOHA short-term courses. The results of this survey
provided information on the strengths and weaknesses of the JM and the
relevance of the knowledge obtained as well as their career prospects. The NOHA
General Secretariat distributed this survey. The survey was also disseminated on
social media including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. It was launched on 26
June 2017 and remained open for 6 weeks. Table 5 summarises the number of
responses per type of respondent. Due to circumstances outside the control of
ICF, the survey was delayed and took place over the summer holiday period,
which is likely to have affected the response rate. The lack of data available on
the attributes of non-respondents does not allow any conclusions to be drawn on
their characteristics and whether they differ from respondents.
Table 5. Response rate
Group Sample Respondents Response rate
Students 126 25 20%
Graduates (1994-2016) 1,802 149 8.3%
Participants 514 44 8.6%
The survey analysis was broken down by group to allow for comparison, it can be
found in Annex 8.
4.3 Validity of the study results
Complementary research methods were used to enhance the robustness of the
data collected and to provide the basis for cross-verification, corroboration and
triangulation of the study results. However, as with any study, there were
limitations to the methodology applied, which are summarised in Table 6.
Table 6. Limitations to methodologies applied
Task Issues encountered Actions taken
Review of
documenta-
tion
1. Delays in the reception of the
documents
2. Limited information and data to conduct analysis over time (especially before 2013).
3. Some information requested was not received from NOHA.
1. The team started by reviewing all
publicly available documents.
2. Based on the information available, the analysis aimed to cover as many years as possible but focus mostly on the past few years.
3. Where feasible, the team used
proxy from other sources or information (e.g. estimates) from interviews.
Visit to NOHA
universities
4. Significant delays in the organisation of the visits.
4. The team conducted 5 visits instead of 4.
November, 2017 46
One visit had to be cancelled as the
study was put on hold preventing the team to undertake the visit and to recover the costs.
5. Two visits took place during the summer holiday preventing access to students.
5. Interviews with students were
undertaken in September as part of the 10 follow-up telephone interviews.
Telephone interviews
6. One of the universities selected did not respond to repeated emails requests and phone calls.
6. NOHA Secretariat was contacted to obtain support in order to arrange the interview but it did not help.
Another university was selected and
contacted but did not respond to multiple emails and calls.
The team conducted 4 interviews
instead of 5.
Online surveys
7. Due to delays in the study, the survey took place over the summer
holiday period which is likely to have affected the response rate.
7. The two surveys remained open for 6 weeks (instead of the 4 weeks
initially envisaged).
Three reminders were sent by DG ECHO to their partners.
The number of responses can be judge satisfactory to pursue meaningful analysis, and the follow-
up interviews allowed to strengthen and complement the findings of the survey.
Follow-up interviews
8. The initial selection criteria left very few potential respondents, insufficient
to be able to have a balanced sample
of graduates, students and participants or of universities and graduation years.
9. Difficulties in arranging interviews with graduates, as they were often working/travelling or in different time zones (as opposed to
students/participants).
8. The sampling criteria were widened to allow an appropriate
balance.
9. The study team to undertake interviews outside normal working hours.
November, 2017 47
Annex 3. Overview of NOHA and cooperation with DG ECHO
NOHA’s aim and objectives
The Network on Humanitarian Action84 (NOHA) is an International Association of
Universities that aims to enhance professionalism in the humanitarian sector by
promoting humanitarian values through higher education accredited courses, and by
fostering a humanitarian research ethos that encourages innovation in humanitarian
policy and practice. Please refer to Table 7 below for an overview of the universities that
are part of the Network.
To achieve its overall aim, NOHA pursues specific objectives, which are set annually and
articulated according to the priority lines. According to NOHA’s 2016 report to DG ECHO,
the priority lines were the following:
Education and training courses and seminars: NOHA aims to strengthen the
knowledge, skills and competencies of students and participants to NOHA courses
and enable them to better integrate the labour market and/or be better prepared to
respond to humanitarian crises and disasters;
Research and publications: NOHA aims to foster a vibrant, successful and
interactive research community that contributes to innovation, development and
dissemination of humanitarian knowledge, models, processes, practice and theories;
Conferences and awareness raising events: NOHA aims to promote solidarity,
dialogue and mutual understanding, and engage targeted audiences in contemporary
humanitarian issues.
NOHA’s evolution over time
NOHA commenced activities in 1993 as a network of five universities that provided a
Master’s degree in Humanitarian Action. Over the years, the network has expanded
across Europe and, since 2005, also beyond. In 2005, the NOHA community expanded
beyond Europe having been awarded an Erasmus Mundus Partnership. NOHA thus
established a framework for cooperation and student/ scholar mobility between NOHA
institutions and other global institutions. To this end, NOHA branched out to the following
five global partners across the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Oceania.85 NOHA’s
main milestones are presented in Figure 15 below.
Figure 15. Timeline of the development of NOHA
Source: Information taken from the NOHA website
By 2014, 20 years from the launch of the first joint degree, NOHA could boast twelve
European partner universities and five global partners. Since then, NOHA has also
expanded to Asia.
84 Known as the Network on Humanitarian Assistance until 2014. 85 Monash University (AU), Universidade de Brasilia (BRA), York University (CAN); Universidad Javeriana (COL), Universitas Gadjah Mada (IDN), Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth (LEB), University of the Western Cape (ZAF), and Columbia University (USA).
November, 2017 48
As of 2001, NOHA is established as an International Not-for-Profit Association under
Belgian law (AISBL). The highest authority of the Association is the General Assembly,
which has full powers allowing the purpose of the Association to be fulfilled. The
Association is governed by the Board of Directors, which oversees all management and
administration and is made up of all member representatives. Any issues requiring
urgent action can be decided on behalf of the board by the Executive Committee, which
is composed of a President, a General Secretary and a Treasurer. The Committee may
also decide on issues assuming external representation of the NOHA Association,
coordinating strategic activities, legal responsibilities and financial matters. The third
body is the General Secretariat, which is the administrative body of the Association. Its
mandate comes from the Board of directors and assumes the daily management of the
Association.
Please refer to Figure 16 below for an illustration of the Network’s structure.
Figure 16. NOHA’s governance structure
Source: NOHA website
NOHA’s current training offer in the humanitarian aid field
As NOHA has evolved as a network, it has also updated its education and training offer.
In addition to the JM in Humanitarian Action, NOHA’s offer now also includes an UM in
humanitarian action, four annual thematic schools as well as numerous advanced
courses. The courses available and their evolution over time are all illustrated in Table 7
below.
November, 2017 49
Table 7. NOHA activities (2008-2017)
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Total
Spring school 25 20 20 30 28 25 148
Advanced Protection school
11 30 35 35 111
Protection school (introduction)
23 25 48
Logistics school 41 31 33 38 25 168
Fall school 15 17 20 19 19 18 24 25 157
Winter school 30 25 55
Simulation exercise 46 57 60 163
Conferences/seminars 80 73 80 19 429 213 81 542 200 1.717
NOHA undergraduate module
175 270 372 317 320 1.454
Joint Masters 159 156 159 167 169 193 185 1.188
Advanced course in Public Health
25
Cash-based intervention course
20
Humanitarian mediation course
25
EUPRHA-EUHAP 77 57 54 0 188
Total 80 88 159 122 64 684 641 690 1.125 785 5467
Source: Information provided by NOHA.
