Title: Humanitarian Aid and Development Cooperation in Health
Keywords: Humanitarian setting
Conflict affected setting
Emergency
Fragile environment
Intercultural competency
Country: Germany
Institution: Germany - University Hospital Bonn, Bonn
Date start: 2026-02-02
Date end: 2026-02-27
About duration and dates: Duration of the course is 3,5 weeks full time learning. Pre-course reading is recommended (see publication list under 22) usually distributed 2 weeks prior to the course start. Deadline for application: 3 months before module start Deadline for payment: 4 weeks after having received the invoice
Classification: advanced optional
Mode of delivery: Face to face
Course location: University Hospital Bonn
Institute for Hygiene and Public Health
Section Global Health
Venusberg-campus 1
53127 Bonn
Tel: +49 228 287-10326
Website: https://master-globalhealth.de
tropEd representative: Eva Mertens (eva.mertens@ukbonn.de)
ECTS credit points: 5 ECTS credits
SIT:
125 hrs: 50 hours contact time consisting of 16 hours lectures, 9 hours seminars, 7 hours group work, and 18 hours of an interactive workshop with the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN), 75 hours self-study time
Language: English
Description:
At the end of the module the student should be able to:
● Design and recommend coordinated responses to most urgent health needs in humanitarian crisis (including armed conflicts)
● Apply de-escalative and cultural-sensitive communication in the context of humanitarian aid/assistance
● Analyse complex, multi-layered contexts of humanitarian aid/assistance and map the network of actors involved
● Explain the main components and functions of the international humanitarian system and development policies
● Critically evaluate the competing objectives and concerns stakeholders involved in humanitarian response might have
● Differentiate the roles of the different humanitarian agencies during sudden onset and long-term responses
Assessment Procedures:
Summative assessment: A 2-hour closed book multiple choice/short answer exam on the last day of the course. The exam will cover theoretical aspects of the module.
Formative assessment (non graded): students participate in a workshop on Humanitarian negotiation and de-escalation with feedback.

The student passes the exam if ≥ 60% of the questions are answered correctly. If the student fails s/he can re-sit on a date and format agreed on with the module coordinator. Each failed examination may be repeated no more than twice.
Students receive the results via email. Each student can contact the module coordinator to request personal feedback.
Students receive two grades based on their overall mark, one according to the German (absolute) 6-point decimal grading system: 1.0 [excellent/sehr gut] – 6.0 [not sufficient/ ungenügend], pass mark: ≥ 4.0 [sufficient/ ausreichend]) and one according to the (relative) ECTS grading system (A top 10%, B next 25%, C next 30%, D next 25%, E lowest 10%)
Content:
Week 1-2 (29 hours)

Introduction to humanitarian aid and development cooperation
● History and ethics of humanitarian assistance and development cooperation
● Humanitarian emergency aid: actors and coordination (e.g., International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Médecins sans frontières (MSF), Malteser International; United Nation (UN) system, The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).UN OCHA/UN; EU Civil protection mechanism)
● Reflection of the role of healthcare professionals and their preparation

Health services and development cooperation in disasters, crises and armed conflicts
● Outbreak investigation
● Healthcare in armed conflicts (e.g., war surgery)
● Violence against healthcare
● Misinformation and coping mechanisms
● Evaluation of humanitarian aid
● The Sphere project

Health services and risks in development programs
● Refugee health – camps, mobility/continuity of care
● Linking relief, rehabilitation and development (LRRD),
● Transition assistance
● Development-oriented emergency relief
● Example of German development politics in health (e.g., focus on UHC, one health)
● Building resilience in a country
● Structural transitional aid for bridging development cooperation and humanitarian aid
● Reducing post-disaster complexity in health systems
● Streamlining donor aid with in-country programs
● Tangible interventions for rehabilitation, relief and development
● Quality of care as neglected driver for development

Week 3-4 (22 hours)

Intercultural sensitivity in medical contexts
● Scales and dimensions of culture
● Intercultural challenges in healthcare

Humanitarian negotiation (interactive workshop by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN)
● Challenges and dilemmas
● Typology of negotiations (including de-escalating measures of communication)
● Identification of priorities and objectives
● Leveraging influence, network mapping
- Understanding the counterpart
Methods:
The course uses participatory learning, based on lectures (16 hours), seminars (9 hours), group work (7 hours) and an interactive workshop by CCHN (18 hours), as well as self-directed learning (75 hours).
Prerequisites:
A strong command of the English language equivalent to English TOEFL test 550 or 213 computer-based or 79/80 internet-based or IELTS band 6.0 is required.
Attendance:
Maximum number of students: 40 (20 tropEd students). Minimum number of students for the course to take place: 8 students
In order to be permitted to write the exam and receive a grade report or an attendance certificate, students have to attend 80% of the contact time.
Selection:
Participants are selected on a first come first served basis.
Late applications will be considered as long as places are available.
Fees:
1.300€ (students facing financial hardship may contact the tropEd representative)
Scholarships:
There are no current specific scholarships for this course.
tropEd accreditation:
Accredited in Amsterdam, Sept. 2025. This accreditation is valid until Sept. 2030
Remarks:
Recommended pre-course reading:
● WHO (2019) Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management Framework. Geneva, World Health Organization. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/326106/9789241516181-eng.pdf
● ICRC/Center of Competence for Humanitarian Negotiation (2020) CCHN Negotiator Handbook. Available from: https://www.icrc.org/en/publication/nh-cchn-negotiator-handbook
● Benner, M.T., Schmitz, K.P. (2009) Indicators and Reference Data: A Practical Tool for Project Managers in Humanitarian Aid. Cologne, Malteser International. Available from: https://reliefweb.int/report/world/indicators-and-reference-data-practical-tool-project-managers-humanitarian-aid
● OCHA - United Nations (2022) Disaster Response in Asia and the Pacific Available from: https://asiadisasterguide.unocha.org/III-humanitarian-actors.html
● Sphere Association (2018) The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. Available from: https://reliefweb.int/report/world/sphere-handbook-humanitarian-charter-and-minimum-standards-humanitarian-response-2018
● Druce, P., Bogatyreva, E., Siem, F. F., Gates, S., Kaade, H., Sundby, J., Rostrup, M., Andersen, C., Rustad, S. C. A., Tchie, A., Mood, R., Nygård, H. M., Urdal, H. & Winkler, A. S. (2019) Approaches to protect and maintain health care services in armed conflict – meeting SDGs 3 and 16. Conflict and Health. 13 (2). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-019-0186-0
Date Of Record Creation: 2025-10-28 11:13:57 (W3C-DTF)
Date Of Record Release: 2025-10-28 11:36:13 (W3C-DTF)
Date Record Checked: 2025-10-28 (W3C-DTF)
Date Last Modified: 2025-10-28 11:36:13 (W3C-DTF)