United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) May 2018
InterWorks facilitated a Senior Emergency Leadership Programme (SELP) workshop event in Diovonneles-Bains, France from 27 May – 1 June 2018. The SELP prepares senior staff with a personal grade at P5 and above for deployment to leadership roles within major or complex emergencies, or to be deployed as senior coordinators within the framework of the Inter-Agency Rapid Response Mechanism (IARRM) for system-wide Level 3 emergencies. SELP Participants and their supervisors agree to their being placed on the Senior Corporate Emergency Roster (SCER), on standby for immediate deployment for up to two months. In addition to the workshop, the SELP has an additional complementary self-study component accessed through the UNHCR Learn & Connect platform.
The SELP was designed to help those on the SCER to succeed at three levels of objectives: strategic, operational, and team-level as described below.
Strategic Leadership Objectives
- Better be able to lead, manage and coordinate the development and implementation of an over-arching strategy in emergencies in an inclusive manner which engages all relevant stakeholders, in both refugee operations and IDP operations/complex emergencies
- Better understand their own leadership attitudes and skills, including: contextual analysis; external stakeholder relationship building; and assessing, implementing and managing rapid changes in tasks, structures, processes and relationships – and develop a personal plan for continuing improvement.
Operational Leadership Objectives
- Be able to apply sound management approaches in an emergency context. This includes establishing and managing emergency operations in line with results-based management principles (e.g. emergency standards and indicators); exercising sound resource and information management, etc.
- Recognize the importance of external relations and fund-raising strategies in support of the operation.
Team Leadership Objectives
- Review themes, guidance, and approaches necessary for leading a UNHCR team in an emergency, communicating a strategic vision, building the team and managing conflict.
- Promote and manage personal and team security, health and wellbeing.
It was a superb selection of participants facilitated by a group of experienced staff.
– Workshop participant.