Note: No data for Joint Masters covering 2008-2009. The data for 2017 is based on
projections.
Joint Master’s Degree in International Humanitarian Action
The JM is NOHA’s main output and has been running for more than two decades. The
scale of the NOHA network offers students strong opportunities for mobility. Of the 12
European partner universities, 8 offer the opportunity to study there86 and students will
study in one home university87 and one host university.88 During their third semester,
students may also choose a second mobility with a regional partner university or a
partner humanitarian organisation. The global partners provide valuable input for the
final, “research and work placement” phase of the Programme.89
The JM offers a joint introduction for students through what is known as the Intensive
Programme, and all universities share core modules. Building on this foundation, each
university has in turn developed its own expertise and thus students can benefit from
expert input in a wide range of fields. These include but are not limited to conflict
management, international humanitarian law, human security and migration. As of 2017,
universities will also provide geographical expertise.
NOHA’s network status also provides benefits for universities and for the humanitarian
sector more broadly. Universities have the opportunity to improve their curricula through
86 Not all NOHA universities host students on the Joint Master; some universities help in different ways, e.g. curriculum, help in the final part of the Master dedicated to research, etc. 87 Where the student has registered. 88 One of the 8 partner universities that is providing NOHA courses. 89 NOHA student handbook, Chapter 3. Available at: [http://www.nohanet.org/masters].
November, 2017 50
the input of different institutions while the humanitarian sector benefits from a strong
network of alumni on the field.
So far, more than 3,500 students have graduated from the JM, with 155 students
foreseen to graduate per year. The fees currently stand at EUR 12,000 for 2017/ 2018.
Target group and objectives
NOHA students come from all over the world and the JM is designed for people either
working or intending to work in the field of humanitarian aid. Candidates are selected on
the basis of the quality of their previous education and their professional background, but
also on their experience and concern for humanitarian issues, multicultural sensitivities
and linguistic abilities.
The overarching objectives of the JM are multiple:90
Pool academic and cultural traditions to accommodate the diversity of needs in the
humanitarian field;
Train teams of professionals who can critically reflect and analyse their experience;
Contribute to the quality and visibility of European Higher Education and foster
intercultural understanding; and
Become a world quality reference education and training system in the field of
humanitarian action.
NOHA’s purpose is to provide students with a broad education and training in the area of
international humanitarian action and to train high-level interdisciplinary and committed
personnel. Aside from the specific programme learning outcomes, NOHA envisages that
successful graduates will have developed competences that can be grouped into the
following three macro areas:
Vision – a global and comprehensive vision of the humanitarian world;
Strategic management – capacity to manage high impact organisations and
complex humanitarian responses; and
Personal integrity – capacity for self-management and to inspire and provide
humanitarian leadership.
Description of the curriculum and assessment procedure
The JM entered a new phase in 2017. It is now four semesters long and divided into 5
components granting 120 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)
credits.
Foundation Period (30 ECTS).
- NOHA Intensive Programme (5 ECTS): An initial inter-university joint
course that brings together all NOHA students, introduces them to key
principles and concepts underlying humanitarian action and main actors in the
field of humanitarian relief, their policies and strategies, as well as
contemporary issues and challenges facing humanitarian actors.
- Common courses (25 ECTS): Jointly developed NOHA modules, which provide
a space to debate the essentials of humanitarian action and its current trends:
World Politics, Legal Dimensions of Humanitarian Action, People & Culture,
Management, and Public Health.
Specialisation Period (20 ECTS + 10 from the joint modules). This period, spent at
the NOHA host university of the students’ choice, allows students to get deeper
knowledge and competences in specific aspects of humanitarian action and to
strengthen the areas of a particular importance to them. Each university offers 20
ECTS of courses based on their unique expertise, which are supplemented by a set of
common courses: Advanced Management and Methodology & Research Methods in
Humanitarian Studies.
90 Supra. Note 21.
November, 2017 51
Contextualisation period (30 ECTS). During the Contextualisation Period
(Semester III) the student can choose between two options:
- Regional training (30 ECTS): This component introduces students to
humanitarian action approaches in regional contexts, gives them the
opportunity to cooperate, function and work in a different cultural setting, and
help students to develop and adapt their research project to the regional
context in preparation for the students’ project in the fourth semester.
Regional training is offered at NOHA partner universities.
- Work Placement (30 ECTS): Students follow a training module on Career
Development and a supervised, mentored and monitored placement, jointly
designed with the partner organisations and formalised through individual
written traineeship agreements.
Research Period (30 ECTS): The aim is to provide key competences required to
research the humanitarian action context and ensure that interventions are based on
systematic information collection, analysis and synthesis.
Delivery of the Masters is chiefly traditional and favours a practical approach. Online
elements are also being developed and their use is increasing and are provided via the
“NOHA Blackboard.” NOHA is also in the process of developing Massive Open Online
Courses (MOOCs). Attendance at lectures is mandatory and assessed by staff. The
assessment of the student’s progress is undertaken according to the common
assessment procedure, which is discussed in the next section, and the Master thesis must
be assessed by at least two examiners.
There is an agreed regulatory framework and assessment procedure between the NOHA
universities91. The assessment includes the following four elements, all of which need to
be passed by students in order for them to obtain the degree:
Foundation Period:
- Intensive programme: A project of 2,000 words for the Intensive
Programme Component.
- Other modules: written forms of examination or other tangible outputs, which
may include written examination and projects.
Specialisation Period: Written forms of examination or other tangible outputs,
which may include written examination and projects.
Contextualisation Period: Written forms of examination or other tangible outputs,
which may include written examination and projects.
- Internship/Placement: students agree with their supervisors on the contents
of their internship/placement, taking into consideration prior experience and
future career plans.
- Research Period: Master thesis.
Other educational opportunities provided by NOHA
In addition to the Joint Master’s Degree, NOHA also offers the following education
opportunities:
Undergraduate module in Humanitarian Action. This is available to students
currently registered in one of the ten NOHA universities offering the module. The
course is worth 5 ECTS credits and is an introduction to Humanitarian Action.
Four thematic schools per year, one per season. These focus on humanitarian
action but are aimed at different target groups and offer a varying degree of detail:
- The Summer school is aimed at students and is introductory in nature. Fees
are €537 for EU/ EEA citizens and €839 for non-EU/ EEA citizens.
91 Information retrieved from the NOHA website on 23/08/2017. Accessible via: [https://www.nohanet.org/masters]
November, 2017 52
- Spring and Fall schools are both introductory and are aimed at civil servants/
staff organisations. Fees for the Fall edition are €350.
- The Winter school deals more specifically with Linking Relief, Rehabilitation
and Development (LRRD) and is aimed at professionals. Fees are €215.
Advanced Summer School in Humanitarian Action, which is delivered online and
in Brussels. Fees are €415 for both.
Advanced Summer School in Humanitarian Supply Chain Management &
Logistics delivered at the University of Gadjah Mada in Indonesia. Fees are €300.
