External training opportunities on gender and social inclusion

Gender topics and general introduction

• UN Women
  UN Women offers various types of trainings. These include knowledge on general gender equality concepts and programming, as well as on specific gender related topics. This also includes courses on gender in humanitarian action. The course offer is structured in 3 main categories: Self-placed courses, scheduled courses, customized courses.
• Prevention collaborative learning lab
  This is a source for action-oriented learning experiences on preventing violence against women and their children. The Learning Lab equips participants with the knowledge, skills, and tools to design and deliver effective prevention programmes informed by feminist principles, evidence, and practice-based knowledge.

Gender, climate change and DRR

• Climate Change, Peace and Security 
  Understanding climate-related security risks through an integrated lens. The self-paced UN CC:e-Learn course lays the foundation for understanding the interlinkages between climate change, peace, security, and social and gender-based inclusion.
• UN Women climate-related security risks e-learning course
  The course lays the foundation for understanding the interlinkages between climate change, peace, security, and social and gender-based inclusion.
• Women’s Resilience to Disasters Knowledge Hub
  UN Women site where one can find training manuals on gender,DRR and climate resilience.

Gender and economics: Women’s economic empowerment

• Center for Development and Cooperation NADEL, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  The center offers annual courses on Gender and Economics. This course has been developed jointly by NADEL, UN Women and SDC. For each course, six places are reserved for SDC staff, for which course fees are covered. First come, first serve. For more information, contact the Gender Unit.

Gender Based Violence (GBV)

• Prevention collaborative Learning Lab
  The lab is a source for action-oriented learning experiences on preventing violence against women and their children. The Learning Lab equips participants with the knowledge, skills, and tools to design and deliver effective prevention programmes informed by feminist principles, evidence, and practice-based knowledge.

GBV in emergencies

• Email to Olanike Adelakun
  Certificate Course. American University of Nigeria, School of Law (supported by the SDC). Course was delivered online in 2020 due to Covid 19 Restrictions but will resume in person soon.

Gender and humanitarian action

• Geneva Centre for Humanitarian Studies, Switzerland
  The centre regularly conducts online courses on addressing sexual violence in conflict and emergency settings.
• IASC e-Learning on Gender Equality in Humanitarian Action
  Self-paced UN Women course in French and English: To provide introductory guidance on the fundamentals of applying a gender-equality approach across all stages of the humanitarian programming cycle, based on the content of the IASC’s 2017 Gender Handbook for Humanitarian Action.

PSEAH

• CHSAlliance key services
  A comprehensive summary of CHSAlliance services on what is protection from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment?
• CHSAlliance key resources
  Resources, guidance, tools and advice.
• CHSAlliance: Email to Coline Rapneau
  CHSAlliance learning and collaboration opportunities, such as webinars, events and conference on the issue of PSEAH to share experience, good practices and challenges in order to move forward in a more coordinated way. Tailored support for our members upon request.
• CHSAlliance learning and capacity sharing opportunities
  Take the one-hour e-learning course to understand how the CHS PSEAH Index can support your organisation’s work. See PSEAH training courses. For more information about these, please contact the training team.
• Inter Action
  Courses and modules providing humanitarian and development staff with knowledge of sexual abuse and exploitation and how to address it.
• Sexual exploitation and abuse 101 course
  Inter Action investigation course and materials.
• Safeguarding support and resource hub
  Trainings and events overview page.
• UN Office of the victims rights advocate OVRA
  United Nations system-wide training module on the rights and dignity of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment.

