The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) works towards a world free of antipersonnel landmines and for the reduction of the humanitarian impact of remnants of war.

The GICHD will, in partnership with others, provide operational assistance, create and disseminate knowledge, improve quality management and standards, and support instruments of international law, all aimed at increasing the performance and professionalism of mine action. The GICHD undertakes research for the purpose of creating new knowledge on issues faced by countries affected by mines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW). To share this knowledge, the Geneva Centre provides training and advisory services for national and expatriate mine action officials at all levels of management, technical advisors fielded by UN agencies and NGOs, as well as for donors and diplomats. These services support the professional development of key actors and the improvement of programme and project performance, and ultimately, support capacity development of the mine action community as a whole.

Training Services

GICHD training services are pedagogical in nature. Activities are guided by lesson plans, and make use of participatory, multi-media techniques in a formal session. These services are participant-focused; promote understanding and retention among participants, and employ formal education methodologies to disseminate messages. In addition, training workshops use assessments and invite feedback to improve future activities, and award participants a certificate upon the successful completion of the training. In a training setting, presentations will be used sparingly.

Advisory Services

GICHD advisory services are not formally taught activities. They are informative and participatory in nature but are aimed to introduce issues and stimulate discussion among small groups of specifically selected individuals. Examples of such activities are general presentations, briefings, meetings and roundtable discussions.

The Centre typically delivers these training and advisory services at a reduced or at no cost. They are flexible in design and shaped to meet the particular learning needs of participants, ranging from those who are relatively new to mine action to those with experience and specialised knowledge.

The immediate aim of these services is to increase the capacity of mine action professionals to formulate and implement coherent and effective mine action programmes. The long-term aim is to strengthen the capability and effectiveness of mine action centres, non-governmental and other organisations to respond to the challenge of landmines and explosive remnants of war.

The GICHD currently offers training and advisory services on a wide variety of mine action topics. This brochure outlines the various services offered by the Centre. If you are in need of training or advice on a topic not listed, please contact us as we may be able to meet your special needs.