Advanced training in Humanitarian Mediation (Simulation exercise). The aim
of the course is to provide humanitarian aid workers working in conflict context with
practical knowledge, tools and skills to design, plan and conduct mediation and
dialogue facilitation processes. The cost is €700.
Cash-based intervention course delivered over the course of 3 days in Madrid in
cooperation with Action Against Hunger. The cost is €800.
Humanitarian mediation course delivered in Brussels over 5 days. The cost is
€500.
Both the thematic and advanced schools are delivered by experts from the humanitarian
world and all the above have received the financial support of DG ECHO.
Other main activities of the Network
Awareness-raising and debate
The NOHA network pursues its aim of enhancing professionalism in the humanitarian field
through a multitrack approach, which goes beyond the provision of higher, and further
education courses. As of 2015, NOHA publishes in association with Springer, The Journal
of International Humanitarian Action92 aiming to act as a “forum for practitioners, policy-
makers and academics to highlight contemporary challenges, to critically reflect upon
current practices, and to ultimately advance the field of humanitarian action”. This
journal is open access and as such all articles are freely accessible online without
subscription charges or barriers. The most recent publication is from April 2017.
NOHA had also been fostering debate in the run up to the World Humanitarian Summit
(WHS), which took place in May 2016. Four European Humanitarian Roundtables93 were
organised in collaboration with DG ECHO to present and discuss the core themes and
priorities of the WHS process. The roundtables took part in four different locations, one
per cardinal direction, with participating stakeholders representing that particular
geographic area. Each roundtable took place over two days and addressed the following
three core topics in addition to one theme unique to that roundtable:
Access and subsidiarity,
Protection in urban settings, and
Forced and protracted displacements.
Each roundtable produced recommendations and a final report on the findings of all four
was published in 2016. One hundred and six humanitarian experts contributed to the
success of the roundtables together with 200 amongst students, practitioners and
interested public.
As part of their awareness-raising activities, NOHA also organises seminars in
collaboration with other humanitarian partners targeting both practitioners and
academics, which focus on current issues and trends in the humanitarian sector. The
seminars are organised in the country holding the Presidency of the European Union and
the most recent was held in April 2015 in Riga, Latvia, and was organised by the Riga
Graduate School of Law.94 This seminar focused on humanitarian assistance and
92 https://jhumanitarianaction.springeropen.com/about 93 http://ehr.nohanet.org/ 94 http://www.nohanet.org/news-events/noha-riga-seminar-humanitarian-aid-and-international-humanitarian-law-perspectives-on-ukraine
November, 2017 53
international humanitarian law, with special attention on the conflict in Ukraine and its
humanitarian repercussions.
Participation in projects aiming to improve the quality of education in the
humanitarian field
NOHA is also involved in a number of projects aiming at furthering collaboration and
improving the quality of education in the humanitarian field. On these projects, NOHA
often collaborates with other humanitarian partners such as Save the Children95 and the
Bioforce Institute96 with which NOHA jointly implemented a series of pilot projects within
the framework of the European Humanitarian Volunteer Programme (assisted by ICF, as
mentioned in section 1). These pilots ran between 2011 and 2014 and were instrumental
to establishing the European Humanitarian Volunteer Corps.
During 2011 and 2014, NOHA was also involved in the implementation of the European
Universities on Professionalization on Humanitarian Action (EUPRHA) project.
This project was coordinated by the partner University of Deusto (ES) and funded by the
European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP). The project saw the
collaboration of other humanitarian organisations, namely the Sphere Project97 and the
International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA)98 together with 30 European
universities. As part of the project, work was undertaken on a Qualifications Framework
for the humanitarian sector based on the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), a
European map of humanitarian actors and educators, as well as the identification of new
skills and competences required in the humanitarian field.
Building on EUPRHA, NOHA has been implementing the European Humanitarian Action
Partnership (EUHAP) project. The project is funded by the Erasmus + programme and
aims to promote the exchange of best practices but also to improve the quality and
efficiency of education in order to boost competences, opportunities, professionalization
and employability. The aims of this project are of a varied nature and so are those
involved. In addition to universities, there are training providers, RedR UK99 and the
Bioforce Institute, employers, Aktion Deutschland Hilft,100 as well as employees. Four
primary outputs are foreseen under EUHAP:
HA Professions – to understand how humanitarian agencies organise their job
functions and career, determine skills/ competencies for qualifications and whether
there are established guidelines;
HA Recognition – Identify and analyse skills that are valuable for and required by
NGOs;
HA E-learning – Develop online modules in various topics; and
HA Map – An interactive map providing information on active actors and educators
across the continent.
95 https://www.savethechildren.net/ 96 http://www.bioforce.asso.fr/spip.php?rubrique30 97 http://www.sphereproject.org/ 98 https://icvanetwork.org/ 99 http://www.redr.org.uk/index.cfm 100 https://www.aktion-deutschland-hilft.de/
November, 2017 54
Annex 4. Evolution of needs and priorities of the humanitarian
sector in the last two decades
The concept of humanitarian aid appeared with the establishment of the Red Cross
movement and the first Geneva Convention in the 1860's. If the four principles
(Humanity, Neutrality, Independence and Impartiality) guiding humanitarian actions
remain timeless, the types of crisis have changed, and the humanitarian actions have
evolved towards more coordinated responses101.
1990's, a decade calling for coordinated response. In the beginning of the 1990s,
the surge of global media enhanced the possibility of communication around natural
disasters, conflicts and complex emergencies. The public worldwide were able to make
personal donations and urged their governments to respond quickly and generously to
relive humanitarian suffering102. However, this bilateral donorship system, earmarking
funds to specific activities and "popular" crisis, blurred the responsibilities of
humanitarian assistance. This resulted in neglected crisis like in Somalia, the genocide in
Rwanda and the civil wars in the Great Lakes region103. While humanitarian actions
resulted in some notable achievements104, self-criticism regarding the "politicised"
humanitarian actions called for a more global, coordinated and integrated response to
humanitarian needs worldwide.
Early 2000's, peacekeeping and advocacy. After the rise of terrorism in the western
world, the Member States increasingly focused their attention on the fragile and failing-
states arguing that they were the nests for terrorist networks. From 2001 onwards,
humanitarian aid was very much linked to peacekeeping and development. An integrated
approach addressing foreign issues, security, development and humanitarian issues was
needed to stabilize the failing states. However, at the same time, the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reminded the international community that
subordinating humanitarian actions with other policy issues could undermine the
independence and neutrality principles of humanitarian aid. In 2003, the Good
Humanitarian Donorship Principles initially endorsed by 16 donor governments and by DG
ECHO, the OECD, the ICRC and other NGO's105, refocused humanitarian aid around 23
fundamental principles106, and raised awareness of forgotten and overlooked crisis107.
2005-2010, increasing effectiveness. The crisis in Darfur, started in 2003, and the
tsunami in the Indian Ocean in December 2004, showed the limitations of the
humanitarian response systems and uncovered many areas where effectiveness had to
improve. In order to provide a more accountable, effective and predictable humanitarian
response, aid providers had to strengthen coordination, financing, leadership and
partnership.