Social protection introductory courses and webinars

• Global Forum on Adaptive Social Protection recording of the opening session
• Global Forum on Adaptive Social Protection recording of the closing session
  The Global Forum on Adaptive Social Protection aims to strengthen alliances among social protection actors with a view to extending social protection to more people around the world. The event took place from 13 to 15 June 2023 in Berlin.
• Socialprotection.org e-learning
  Explore a compilation of self-paced and instructor-paced courses on various matters related to social protection.
• Socialprotaction.org webinars
  Webinars are offered by different organisations and platforms on relevant social protection topics and issues on a continuous basis. In order to receive updates you can subscribe to the relevant websites.
• Weekly social protection links by Ugo Gentilini
  The website by Ugo Gentilini provides further social protection links on a weekly basis.
• Institute of Development Studies
  Specialist primer online course on social protection.
• CALP network
  Linking humanitarian CVA and social protection: A short introductory self-paced online course.
• International training centre of the ILO
  Various instructor-led online and blended learning courses and academies related to social protection by the Turin Centre Turin Centre.

Leave No One Behind

• LNOB: GIZ
  Online training.
• Disability: OHCHR
  How can the SDG goals be implemented in compliance with the UN CRPD? Detailed resources, including training documentation.
• Disability: UNICEF, World Bank and Water Aid
  Online course “Taking action to achieve inclusive WASH”.
• Disability: Towards Disability Inclusive Programme Monitoring
  Online course.
• Disability: Center for Inclusive Policy
  Learning videos focusing on social protection, disability extra costs, and data/Washington Group Questions. Short and to the point.
• Social Protection: Several courses on Shareweb
  For PGE members only.
• Social Protection: Shareweb webniars
  For PGE members only.
• Participatory methods: IDS using participatory action research to improve development practice
  Institute of development studies.
• Participatory methods: IDS participatory monitoring and evaluation for learning
  Institute of development studies.

Social protection online learning series

The SDC's training in 2021 and 2022 encompassed ten learning events spread over a period of one year. The learning modules built one upon another and looked at social protection from various angles. The first two modules generated a common understanding of the concept, instruments and impacts of social protection and constituted the basis for the seven technically more specialised modules which followed afterwards.

Access to the recordings of the Learning Series is based on request. If you are interested, please reach out to Maurice Voyame (see details at the bottom of this page).

• Basic module 1: What is social protection in the SDC?

  This introductory module will lay the foundation for the overall structure of the course. We will discuss the major concepts of social protection in the development context, the target groups as well as how it is linked to overall development goals and principles (human rights, social contract, social cohesion, SDGs/LNOB). What are typical functions and what are typical risks that are being covered? What is shock-responsive social protection? How can we differentiate between humanitarian aid and social protection, and where are the linking points? How can social protection contribute to social inclusion? What are typical target groups? What are the basic functions of social protection and typical impacts (productive, protective, preventative and promotive)? How does social protection fit into SDC's overall development framework and related concepts such as LNOB, social inclusion, protection and decent work?

  • SDC Social Protection Online Learning Series - presentation slides Module 1

    PDF2.14 MB23 June 2021

• Basic module 2: Overview of social protection Instruments and Impacts

  Social protection is delivered through a range of instruments, including cash transfers, conditional cash transfers, insurance or cash and food for work, social services or so-called cash plus, subsidies, fee waivers, school feeding or vouchers. In this module, we will discuss the various instruments in more detail and in which vulnerability, risk and SDC contexts they are usually applied. What are challenges related to universal and targeted approaches? Who are typical stakeholders involved in the delivery of social protection (public, private for and non-profit as well as informal actors and international stakeholders). The module will also provide an overview of the global debate on social protection, including major stakeholders.

  • SDC Social Protection Online Learning Series - presentation slides Module 2

    PDF3.86 MB18 August 2021

• Technical module 3: Agriculture, food security and social protection

  In the context of agriculture social protection relates mainly to two dimensions: 1) protection against life-cycle risks (health, old-age, maternity or chronic poverty) and 2) protection of livelihoods due to loss of income, typcially through climate-risks. Beyond the protective aspect, social protection has also an important promotive dimension. As a demand-based instrument, social protection has a potential role in enhancing agricultural production, employment and increasing local demand. Through complementary resource management measures, e.g. measures against soil erosion, social protection contributes to sustainable livelihoods in the rural context. Also, social protection has an important role with regards to food and nutrition security. While social protection can support households in accessing not only a higher quantity of food, but also more nutritious diets, health care, and education, so-called nutrition-sensitive social protection measures can further improve the impact on food and nutrition security.

