Nov 8, 2024 | Heat
From Helsinki España, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Operation Bless and Remar SOS for trusting us to deliver comprehensive security training to their staff. Over the course of five intense and hands-on days, participants had the opportunity to engage in practical learning designed to improve their ability to handle high-risk situations in hostile environments. We would also like to extend a special thanks to Escuela de las 3 Armas for their outstanding team of professionals, as well as Antonio de Dios González, our expert psychologist, and the experienced instructors from Auto Rescate 4×4, who all played a crucial role in making this training a success.
Throughout the course, participants covered a broad range of critical topics, including basic life support and first aid, secure information handling, map reading and GPS navigation, and 4×4 convoy driving. The training also focused on stress and risk management, safety in crowd and riot situations, and practical hostage survival techniques, all of which are essential for ensuring safety and operational effectiveness in challenging and unpredictable environments.
We are proud to have had the opportunity to help strengthen the capabilities of these dedicated professionals, and we look forward to continuing our work in supporting those who operate in high-risk settings.
For more information or inquiries about future training programs, please email: iucpm@helsinkiespana.org
Oct 10, 2024 | Education
For the third consecutive year, Helsinki España, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), has organized the UN OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) civil-military cooperation course in the municipality of l’Alfàs del Pi. This course is designed to improve coordination between civilian and military actors during humanitarian emergencies, a crucial task to ensure an effective and unified response in crisis situations.
Over the span of a week, 22 professionals from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Spanish Ministry of Defense, and AECID participated in an intensive training program addressing the key challenges of coordination in humanitarian operations. The course covered essential topics such as communication management during emergencies, planning and executing on-the-ground interventions, and the critical role of maintaining neutrality and independence in humanitarian assistance.
Held in l’Alfàs del Pi, the course received support from local authorities. The closing ceremony was attended by councilwoman Isabel Muñoz and Rocío Guijarro, representing the l’Alfàs del Pi municipality, as well as María Jaén, President of Helsinki España, and Ángela Suárez, Secretary General of the association. They emphasized the importance of these trainings in ensuring that both civilian and military actors can work together effectively during crises, optimizing the delivery of aid and protecting those affected.
Helsinki España would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to the City Council of l’Alfàs del Pi for their continued support and collaboration in making this course possible. Each year, this training provides valuable tools to professionals dedicated to humanitarian aid, strengthening their capacity to intervene in emergency situations and improving the international humanitarian response.
Apr 19, 2024 | Education, Human Rights, REACT
The Environmental Education Center (CEA) Carabineros de l’Alfàs del Pi will host from May 27 to June 22 the twenty-eighth edition of REACT, a five-week training program on peace processes and conflict prevention, organized by the association Helsinki Spain.
he mayor of l’Alfàs del Pi, Vicente Arques, has received at City Hall the president of Helsinki Spain, María Jaén Barandiarán, to learn the details of this training program for the fourth consecutive year will be held in l’Alfàs del Pi. A meeting which was also attended by the councilors of Cooperation and Volunteering, Isabel Muñoz, and International Residents, Martine Mertens, and the mayor of Culture, Manuel Casado.
This program trains professionals from different fields interested in improving their knowledge in conflict prevention, crisis and post-conflict management, rehabilitation and development, as well as their practical skills for field work in international peace operations.
The program uses a variety of methodologies, including presentations and lectures, discussions, group work, practical and advanced role-playing sessions, outdoor activities and simulation exercises.
REACT was created in 2003 with the objective of preparing professionals with diverse professional backgrounds interested in joining the Rapid Expert Assistance and Co-operation Teams (REACT) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). During this time, more than 500 people have been trained.
The course content has been expanded to include all aspects related to conflict prevention and peacekeeping in the different contexts in which peace operations take place.
The program is divided into five modules: ‘Conflict Analysis’, ‘Protection of Civilians’, ‘Challenges in Peacekeeping’, ‘Human Security and Complex Crimes’ and ‘HEAT’, which includes simulations to learn how to deal with associated risks and other critical or emergency situations during mission deployment. As in the three previous editions, the first four modules will be held in l’Alfàs del Pi.
Created in 1992, Helsinki Spain is a leading organization in the field of peace education, human rights and development, both nationally and internationally, thanks to the quality and diversification of its educational and training programs capable of adapting to a dynamic society in continuous change.
Mar 7, 2024 | Human Rights, Iniciativas
Helsinki Spain will hold the “Seminar on Migration and Refugee: International Protection in the Context of Human Trafficking,” a conference co-organized with the Chair of Refugees and Forced Migrants of the University Institute for Migration Studies (IUEM), in close collaboration with GEOSEDE, and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
During this event, we will delve into topics related to the complexity of human trafficking and its international implications. We will explore international protection strategies being implemented to combat it. In addition to the theoretical part led by experts in the field, the seminar will conclude with a debate on the issues raised during the day, aiming to foster the exchange of ideas, critical thinking, and promote enriched collective learning.
The seminar will take place on March 14, 2024, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm, at the García Polavieja Hall, located at 23 Alberto Aguilera Street, Madrid.
If you are interested in learning, reflecting, and contributing together to the fight against human trafficking, we invite you to register at the following link for more details and to secure your participation: registration link.
Oct 17, 2023 | Education, Human Rights
With the diploma presentation ceremony, the course on civil-military cooperation by OCHA, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, has come to an end for the second consecutive year in l’Alfàs del Pi. This event was organized by the Helsinki Spain association, the Ministry of Defense, and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
Over the course of a week, 24 individuals were trained in organizing civil-humanitarian coordination actions in emergency situations.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is the UN Secretariat’s arm responsible for mobilizing and coordinating the response of humanitarian actors to emergencies.
OCHA’s responsibilities after a disaster, at the request of the affected country, include assessing needs, forwarding requests for humanitarian aid funding to other agencies, organizing donor meetings and monitoring mechanisms, overseeing the status of contributions made in response to requests, and providing reports as events unfold.
From the l’Alfàs del Pi City Hall, the Councilor for Association Relations, Patrick de Meirsman, expressed gratitude to Helsinki Spain for hosting this course in the municipality for the second year, where experts in international humanitarian assistance in emergency situations are trained. De Meirsman attended the closing ceremony, held at a hotel in l’Alfàs del Pi, alongside María Jaén and Ángela Suárez, representatives of the Helsinki Spain association.