The objective of the "humanitarian reform", initiated during the 2005 World Summit, was
to enhance the coordination and the leadership of the humanitarian actors. On the one
hand, the introduction of the cluster approach108 made lead organisations responsible for
101 DG ECHO. 2016. Terms of Reference for the comprehensive evaluation of the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid, 2012-2016. 102 IASC. 2000. Global humanitarian assistance 2000. 103 OCHA. 2012. Coordination to save lives History and Emerging Challenges, Policy and Studies Series 2012. 104 For instance, emergency food aid increased from 1.7million to nearly 5 million tons between 1989 and 1999. Recipients of the emergency foods aid were mainly world's poorest countries with Sub Saharan Africa accounting for nearly two thirds of all relief food aid over the decade.
IASC. 2000. Global humanitarian assistance 2000. 105 GHD. 23 Principles and Good Practice of Humanitarian Donorship. Available at: https://www.ghdinitiative.org/ghd/gns/principles-good-practice-of-ghd/principles-good-practice-ghd.html 106 These principles were aimed at enhancing the coherence and effectiveness of donor actions and their accountability to beneficiaries, with regard to the funding, coordination, follow up and evaluation of such actions. 107 OCHA. 2012. Coordination to save lives History and Emerging Challenges, Policy and Studies Series 2012. 108 "Clusters are groups of humanitarian organizations, both UN and non-UN, in each of the main sectors of humanitarian action, e.g. water, health and logistics. They are designated by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and have clear responsibilities for coordination." The Cluster Approach is one of the new
November, 2017 55
the coordination of the humanitarian actions at the sector level. On the other hand, much
effort was put into building up the role and capacity of the Resident and Humanitarian
Coordinators109 through training on humanitarian issues and strengthening of the pool of
candidates for such positions110.
2011, the changing humanitarian context requires more structured response. In
the recent years, the changing nature of conflict, climate change, extreme poverty and
poor governance intensified the complexity of crises. Unlike sudden onset natural
disasters, which lead to limited periods of crisis and recovery, chronic complex
emergencies, characterized by long-standing conflicts, force civilians into protracted
displacement, making the population acutely vulnerable to death, disease and the
disruption of livelihoods over a prolonged period111. Although the humanitarian response
system is continuously improving, its capacity is stretched to its limits by frequent and
complex disasters.
The evaluations of the Cluster Approach, implemented for the first time following the
2005 floods in Pakistan, led the IASC to establish the Transformative Agenda112a series of
actions aimed at further improving the quality of leadership, strategic planning,
accountability and coordination mechanism in the humanitarian response. More precisely,
it includes:
establishing a mechanism to deploy experienced senior humanitarian leaders to
guide the response effort from the onset of a major crisis;
rapid deployment of well-trained staff;
improving strategic planning at the country level;
enhancing accountability of Humanitarian Coordinators and members of
Humanitarian Country Teams; and
streamlining coordination mechanisms113.
As underpinned by the Transformative Agenda, the complexity of the recent crises
requires disaster specific experts. It is not only the type of disaster, but also the scale,
the duration and the location of the crisis that creates a need for particular competences.
For instance, the most demanded profile by organisations operating on the ground are
technical specialists in water and sanitation, livelihoods and resilience/climate change
adaptation114. Furthermore, more local staff are needed in the field as they have a better
understanding of the local needs, cultures and speak the language of the affected
population. In addition, humanitarian local workers are much quicker to deploy in the
fields. Hence, it is estimated that roughly 88% of the humanitarian aid workers are
locally hired staff, occupying positions in the implementation, administration, finance,
accounting and working with the direct beneficiaries. The 12% remaining are expatriate
staff working in the field occupying mostly management positions115. In conclusion, there
is strong evidence of a higher need of specialised humanitarian operators and local staff,
elements that was introduced with the Humanitarian Reform in 2005, to enhance predictability, accountability and partnership.
Humanitarian Response. What is the Cluster Approach? Available at:
https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/about-clusters/what-is-the-cluster-approach 109 The Humanitarian Coordinator is a senior UN official, coordinating humanitarian emergencies in a country or a region. The Resident Coordinator is the highest UN official and the chief of UN diplomatic mission in a country. 110 OCHA. 2012. Coordination to save lives History and Emerging Challenges, Policy and Studies Series 2012. 111 DG ECHO. 2016. Terms of Reference for the comprehensive evaluation of the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid, 2012-2016. 112 Humanitarian Response. What is the Cluster Approach? Available at: https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/about-clusters/what-is-the-cluster-approach 113 General Assembly Economic and Social Council. 2012. Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations. 114 ICF. 2014. Assessment of the needs in the humanitarian sector with regard to knowledge, skills and competences. 115 ICF. 2014. Assessment of the needs in the humanitarian sector with regard to knowledge, skills and competences.
November, 2017 56
which consequently requires a high flexibility of training providers in adapting their
academic offer to mirror quick changes in the sector and needs of key stakeholders.
New challenges and future for humanitarian aid. Most of the current humanitarian
needs are coming from regions who are suffering from long-standing conflicts (such as
Syria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan). In these situations, the civilian
population is forced to flee and reconstruct their lives from scratch in more secure zones.
This matter is becoming more and more of the European Union's concern as the refugees
are massively crossing its borders, seeking asylum in several Member States. The UNHCR
found that 65.6 million people were forcibly displaced in 2016116.
In the conflicts zones, the most pressing need is the security of the humanitarian access
-which is especially more challenging in urban areas- in order to relieve the remaining
civilians. Therefore, the humanitarian community should keep advocacy for International
Law at the centre of the debate117, and particularly International Humanitarian Law,
which seeks to regulate the conduct of conflicts aiming at protecting civilians suffering
from the war and defining the rights of the people taking part to the conflict.118 This is
also a priority for the European Commission, which adopted Guidelines on promoting
compliance with international humanitarian law and is committed to operationalise them
in its external relations. In the hosting countries, the major humanitarian needs are
related to the protection of the refugees, especially women and children who represent
more than half of the refugee population119. In both cases, increased partnerships with
government, regional organisations, private companies and civic groups is of utmost
importance to efficiently meet the humanitarian needs.
116 UNHCR. 2017. Trends at a glance. Available at: http://www.unhcr.org/globaltrends2016/ 117 Council. 2008. The European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid. Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2008:025:0001:0012:EN:PDF 118 ICRC defines International humanitarian law as “a set of rules that seek to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects people who are not or are no longer participating in hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare”, available at https://www.icrc.org/en/war-and-law 119 UNHCR. 2017. Trends at a glance. Available at: http://www.unhcr.org/globaltrends2016/
November, 2017 57
Annex 5. Study questions and sub-questions
The ToR identified study questions spread across the five standard study criteria. At the
proposal stage, these study questions have been restructured in 10 research questions
each divided into sub questions and judgement criteria.
Relevance
RQ1 - How relevant are NOHA activities for the humanitarian context?
To what extent were NOHA activities sufficiently flexible to meet / cover the
(changing) needs and priorities in the humanitarian sectors?
Effectiveness
RQ2 - To what extent have the objectives of NOHA been achieved?
Enlargement across Europe and global partnership
Implementation of new products (for example qualifications framework or short
training)
Quality of NOHA education programmes
Academic certification recognition
Engagement with and recognition in humanitarian sector and university area
NOHA’s organisational development
RQ3- To what extent NOHA’s activities contributed to achieving DG ECHO’s
objectives?
