In the wake of the devastating earthquake earlier this year, humanitarians in Türkiye and North-west Syria face unprecedented challenges. In a complex, high-needs environment like this, accessing and supporting affected communities often relies on humanitarians’ ability to negotiate effectively. 

In response, Clingendael Academy trained humanitarians operating in Türkiye and North West Syria in May 2023. However, continued requests from the affected region indicated that the need for humanitarian negotiation trainings remains at an all-time high. In light of this, Clingendael partnered up with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to provide two trainings in Gaziantep for IOM staff and their implementing partners. 

The Clingendael team was able to deliver a foundation course and a second training targeting more senior staff members. The focus of the foundation course was to share essential negotiation tools that can easily be applied in the negotiations that participants encounter daily. In the training for senior staff, emphasis was placed on developing a robust understanding of the influence of mandates on a negotiation. Thoroughly considering the content of a mandate internally is key to the success of a negotiation. 

Most of the participants indicated that their biggest lesson of the training has been the increased understanding of seeing and experiencing negotiation as a process, which includes several phases that you want to go through and can prepare for.