The UNICAH project "Strategic partnership for the Implementation of the University International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Network" has allowed the development of an innovative collaboration space between Universities and European and international entities, with the common mission of promoting solidarity and humanitarian valuesamong their communities. The general objective of the partnership is to train competitive professionals of the humanitarian sector, capable of applying the processes of change, towards a more inclusive and equitable global society, based on human rights. This objective was achieved through the creation of professional training initiatives in the field of International Cooperation for Development and Humanitarian Action, with a special focus on the African continent, as well as through the promotion of innovation in the field of international cooperation for the humanitarian professional sector. Among the intellectual products of the project, we should highlight the UNICAH WORKSHOP, the UNICAH CAMPUS and the database "ONLINE UNICAH", which have been designed, prepared and developed with great satisfaction regarding their results and impact. The UNICAH Workshop, was held at the University of Pavia from November 28 to December 3, 2016. During one week, about 80 international students from more than 19 different nationalities (from Africa, Central Asia, Asia, Latin America , Middle East, and Maghreb), have lived in the city of Pavia, intensively attending lectures, theoretical exercises, group dynamics, debates, role-play, among others. These activities were carried out around the essential theoretical framework that defines the sector of the International Cooperation for Development and Humanitarian Aid (Human rights, Health, food sovereignty, intercultural dialogue, World geopolitical situation, actors of the IDC and the HA, among others). Together with the preparation of the UNICAH Workshop and in response to the feedback of the participants to the same, the consortium has created the database "OPEN UNICAH", a collection of material and open source bibliography, based on virtual learning and self-evaluation, which represents the theoretical complement to teaching activities, permanently available through ICTs and the project website. The UNICAH CAMPUS represents a model of non-formal training activity, carried out at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in April 2019 (9-13). 64 international students and more than 15 experts in the field of IDC and HA have participated in the campus. The interaction between students from different disciplines and nationalities (more than 25 different), the participation of experts and researchers from partner universities, as well as professionals from IDC and HA entities and multilateral organizations, together with the innovative and participatory nature of the activity , have turned the UNICAH CAMPUS into an intellectual product with great impact on the target audience. This highly innovative activity has focused on practical-theoretical simulation actions of field work developed by the main entities of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid in Africa. The campus, focused on the subject of forced human displacement and humanitarian work in these contexts, has represented an academic and logistical challenge for the partnership, as well as a training challenge and academic and personal improvement of its participants, which has overcome Successful expectations and objectives initially planned. The highly professional approach of all the training activities of the UNICAH project has been guaranteed by the inclusion of NGOs and entities of the sector with which the partners collaborate constantly, allowing their inclusion in the UNICAH networking, and in the proposal and design of the MASTER UNICAH. This collaboration between the academic world and the professional world in the humanitarian sector represents one of the innovative aspects, as well as one of the most relevant sustainability frameworks of the UNICAH project. Finally, throughout the execution, but with special emphasis and intellectual work in the last year of the project, the MASTER UNICAH proposal has been developed, and is currently adapting to the EMJDM format of the Erasmus + program. The European Master UNICAH in the field of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Action in Africa was designed to become a space for knowledge, debate and advanced professional and innovative training at European level, capable of prepare change agents and proficient humanitarian professionals, able to find solutions to the challenges of global development.
The project called “Strategic partnership for the Implementation of the University International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Network (UNICAH)” will allow the implementation of an international University network including partner institutions which share the mission of promoting solidarity and humanitarian values among their universities communities, both by preparing competitive professionals of the humanitarian sector able to implement change-making processes towards a more inclusive, respectful and fair global society, and by fostering research and innovation in the field of international cooperation for the humanitarian professional sector. The overall objective of the project is to create and strengthen a collaborative network between universities in order to enhance and establish common guidelines for University professional studies in the field of International Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid. The network will include also highly relevant civil society’s entities of the selected field, with the aim of fostering the cohesion between the higher Education Sector and the Humanitarian professional sector. This will allow identifying the professional and academic skill required to meet the challenges of the Humanitarian sector in the post-2015 Development Agenda. This project will represent a preparation action for the design and implementation of a joint professional Master Degree in International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid to be implemented through future project proposals in the frame of the Erasmus Plus program. Activities: The main activities implemented during the UNICAH project will be the following: - Online and Offline Networking and widening and strengthening of the consortium for the preparation of the Master degree and other shorter accredited courses - Joint design and definition of the Master Degree contests and structure, target groups, formal and non-formal methodology to be implemented, training program and timing, accreditation system, academic and administrative staff involved, etc. - Preparation actions and technical empowerment of partner Universities for the implementation of the Joint Master Degree - Training of Trainers initiatives in the field of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid - Interuniversity short term mobility for academic staff preparing the Master Degree - Innovative pilot experience: implementation of a joint accredited course in the field of International Cooperation and humanitarian Aid between participating Universities.