RQ4 - To what extent NOHA’s activities contributed to enhancing
professionalism in the humanitarian sector?
Efficiency
RQ5 - To what extent have the objectives of NOHA been achieved at a
reasonable cost?
Cost-effectiveness
Distribution of DG ECHO budgets
Overall efficiency
What would be the most likely consequences of stopping or withdrawing DG ECHO
funding to NOHA activities?
Coherence and added value
RQ6 - What is the added value of NOHA activities compared to existing
national training and learning activities in the humanitarian sector?
What results of the intervention can be identified that could not have been achieved
without a coordinated effort at the EU level?
To what extent and how should DG ECHO support these synergies?
RQ7 - To what extent are NOHA activities internally coherent?
To what extent has NOHA's activities complement each other, do not overlap and
produce synergies between the different learning/ training activities it offers?
November, 2017 58
RQ8 - To what extent external coherence has been achieved?
To what extent are other organisations, institutions, academic bodies, programmes
offering education and training that complements (and does not overlap) with NOHA's
training offer?
Sustainability, coordination and acceptability
RQ9 - To what extent are NOHA activities sustainable?
Does NOHA heavily rely on EU funding to implement its activities and to impact on the
ground?
What were the main sustainable results of EU funding for NOHA?
RQ10 - To what extent can we observe changes in the perception of NOHA
activities by the public?
Are NOHA activities visible to the public?
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 59
Annex 6. Mapping of Master offering
The table below maps European universities offering Master programmes in the Humanitarian sector.
Empty cells are due to lack of publicly available data.
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment
procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
NOHA partners
BE Université Catholique de Louvain
Political Sciences: International Relations (focus on humanitarian action)
1 No 120 No Ongoing, exams, thesis
Yes 2 years
D
K
University of
Copenhagen
Master in Disaster
Management
1 No 60 Yes Yes Ongoing,
exams, thesis
Yes € 15,132 € 20,179 1 year
DK
University of Copenhagen
Master in Global Health
1 No Yes 60 No No Ongoing, exams, thesis
Yes € 0 € 16,815 1 year
DK
University of Copenhagen
Master of Arts (MA) in Advanced Migration Studies
1 No 120 No Ongoing, exams, thesis
No € 0 € 20,177 2.5 year
ES Alcala' University International Protection of Human
Rights
1 No Yes 60 Yes No Ongoing, exams,
thesis
Yes € 4,110 € 6,165 1 year
FR Aix-Marseille Université
Master Droit international et européen - Spécialité Action et droits humanitaires
1 No Yes 90 No No Ongoing, exams, thesis
Yes 1.5 years
SE Uppsala Universitet Master Programme in 1 Yes Yes 120 No No Continuous No 2 years
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 60
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
International Humanitarian Action
2017/2018
examination, final thesis
M
T
University of Malta Master of Arts in
Human Rights and Democratization of Governance
1 No 90 No No Thesis No 1 year
Non NOHA partner
AT Austrian Network
for Higher
Education
Master of Arts in
Security Management
1 No 120 Yes No N/A € 1,471 7 or 12
months
AT University of Graz Master programme in Global Studies
1 No 108 No Ongoing, exams, thesis
Yes
AT University of Innsbruck
Master of Arts Program
in Peace, Development, Security and International
Conflict Transformation
1 No 120 Yes No Ongoing, exams,
thesis
No € 6,200 1 year
BE Namur, Université Catholique de Louvain and Université Saint
Advanced Master in Human Rights
3 No Yes No Ongoing exams, thesis
No 1 year
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 61
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
Louis
CH
Geneva Centre for education and research in humanitarian action
Master of Advanced Studies (MAS)
1 No 60 Yes Yes Ongoing, exams, thesis
No € 13,915 N/A 1 year
C
H
Universita’ della
Svizzera Italiana
Master of Advanced
Studies in Humanitarian Logistics
and Management
1 No 60 Yes Yes Ongoing,
exams, thesis
No € 16,675 N/A 20
months
CY University of Cyprus
European Master's degree in Human Rights and Democratisation
2 Yes 100 No Ongoing, exams, thesis
No € 4,900 1 year
CY University of
Cyprus
Master in Political
Science
1 No 100 No Ongoing,
exams, thesis
No 1.5
years
CY University of Nicosia
International Relations and European Studies
1 No 90 No Ongoing, exams, thesis
No 1.5 years
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 62
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
CZ University Palacký
Olomouc
Charitable Social Work
(specialisation: International Humanitarian and Community Social
Work)
1 No No
DE University of Duisburg-Essen
Internationale Beziehungen und Entwicklungspolitik (M.A)
1 No 120 € 0 € 0 2 years
DE Hamburg University Master of Peace and Security Studies
1 No € 0 € 0 1 year
DK
Aalborg University Development and International Relations
1 No 30 No Yes € 0 € 5,920 2 years
DK
Aarhus University Master in Human Security
1 No 120 No No Ongoing, exams, thesis
Yes € 0 € 8,000 2 years
ES Autonomous University of Barcelona
Master's Degree in Communication of Armed Conflicts, Peace and Social Movements
1 No 60 No No Ongoing, exams, thesis
Yes € 3,960 1 year
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 63
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
FI Abo Akademi
University
International Master's
in International Human Rights Law
1 No Yes No Yes Ongoing,
exams, thesis
No
FI University of Tampere
Master's in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research
1 No Yes 120 No No Ongoing, exams, thesis
No € 0 € 20,000 2 years
FR Institut Catholique
de Paris
Master Solidarité et
action internationales
1 No Yes 120 No No Ongoing,
exams, thesis
Yes € 6,260 1 year
FR Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques
Humanitarian Leadership Programme
€ 8,500
FR Lyon Catholic
University
Master in Human
Rights
2 No Yes No No No
FR Universite Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne
Développement et aide humanitaire
1 No No 120 No No Yes
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 64
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
FR Science Po Paris
School of International Affairs
Human Rights and
Humanitarian Action
1 No No
FR Grenoble Ecole de Management
MSc in Humanitarian Programme Management
1 No 90 No No Written exams, Presentation of a report, Ongoing assessment
No € 10,000 N/A 1 year
IE Dublin City University
MA in International Security and Conflict Studies
1 No No Yes Yes Ongoing, exams, dissertation
No 1 year
IE Maynooth University
lnternational Development
2 No No 90 No No No 1 year
IE Limerick University Peace and Development Studies MA
1 No Yes € 5,250 € 10,708 1 year
IT Universita' di Bologna
Human Rights, Migration and Development
1 No No 60 No No € 3,300 1 year
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 65
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
IT Universita' Ca'
Foscari Venezia
European Master’s
Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation (E.MA)
1
IT Istituto per gli Studi di politica Internazionale
Master in international Cooperation (Development – Emergencies)
1 No N/A No N/A N/A Yes € 5,950 N/A 9 months
IT Scuola Universitaria
