May 27, 2025 | Human Rights
The international peacebuilding programme brings together participants from 18 countries, supported by the Ministry of Defence, Fundación Carolina, and the Alfaz del Pi City Council.
REACT 2025 Training Program Kicks Off in Alfaz del Pi with National and International Institutional Support
This Monday, May 26, the opening ceremony of the REACT course (Rapid Expert Assistance and Cooperation Teams) took place in El Albir, Alfaz del Pi (Alicante). Organized by Helsinki España, REACT is an international training program focused on peacebuilding and humanitarian action.
The event was attended by distinguished civil and military authorities, including:
- Colonel José Luis Calvo Albero, Director of the Security and Defense Coordination and Studies Division at the Spanish Ministry of Defense;
- Mr. Juan José Martín Martín, Head of the Training and Technological Development Department at Fundación Carolina;
- Ms. Isabel María Muñoz Llorens, Councilor for Cooperation and Volunteering of the Municipality of l’Alfàs del Pi;
- Ms. María Jaén Barandiarán, President of Helsinki España, who officially welcomed the participants on behalf of the organizing team;
Councilor Isabel Muñoz welcomed the international students to Alfaz del Pi, “a town with a predominantly international population,” and expressed her hope that REACT 2025 would not only be a space for learning, but also a platform for connection and peacebuilding. She encouraged participants to explore the town, its beach, lighthouse, and beautiful landscapes.
Colonel Calvo Albero emphasized that “we are living in a time of war, and we will need a massive effort in stabilization, disarmament, social reconstruction, and peacekeeping—and we must prepare for that now.” He highlighted the importance of programs like REACT in training future peace professionals.
Mr. Juan José Martín Martín, from Fundación Carolina—which has awarded scholarships to Ibero-American students to attend REACT for over 15 years—announced that the scholarship program would be expanded in 2026, allowing more individuals to receive training in human rights and conflict resolution. He also highlighted the high female participation in this edition as a significant step toward equity in the international arena.
María Jaén Barandiarán, President of Helsinki España, thanked the institutional support of the Municipality of Alfaz del Pi for hosting the course and providing its facilities, the Ministry of Defense for enabling the participation of military personnel, and Fundación Carolina for its ongoing support. She also praised the courage and commitment of the participants who have chosen to dedicate themselves to conflict resolution and international peacebuilding.
REACT is Helsinki España’s flagship international training program in peacebuilding: a comprehensive, 220-hour, in-person course on conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation. Launched in 2003 at the proposal of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, with the support of the OSCE and the United Nations, its goal is to equip selected professionals with the skills and competencies required to work in international peace operations.
Now in its 29th edition, REACT is a consolidated and well-regarded program in the fields of peacebuilding and humanitarian action. Over the past 20+ years, it has trained hundreds of professionals who now work with organizations such as the United Nations, OSCE, European Union, Red Cross, and NGOs operating in conflict zones and humanitarian crisis settings around the world.
REACT 2025 runs from May 26 to June 28 and brings together professionals and future experts in humanitarian action, peacebuilding, and human rights from 18 different nationalities, including countries such as Sudan, Austria, Brazil, Cameroon, Lebanon, Syria, and the Netherlands. The faculty is composed of over 20 instructors from 8 different nationalities, including the United States, Sweden, and Germany.
Over five weeks of intensive training, participants will explore key topics such as conflict analysis and prevention, civilian protection, international humanitarian law, disarmament and reintegration, countering disinformation, field security, gender perspective, and stress management in hostile environments. The course will conclude with a practical week of outdoor field training using the HEAT (Hostile Environment Awareness Training) methodology, designed to prepare participants to operate safely and effectively in high-risk situations.
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.
Oct 10, 2024 | Education, Human Rights
“Challenges and Threats to International Security: Building Critical Thinking from the University” is an event funded by the General Secretariat for Defense Policy of the Ministry of Defense. Its objective is to enhance knowledge about current challenges and threats to international security, encourage analysis and critical thinking, and engage young people in key issues in today’s international security. The sessions will be led by representatives from the Ministry of Defense, the Higher Center for National Defense Studies, the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies, and security experts.
If you’re interested in delving into the major global threats that jeopardize peace and international security, understanding the impact of disinformation on contemporary democracies through the use of social media, and learning about the risks associated with new hybrid warfare strategies, you shouldn’t miss this activity.
With a duration of approximately 5 hours, there will be three sessions led by experts, followed by one university debate session. The project focuses on fostering critical thinking to enhance the analytical and argumentative abilities of the participants. To achieve this, at the end of the event, different groups will be formed among the attendees to discuss issues previously raised during the event.
The event will take place on Wednesday, October 23rd, from 08:30 AM to 02:00 PM at the University of Nebrija.
Register here or via email at iucpm2@helsinkiespana.org
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.