  This module aims at providing an overview of typical social protection interventions in the sector aiming at protecting life-cycle risks while at the same time promoting sustainable livelihoods. What are different target groups in the rural context (incl. the chronically, landless poor, transitory poor with productive inputs or the better-off) and how may tailor-made solutions look like for those groups? How can social protection support the twin-track approach to food and nutrition security by providing short-term support through the provision of in-kind or in-cash support and at the same time, enable farmers to increase and strengthen their livelihoods, also by linking it to other sectors, inlcuding employment along the value chain?

  • SDC Social Protection Online Learning Series - presentation slides Module 3

    PDF2.01 MB22 September 2021

• Technical module 4: Social protection in the context of education, employment and private sector development

  Social protection plays an important role in protecting people from exclusion of their basic rights, such as education or from other life-cycle risks caused by a loss of income or other livelihoods. Social protection has also an important promotive function strength
  ening and sustaining equality, productivity and livelihoods with a positive impact on social and economic development and growth. This is particularly strong when linked to complementary measures such basic education, vocational training or social services. In this module, we will discuss some of these instruments in more detail, in particular in the context of the role of social protection in improving access to education, informal employment and decent work.

  • SDC Social Protection Online Learning Series - presentation slides Module 4

    PDF1.83 MB17 November 2021

• Technical module 5: Health and social protection

  Poverty and poor health are inextricably linked. Poverty increases the chances of poor health. Poor health, in turn, traps communities in poverty. In this module we will discuss the role of social protection in the context of health with regards to three dimensions: 1) Social health protection is a means to improve access to health, e.g. through contributory health insurance or other financing mechanisms, such as health funds, vouchers or exemption policies for the poor and most vulnerable groups. 2) Social protection is a social determinant of health. Due to their generally lower educational levels, as well as working and living conditions, poor people are exposed to higher health risks. They tend to live in overcrowded neighbourhoods and usually cannot afford a healthy diet. Poverty is an important factor of social exclusion with negative impacts on mental health and well-being. Supporting poor people in improving their living conditions, social protection has also a positive impact on health outcomes.3) Linking health and social protection measures has a positive impact on health and poverty outcomes: What do we know about the coordination and mutual influence and impacts of social health protection measures linked to social cash transfers (e.g., LEAP-Ghana, CT-OVC Kenya)?
  SDC has a wealth of experience in social health protection. Where could the SDC internally establish or strengthen cross-sectorial links with other thematic areas or clusters?

  • SDC Social Protection Online Learning Series - presentation slides Module 5

    PDF2.41 MB26 January 2022

• Technical module 6: Triple nexus: Humanitarian, development, peace and social protection

  The discussion on humanitarian aid, social protection and peace and development encompasses various dimensions: 1) How can social protection systems become more shock-sensitive as to enable them to quickly adapt to shocks, especially in a recurrent crisis context? 2) How can humanitarian aid interventions, especially in protracted crisis contexts be designed in such a way as to provide a sustainable basis for building up or linking into existing social protection schemes? 3) How can social protection help to support the transition between humanitarian aid and long-term development perspectives? 4) How can social protection contribute to social cohesion, especially in fragile contexts? Herein, the role of refugees and migrants deserves specific consideration.

  This module aims at elaborating the nexus from a social protection perspective aiming at complementing the rich know-how and experience of the SDC humanitarian arm and in particular the cash group. Discussing different models and practical examples, it aims at identifying potential links and entry points, as well as critically discussing major challenges and limits in realising such an approach.

