NOHA Simulation Exercise / Brussels

The Paradox Game is a three-day role-playing exercise focused on disaster preparedness and humanitarian crisis response planning to be held in the Brussels area.

This simulation exercise, taking place in the fictional country of Paradoxia, has been developed by humanitarian crisis practitioners and academics with extensive backgrounds in humanitarian work, both in the field and at senior decision-making levels in NGOs, the UN, and government. In addition, senior-level practitioners from humanitarian organizations will participate in various capacities to enhance the realistic aspects of the exercise.

The Paradox Game is designed to present a series of complex humanitarian challenges to the participants, necessitating their thinking and acting is a creative and responsive manner to events focusing on disaster preparedness and response, all within a framework of conflict and internal displacement. The participants will need to address questions related to issues of human rights and the impact to national and local policy. Questions related to protection, both legal and physical, will come into play as well. Participants are encouraged to exam-ine their concerns and individual assumptions on these hu-manitarian challenges.

Format

Participants will work in small teams. Each team represents a specific actor, such as a local NGO or government entity, faced with challenges that need to be addressed in an inter-active and cooperative manner under dynamic circumstanc-es and within limited time. Prior to the game’s commencement, participants will receive briefing information, including team assignments and situa-tion-specific readings designed to prepare them to become active participants.

Facilitators

Dr. ir. Leonard van Duijn, Humanitarian Advisor, Guest re-searcher at Globalisation Studies Groningen (GSG).
Prof. Howard (Roy) Williams, Visiting Professor, University Swiss Italia, Lugano, Switzerland, Adjunct Assistant Profes-sor, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, and former Director, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), USAID.
Xabier Garay Barayazarra, NOHA Deusto Faculty.
Jules Pieters, MAS, former Coordinator of Emergency Opera-tions Support of the World Health Organization, and former manager, MSF Holland Emergency Desk.
Dr. Bruno Haghebaert, Coordinator Humanitarian Aid Ser-vices, Belgian Red-Cross Flanders.

General information

Duration: 3 days, 9am to 5 pm
Dates: 1st-3rd December, 2016
Place: Brussels, Belgium
Language: English Fees: free-of-charge (includes participation and materials)
Participants: NOHA 3rd semester students*, NOHA alumni & externals

Application deadline: November 10, 2016
Application form: link

Contact

Ms. Amaranta Luna
University of Groningen
i.a.luna.arteaga@rug.nl
+31 50 363 2420

Documents