List of free online humanitarian and international negotiation courses

Successful negotiations play a pivotal role in the dynamic and complex field of humanitarian work. Negotiations serve as a vital tool for humanitarians to navigate the complexities of humanitarian crises, negotiate access to affected populations, and find sustainable solutions for conflict resolution. Effective negotiation skills enable us to build relationships, foster cooperation, and advocate for the needs and rights of vulnerable communities. This blog post presents a curated list of free online negotiation courses for humanitarians. They empower individuals to enhance their negotiation skills and contribute to more effective and impactful humanitarian interventions.

Frontline Negotiations website of CCHN

Before providing a list of online international negotiation courses for humanitarians, I recommend visiting the Frontline Negotiations website Frontline Negotiations from CCHN. It is packed with plentiful resources. It’s a peer-to-peer network on humanitarian negotiations and so much more. The Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN) was officially founded in 2016 as a joint initiative of five humanitarian agencies: the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Médecins Sans Frontières Switzerland (MSF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

This is a post following various other lists of free online courses available to familiarise ourselves with humanitarian and international aid (see the introduction post here: a list of trusted online humanitarian learning opportunities) or keep on learning skills in WASH (for example Water and Sanitation or Waste Management in humanitarian settings) or logistics for instance. Find a complete overview here of previous lists. If you wish to contribute to future lists, please do not hesitate to contact me! Enjoy this week’s post!

Free introduction (international) negotiation courses

The First Steps in Negotiating by Skillsoft (0,5 hour)
Negotiating the Best Solution by Skillsoft (0,5 hour)
Negotiation tactics by Video Arts on IFRC’s website (0,5 hour)
Negotiating: Tying the knot by Video Arts on IFRC’s website (0,5 hour)
Mastering Influence and Negotiation by Alison (3 hours)
Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills by University of Michigan (7 weeks – 2 hours per week)
Introduction to Negotiation: A Strategic Playbook for Becoming a Principled and Persuasive Negotiator by Yale University (31 hours)
Negotiation Fundamentals by ESSEC Business School (7 hours)
International and Cross-Cultural Negotiation by ESSEC Business School (11 hours)
The Art of Negotiation by UCI University of California, Irvine (6 hours)
Negotiations by the University of Pennsylvania (13 hours)
Negotiation Strategies and Styles by Tecnologico de Monterrey (25 hours)

Free courses for negotiation courses for access in humanitarian settings

Humanitarian Access by Norwegian Refugee Council NRC (1 hour)
Unlocking Humanitarian Access by Norwegian Refugee Council NRC (4 hour)
Negotiating for Humanitarian Access by Mercy Corps and Disaster Ready (1 hour)

Free courses for negotiating in conflict resolutions

Introduction to Conflict Management and Negotiation by Alison (3 hours)
Mediation and Conflict Resolutions by ESSEC Business School (14 hours)
Negotiation, Mediation and Conflict Resolution Specialization by ESSEC Business School (40 hours)
Negotiation skills: Negotiate and resolve conflict by Macquarie University (14 hours)
Negotiation and Conflict by Alison (3 hours0

Other free great online courses related to (humanitarian) negotiations

Influencing Essentials by Video Arts, at IFRC’s website (4 hours)
Communication in Emergency Operations by IFRC (0,5 hour)
Advocating to Senior National and International Leadership in Complex Situations by UNICEF (0,5 hour)
Communication Skills – Persuasion and Motivation by Alison (3 hours)

Clingendael Institute's free certification Humanitarian Negotiations Programme

The programme was established in 2016 with support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The training courses are offered in The Hague, near conflict areas and online. This training is meant for humanitarian aid workers who are currently employed in this field and for whom humanitarian negotiations play a role in their regular activities. . The Clingendael Institute focuses on equipping participants with a set of tools which allows them to better analyse a situation they find themselves in and to make more conscious choices on how to negotiate. After full participation, participants will receive a certificate. There are no fees connected to participation.

This reference was added to this blog post after publishing when I was informed about this great free course for humanitarians! Click here to learn more (go to Clingendael’s page of the Humanitarian Negotiations Programme).

Disclaimer, I am far from an expert with all online courses and MOOCs available on effective international negotiations. So, if you happen to know of other essential courses, please feel free to please drop me a note. I relish keeping my sector, peers and those interested in humanitarian assistance up to date with all the great online free learning courses available online. This series once started on World Humanitarian Day 2022, with the first post: a list of trusted online humanitarian learning opportunities. Since then I have published regular list of online free courses in various domains within our sector.