Superiore di Pavia
Development
Cooperation
1 Yes 75 No No Ongoing,
exams, thesis
Yes € 7,000 2 years
IT La Sapienza University Rome
European And International Policies And Crisis
Management
1 No 60 No No Ongoing, exams, thesis
Yes € 4,000 1 year
IT Scuola Superiore
Sant’Anna
Master in Human
Rights and Conflict Management
1 No 67 No No Exams, Final
thesis
Yes € 7,500 N/A 1 year
N
O
University of Oslo Peace and Conflict
Studies
1 No Yes 120 No No Exams, Final
thesis
Yes N/A 2 years
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November, 2017 66
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
N
O
University of Oslo Theory and Practice of
Human Rights
1 No No 120 No No Exams, Final
thesis
No N/A 2 years
NO
The Arctic University of Norway
Peace and Conflict Transformation
1 No 120 No No Exams, Final thesis
No N/A 2 years
PT University Fernando
Pessoa
Master in
Humanitarian Action, Cooperation and
Development
1 No 90 N/A Yes N/A No € 3,300 N/A 3
semesters
PT Minho University Human Rights 1 No No 120 No No Exams, Final thesis
No N/A N/A 2 years
ES Universidad
autonoma de Barcelona
Master's Degree in
Communication of Armed Conflicts, Peace and Social Movements
1 No No 60 No No No € 3,960 € 3,960 1 year
ES University of Deusto
Experto Universitario en Acción Internacional
Humanitaria
1 No No 25 Yes No No 0.5 years
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 67
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
ES Gutiérrez Mellado
University Institute
Master in Peace,
Security and Defence Challenges
1 No No 90 Yes Yes No N/A N/A 1.5
years
ES Universidad de Granada
Master’s degree in Peace Culture, Conflicts and Human Rights
3 No 60 N/A N/A 1 year
ES Universidad de
Granada
KALU Institute -
Humanitarian aid studies center
1 No No no
mention
Yes Yes Online
exam, final assignment
and/or research and development activities
No € 1,465 € 1,465 1 year
ES Open university of
Catalunya
Master in conflictology
- Joint with UNITAR
2 Yes No 60 Yes Yes No € 12,500 € 12,500 max 1.5
years
ES Universidad de Sevilla
Atención Prehospitalaria, Catástrofes Y Acción Humanitaria
1 No 90 Yes No Attendance, exams and paper writing,
megacode
No € 5,941 € 5,941
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Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
C
H
Geneva Academy Academy of
International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
1 No Yes 60 No No No € 18,000 € 18,000 1 year
UK
Brunel University London
Anthropology of International Development and Humanitarian Assistance MSc
1 No Yes Yes No Essay, practical assignment, field exercise, dissertation
£7,500 full-time; £3,750 part-time
£14,400 full-time; £7,200 part-time
1 year or 2.5 years if part time
UK
Coventry University Disaster Management 1 No Yes No Coursework, Academic research, Dissertation
No £6,930
or
£7,374
Depending on start time
£12,068
or
£12,656
Depending on start time
A year full time, 2 to 3 years part time
U
K
Coventry University Peace and Conflict
Studies
1 No Yes Yes No £2,458
(PgCert) £4,916 (PgDip) £7,374
(MA)
£4,219
(PgCert) £8,437 (PgDip) £12,656
(MA)
8
months 16 months 15
months 24 months
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 69
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
U
K
Liverpool Scool of
Tropical Medecine
International Public
Health (Humanitarian Assistance)
1 No No 180 No No No £ 8,500 £ 18,400 1.5
years
UK
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Humanitarian Studies 1 No No 180 No no No £ 8,500 £ 16,000 1.5 years
U
K
Liverpool School of
Tropical Medicine
International Public
Health (Sexual and reproductive health)
1 No No 180 No No No £ 8,500 £ 18,400 1.5
year
UK
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Humanitarian Health programme management
1 No No 180 No No No £ 8,500 £ 16,000 1.5 years
U
K
London South Bank
University
Refugees Studies 1 No Yes No Writings No £ 7,100 £ 12,500 1 year -
full time 2 years - if part time
U
K
Loughborough
University
Infrastructure in
Emergencies
1 No Yes Yes Exam,
coursework, presentation dissertation
No
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November, 2017 70
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
U
K
Northumbia
University
Disaster Management
and Sustainable Development
1 No Yes 60
or 120
No No £ 5,665 £ 8,250 1 year
or 2 years
UK
Oxford Brookes University
Development and Emergency Practice
1 No Yes 180 Yes Dissertation No £ 8,850 full time £ 4,510 part time
£ 13,200 full time £ 6,700 part time
2 years or 1 year
U
K
University of
Manchester
Humanitarianism and
Conflict Response
1 No Yes No vary
depending on the
modules
No £ 9,000 £ 17,000 2 years
or 1 year
UK
University of Manchester
International Disaster Management
1 No Yes No Dissertation, and other assessment depending on the
modules
No £ 9,000 £ 17,000 2 years or 1 year
UK
University of Manchester
Peace and Conflict Studies
1 No Yes 120 Yes No Workshops, Contribution to group discussion, Oral pres.,
Literature reviews
No £ 9,000 £ 17,000 2 years or 1 year
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 71
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
U
K
University of York Post war recovery
studies
1 No >
80 ECTS
Yes No written
essays, reports
No 1 year
(full time) or 2 years (part
time)
UK
University of York Humanitarian affairs 1 No No Yes critical essays, analytical reports
No 2 years - part time only
NL Utrecht Conflict Studies and Human Rights
1 No No 60 No No Essays, oral presentation, peer review performance, literature review
research, internship report,
thesis
Yes € 2,006 € 15,167 1 year
U
K
University of York MSc in International
Humanitarian Affairs
1 No N/A Yes Yes Ongoing and
dissertation
No € 5,225 N/A 2 years
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November, 2017 72
Countr
y
Name of University Name of the Master degree
Delivere
d
by
one
or
more
univ
ers
itie
s
Join
t D
egre
e
Sem
este
r
abro
ad/
field
trip
ECTS
Modula
r
flexib
ility
e-l
earn
ing
Exam and final assessment procedure
Work
pla
cem
ent
inclu
ded
Cost
for
EU
citiz
ens
Cost
for
overs
eas
applicants
Dura
tion
pro
gra
mm
e/
cours
e
Glo
bal
UNITAR (United
Nations Institute for Training and Research) – Oxford Brookes University
Master in
Humanitarian Action and Peacebuilding
1 No 90 Yes Yes N/A No € 9,547 N/A Min 2
years, max 5 years
ES, IT, UK
Social Change School
Master in Humanitarian Operations in Emergencies (HOPE)
1 No N/A No Yes Ongoing written and oral exams; Final written exam
Yes € 7,804 N/A 1 year
ES Kalu Institute Master’s in International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid
1 No N/A N/A Yes Exams and research assignment
No € 1,465 N/A 1 year
U
K
Manchester
University
Master’s in
Humanitarianism and Conflict Response
1 No 180 Yes No Ongoing
assessment through coursework and final
dissertation
No € 10,378 € 19,603 1 year
UK
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
MSc International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies
1 No N/A Yes N/A Ongoing via exams and essays plus a final dissertation
No € 14,052 € 21,739 1 year
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November, 2017 73
Annex 7. Survey of ECHO Framework Partners
Overview of respondents
Of the 202 individuals contacted to complete the survey, 70 persons, representing 45
different ECHO partners completed the questionnaire. Figure 17 below shows the number
of respondents per partner.