  • SDC Social Protection Online Learning Series - presentation slides Module 6

    PDF3.73 MB23 March 2022

• Technical module 7: Governance / systems strengthening and social protection

  The governance dimension of social protection is closely related to ‹systems building and strengthening in social protection›. This includes amongst others the development of legal frameworks and national strategies for social protection, public finance management and fiscal space, coordination across different ministries, programmes and instruments (e.g. in the context of graduation strategies), management information systems and capacity development in social protection. It also relates to aspects of decentralised management and service provision of social protection goods and services.
  In this module we will discuss potential entry-points, good practices and lessons learnt for SDC in strengthening governance of integrated social protection systems. We will also discuss how the SDC may further strengthen the coordination and integration of social protection systems towards coherent and comprehensive social protection systems, with a particular focus on LNOB. The module will also discuss the politics of social protection or ‹political will› as an important context factor that shapes reforms in social protection.

  • SDC Social Protection Online Learning Series - presentation slides Module 7

    PDF2.67 MB18 May 2022

• Technical module 8: Gender and social protection

  Social protection has a key role in increasing equal access to services for girls and women, promoting equitable employment, empowerment and equal rights and opportunities from early childhood onwards. Social protection systems which address gendered risks over the lifecycle and provide support in situations of poverty, vulnerability or crisis, play a vital role in protecting women and men from poverty and insecurity, helping them to cope with risks, and recover from shocks and ultimately change to transform women's outcomes. Gendered risks over the life-cycle concern in particular women and girls, including barriers to quality education, early pregnancy and increased school-drop out. Women are more likely than men to work in precarious, informal jobs and bear a greater burden of unpaid care. Providing equitable access to gender-responsive social protection contributes to women's and girls' empowerment and opportunities, with wider positive effects for men and boys, their families and communities.
  How may gender-responsive social protection measures look like? What are entry points for SDC to make their social protection initiatives more gender-sensitive? How can gender-related initiatives be more aligned with LNOB?

  • SDC Social Protection Online Learning Series - presentation slides Module 8

    PDF2.15 MB22 June 2022

• Technical module 9: Social protection indicators to leave no one behind

  Improved social protection indicator design can lead to substantial improvements in monitoring, targeting and service delivery for the poor and the most marginalized people.

  It is widely recognized that social protection has broadly reported impacts especially on LNOB. SDC is supporting a wide range of activities in the context of social protection, but the results of social protection are rarely monitored or reported. Outputs and outcomes largely go unnoticed, because these remain hidden under various themes and sectors. Where SDC is reporting on social protection indicators these are mostly input and output but rarely process indicators, a characteristic that SDC shares with many other donors and development partners. Where SDC works with other donors, it tends to report on progress in social protection using other donors' tools and indicators, which could be enhanced and done in a more systematic way.

  SDC has refocused its results monitoring, but further progress is possible concerning social protection indicators. In this module we will look at good practice indicators within the SDC and other donors. What are characteristics of good social protection indicators? How can SDC staff select and further develop social protection indicators? Which practical steps guide good social protection indicator selection and ensure LNOB-sensitivity?

  • SDC Social Protection Online Learning Series - presentation slides Module 9

    PDF2.45 MB24 August 2022

• Technical module 10: Financing social protection

  Social protection systems are typically financed through a combination of tax-financed non-contributory schemes and social insurance schemes that are usually funded by workers and employers. For low-income countries, raising the resources to be able to finance at least a minimum social protection floor provides however, a huge challenge. Domestic fiscal and administrative capacities to increase the fiscal space for social protection are often limited, as is the social insurance coverage - usually confined to the formal public sector economy. This also provides a challenge for development partners aiming at investing in social protection policies, in particular with regards to its sustainability in the long-run. In this module, several strategies and options for increasing the fiscal space for social protection both at national and international level are discussed, including innovative ways of increasing domestic tax revenues, elimination of illicit financial flows, debt management as well management of the ODA aid and transfers in order to sustainably improve the domestic resource base for financing social protection. This also includes approaches to gender-based budgeting.

  • SDC Social Protection Online Learning Series - presentation slides Module 10

    PDF4.08 MB28 September 2022