The Advanced Training Program on Humanitarian Action, (ATHA) aims to build a foundation of insightful and continuous dialogue on humanitarian issues among relevant stakeholders.

ATHA is a training program mainly intended for partners within actor-driven cooperation. The program does not primarily focus on individual development, but instead focuses is on ways of strengthening and developing the participating partners professional development and capacity.

The Program stands on three pillars:

I. Program Activities
The ATHA Core Training on humanitarian action is presented twice a year. Specialized trainings on key issues are offered a number of times throughout the year. The trainings differ in length, and are focused on specific pressing issues. The training activities are designed to meet the participants’ expectations and needs. In the future seminars and conferences will be published through the program platform. Information regarding the trainings offered within the program will be published continuously, here on the ATHA-portal.

II. The ATHA-portal
Connected to the program is an Internet portal - www.atha.se. The portal functions as a communication platform, a forum for discussions for the trainings and a place where you can findinformation about the program. The portal has a LinkedIn group also connect to, a place for the ATHA Alumni Network and discussion outside the program activities on Emerging Humanitarian Challenges - please read more about our ATHA Community Forum.

III. Policy Support and Analysis
Policy development will be promoted through an ongoing policy dialogue with participating partners whereby the partnership will provide policy inputs in support of the process. This support will include the production of Thematic Briefs targeted to partners and the particular challenges they face in complex political emergencies. You can find our Briefs under Thematic Areas, but also when published under Documents, at Humanitarian Resources.

Training and Support
In these days various actors are increasingly called upon to work in complex and unstable situations. In light of this great benefit would be derived from professional training and policy resources, which would improve planning and operational capabilities in conflict areas. The increased exposure of the staff of international agencies to conflict environments is an emerging trend, which necessitates the development of strategic tools to enhance the capacity of these organizations in high-risk environments, in terms of planning, communication, negotiation of access and security of staff.

With this in mind Sida and HPCR, through training and partnerships with NGOs and other relevant actors, seek to establish a network of humanitarian aid professionals and thereby serve their information and policy needs, and provide a neutral space for reflection on emerging challenges to humanitarian aid organizations and other actors working in complex political emergencies. Within this framework the objective of ATHA is to provide fundamental knowledge of humanitarian activities in both theory and practice, in an international context.

The main target group for the program is NGOs and their partners in the South. Targeted organizations include organizations working with humanitarian aid, as well as organizations oriented towards long term development work. Staff from other International-, regional organisations international NGOs, governmental institutions, academia, IGOs and military may also apply for the trainings within the program. Read more about Training and Participation.

As mentioned above, if you are member of the professional network LinkedIn please join us in fruitful discussions at ATHA Community Forum on Emerging Humanitarian Challenges.

If you seek an brief overview of humanitarian challenges we try to highlight different challenging areas within humanitarian action through our series of Thematic Briefs, soon can be found under each thematic area posted on this site at Thematic Areas. For the purpose of serving the community with information and highlighting various policy areas Sida and HPCR will continue to produce and launch various Thematic Papers on this site. If you want to keep updated with what is happening within the program, please then make sure to subscribe to our Newsletter.

We hope that your organization will find this site useful for your professional needs and participate in future trainings and other activities within the program!

Sida and HPCR International
June 2009