Figure 17. Main organisations represented (Q1)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=70
In addition, one representative of each partner listed below answered the survey:
- ActionAid
- ADRA
- Afghanaid
- ASB-Germany
- Red Cross
- Bioforce Institut
- CISO
- Concern Worldwide
- Diakonie
Katastrophenhilfe
- GVC - Gruppo di
Volontariato Civile
- Hilfswerk Austria
International
- Human Relief
Foundation
- Humanitarian
Leadership
Academy
- Hungarian
Interchurch Aid
- ICCO
- International
Rescue Committee
- Johanniter
- La Chaîne de
l'Espoir
- Malteser
International
- Medicus Mundi
- Mission Aviation
Fellowship
International
- MRCA
- Muslim Aid
- Norwegian Church
Aid
- People in Need
- Practical Action
- Première urgence
internationale
- RedR UK
- Solidarités
International
- SOS Children's
Villages
International
- Tearfund
- Telecom Sans
Frontières
- Transparency
International e.V.
- Trocaire
- Un ponte per
- ZOA
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November, 2017 74
A large majority of the respondents (6) work for NGOs/ charities. Only a few representing
international organisation (European or Global) answered the questionnaire.
Figure 18. Which of the following best defines your organisation? (Q2)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=70
47% of respondents hold manager positions in their organisations. 30% are directors,
17% represent technical staff managing administrative, legal, communication tasks
within the organisation. Only 6% are experts in certain sectors of humanitarian aid.
Figure 19. What is your job title? (Q3)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=70
The partners usually work in more than one of the humanitarian sector. On average,
ECHO partners work in five different sectors of the humanitarian aid. The food assistance
and nutrition sector and the WASH sector are the most addressed sectors. General
humanitarian aid, energy access and anti-corruption sectors were added as "other
options" by the respondents.
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November, 2017 75
Figure 20. What is your organisations' main area(s) of work? (Q4)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=69. This is a multiple
answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %
Partners are based in various EU countries and some are normally based in non-EU
countries. Most of the surveyed partners are based in the UK and Germany (17%, 11
respondents each). And 8% of the respondents are based in Italy and France (5
respondents each).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 76
Figure 21. In what country are you normally based? (Q5)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=65
Figure 22. What are your organisations' region of work? (Q6)
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November, 2017 77
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=70. This is a multiple
answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %
Familiarity and involvement with NOHA
Figure 23. Are you familiar with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)? (Q7)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=70
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 78
Figure 24. Which of the following NOHA elements are you familiar with? (Q8)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=47. This is a multiple
answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
Skills needs in Humanitarian Aid
Figure 25. In your opinion, what type of staff is more needed in the humanitarian sector
today? (Q9)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=70
Figure 26. What job level is more needed? (Q.10.a)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=70
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 79
Figure 27. Knowledge and skills of which sectoral areas are more relevant/needed?
(Q.10.b)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=68. This is a multiple
answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
Figure 28. Knowledge of which subject areas is more needed? (Q 10.c)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=69. This is a multiple
answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 80
Figure 29. What type of skills are more needed? (Q 10.d)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=69. This is a multiple
answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
Figure 30. How do you think existing skills needs could be best met? (through the
enhancement of…) (Q 11)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=70. This is a multiple
answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
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November, 2017 81
Figure 31. Do you think that these needs will continue to be highly relevant in the
medium term (next 5 to 10 years)?
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=70
Recruitment and educational offer in the area of humanitarian aid
Figure 32. To what extent do you agree with the following statements (Q 13)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=31
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November, 2017 82
Figure 33. In the recruitment procedures (related to humanitarian aid work) of the
organisation where you work, more emphasis is placed on: (Q 16)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=70. This is a multiple
answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %
The respondents who selected other options emphasised the fact that even if the
candidate is not recruited as operational staff, but is selected for accounting or financial
tasks, the understanding of the humanitarian sector is still highly valued. They also
mentioned that a lot depends on the candidate's personality and character.
Figure 34. Would you consider that having any of the following education/ training is an
advantage for the professional development/ progression of someone working
in the humanitarian sector? (Q17)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017).
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November, 2017 83
Visibility of the NOHA network
Figure 35. Were you aware that the NOHA network is co-funded by the European
Commission? (Q20)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=43
Figure 36. In your opinion, to what extent is NOHA visible to the public through social
media and similar networks? (Q21)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=43
Figure 37. Have you noticed an increase in NOHA’s visibility in the humanitarian aid
sector over the years? (Q22)
Source: ICF online survey of ECHO Framework Partners (2017). N=43
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 84
Annex 8. Survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants
Overview of respondents
Figure 38. What is your country of origin?*
*This refers to the country of citizenship you consider as your main citizenship or the
citizenship you have held for longer. This graph gathers the total number of respondents
and does not differentiate participants, graduates and students.
NOHA activities
Figure 39. In which NOHA university are you attending/did you attend your
NOHA training/degree? (Q3)
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November, 2017 85
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017), N=218:
Students = 25, Graduates = 149, Participants = 44. This is a multiple answer question
therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
Figure 40. In which NOHA activity did you take part? (Q4)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017), N=218:
Students = 25, Graduates = 149, Participants = 44. This is a multiple answer question
therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
Figure 41. In how many NOHA activities (i.e. short courses and/or Master) have you
participated? (Q5)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017)
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 86
Figure 42. What has been the most recent NOHA activity in which you have taken part?
(Q6)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017)
Figure 43. Did you/are you studying your Master degree (Q7)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 87
Figure 44. Please specify your (expected) graduation year (Q8 – Q9)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Figure 45. Please specify which year you attended the NOHA short-term course. If you
have attended more than one, specify the year of your most recent
participation. (Q10)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 88
Employment
Figure 46. What do you intend to do once you graduate? (Q11)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). N=24
(students only)
Figure 47. Which of the below options best represent your current status? (Q12)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
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November, 2017 89
Figure 48. Which of the following best defines your employer?(Q13)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Figure 49. In what area of humanitarian aid do you mainly work? (Q14)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 90
Figure 50. Could you specify in which field you work? (Q15)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). This is a
multiple answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
Figure 51. Which of the following best describes your work role? (Q17)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 91
Figure 52. Which of the following best describes your work category? (Q18)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Figure 53. How long did it take you to find employment once your Master completed?
(Q19)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). N= 122
(Graduates only).
Figure 54. Have you been involuntarily out of employment since you graduated? –for
other than health or personal reasons (exclude short periods of up to one
month) (Q20)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). N= 121
(Graduates only).
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November, 2017 92
Figure 55. Where do you work? (Q 21)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 93
Figure 56. Where do you intend to work? (Q 22)
*11% of the students have no preferences or don't know yet where they intend to work.
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 94
Figure 57. Would you consider yourself (Q23)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
* International staff: in this assignment for a fixed period before I move to another
project in another country. ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and
participants (2017).
Figure 58. Do you believe that a degree/training from a NOHA University will
facilitate/facilitates finding work in the humanitarian sector? (Q24)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 95
Experience with NOHA University
Figure 59. How did you initially find out about NOHA activities? (Q25)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). This is a
multiple answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
Figure 60. How important were the following factors in your decision to take part in NOHA
activity? (Q26)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 96
Figure 61. How would you rate the following aspects of NOHA’s offering. (Q 27)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Figure 62. Have you ever recommended NOHA activities to a friend or colleague? (Q30)
ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 97
Relevance and results of NOHA’s offering
Figure 63. To what extent do you feel that your involvement in NOHA training is
increasing/has improved the standards of your work (Q31)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Figure 64. To what extent is the NOHA activity you attend(ed) aligned to the main needs
and problems in the field of humanitarian aid at the time? (Q33)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
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November, 2017 98
Figure 65. To what extent has the NOHA activity helped you to develop the following
knowledge, skills and attitudes? Sum from 6 to "to a large extent"(Q35)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Figure 66. Do you use the knowledge and skills acquired through the training today?
(Q36)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 99
Figure 67. Are you familiar with the Journal of International Humanitarian Action? (Q37)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Recognition and visibility of NOHA
Figure 68. In your view, is the NOHA programme in which you participate recognised:
(Q38)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). Answers
"somewhat agree" and "somewhat disagree" are summed up and represented in this
graph.
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 100
Figure 69. In your view, should other members and/or partner universities be involved to
improve the quality of education or widen the expertise provided by NOHA?
(Q39.1)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). This is a
multiple answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
Figure 70. Do you follow the NOHA network, universities or courses in social media?
(Q40)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). This is a
multiple answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 101
Figure 71. In your opinion, to what extent is NOHA visible to the public through social
media and similar networks? (Q41)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Alternatives to NOHA provision
Figure 72. Do you know of any other education or training that is comparable to the
NOHA training you took? (Q43)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 102
Figure 73. If the NOHA training that you took was not available, would you have taken
part in one of these alternative courses? (Q45)
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
Study of DG ECHO’s cooperation with the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
November, 2017 103
Figure 74. In comparison to other similar training, what are in your view the main
elements on which NOHA stands out?
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017). This is
a multiple answer question therefore the data does not add to 100 %.
Figure 75. Would you have been willing to pay more - at the time - for your participation
in your NOHA training?
Source: ICF online survey of NOHA students, graduates and participants (2017).
November, 2017 104
Annex 9. List of sources reviewed in the Study
Author Year Title Source
NOHA Grant Agreements, NOHA-DG ECHO contracts and related annexes
[from 2000 to 2016]
Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA NOHA Budget estimates [from 2009 to 2011] Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA NOHA General and Master's programme brochures [from 2010 to 2016] Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2013 Guideline – NOHA Internal Quality Guideline Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2014 Guideline – NOHA Communication Guideline Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA Memorandum of understandings between NOHA and Action Against Hunger, Comhalmh, Handicap International, RedR, Restless
Development Nepal, Solar Cookers International, Trust Consultancy and
Development in 2016 and 2017
Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA Memorandum of understandings between NOHA and University partners: Deakin University, Fordham University, Tbisili State University, Universidad Javriana, USSH Vietnam, Vilnius University from
2015 to 2017
Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2017 Letters of Intent of Chiang Mai University, Saint Joseph de Beyrouth and University of the western cape
Document obtained from NOHA
DG ECHO Progress Reports on NOHA's results [2008 and 2009] Document obtained from NOHA
DG ECHO Final Reports on NOHA's results [2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016]
Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA Erasmus Mundus Progress Reports Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA Erasmus Mundus Final Reports [2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015]
Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA Plan of activities [from 2009 to 2011] Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2010 NOHA Overview 2010 Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2013-2014 Alumni survey report Document obtained from NOHA
November, 2017 105
NOHA 2016-2017 Graduate Survey Report Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2015 Concept Note on Humanitarian Mobile Exhibition Project Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2011 NOHA's Strategic Plan for 2011-2015 Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2016 NOHA's strategic Plan for 2016-2015 (Draft) Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA General Assembly Annual Reports [from 2014 to 2016] Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2016 ONE HUMANITY: Shared Responsibility A European Perspective Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2014 NOHA Global – Spreading The NOHA Philosophy Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2016 Balance Sheet (2016) & Statement of Income & Expenditure for the year ended 31 December 2016
Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2017 NOHA Global SE Asia cooperation agreement 3rd Mar 2017 Document obtained from NOHA
NOHA 2017 Consortium agreement for the establishment of a Joint Master's degree
programme in International Humanitarian Action
Document obtained from NOHA
European Commission
2009 NOHA consortium agreement 2009 Document obtained from NOHA
Joint Committee 2014 Joint Programme Committee report academic year 2013/2014 Document obtained from NOHA
European Commission
2014 EUROPEAN CONSENSUS ON HUMANITARIAN AID http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/media/publications/consensus_en.pdf
Louis Michel 2015 The Humanitarian Challenge Document obtained from NOHA
P.BERSANI 1996 COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:1996:163:0001:0006:EN:PDF
ICF 2014 Assessment of needs in the humanitarian sector with regard to
knowledge, skills and competences
https://www.france-
volontaires.org/documents/content/Actualite/2014/NewsletterEurope/EUAV_Study_Needs_Assessment.pdf
Member of the Commission
2008 Provision of quality European education on humanitarian action that impacts policy and practice (ECHO/NOH/BUD/2009/01000)
Member of the 2009 Financing of actions from the general budget of the European https://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/funding/decisions
November, 2017 106
Commission Communities in the field of high quality European academic research and education for humanitarian action (ECHO/NOH/BUD/2010/01000)
/2009/other_academic-research-education_01000_en.pdf
Kristalina
Georgieva - Member of the Commission
2011 Amending Commission Decision C(2010) 7577 of 26 October 2010 on
the financing of action from the general budget of the European Union in the field of the academic education and research on humanitarian action (ECHO/NOH/BUD/2010/01000)
https://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/funding/decisions
/2010/other_academic_education_research_hum_action_modif_en.pdf
DG ECHO 2012 Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP) (ECHO/NOH /BUD/2012/91000)
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/funding/decisions/2012/HIPs/noha.pdf
DG ECHO 2014 HUMANITARIAN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (HIP) NOHA http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/funding/decisions/2014/HIPs/noha_en.pdf
DG ECHO 2016 HUMANITARIAN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (HIP) NOHA http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/funding/decisions/2016/HIPs/NOHA_HIP_EN.pdf
European Commission
2015 Financing Humanitarian Aid Operational Priorities from the 2015 general budget of the European Union
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/funding/decisions/2015/worldwide_01000_en.pdf
World Humanitarian Summit
2016 One humanity: shared responsibility http://sgreport.worldhumanitariansummit.org/
World Humanitarian Summit
2016 Too important to fail—addressing the humanitarian financing gap http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/%5BHLP%20Report%5D%20Too%20important%20to%20fail%E2%80%94addressing%20the%20humanitarian%20financing%20gap.pdf
World
Humanitarian
Summit
2015 Restoring Humanity Global Voices Calling For Action - Synthesis of the
Consultation Process for the World Humanitarian Summit
http://synthesisreport.worldhumanitariansummit.
org/
NOHA 2014 ECHO Final Report [from 2014 to 2016]
Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)
November, 2017
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doi:10.2795/284242
