The Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN) was founded in 2016 as a joint initiative of five humanitarian agencies: the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières Switzerland, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the United Nations World Food Programme.
We facilitate the capture, analysis and sharing of humanitarian negotiation experiences and practices to support a more systematic approach to frontline negotiation. We also provide a space for dialogue across different humanitarian organizations.
At the core of our activities is the CCHN Community of Practice, a global community of humanitarian practitioners working at the frontlines of humanitarian action.
The CCHN is currently hosted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. We are supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
What we do

Foster a global community
Our mission is to facilitate the capture, analysis and sharing of humanitarian negotiation experiences. We foster critical reflections, develop an analytical framework and build a global community of practice among frontline humanitarian negotiators.

Offer a safe space
The Centre provides humanitarian practitioners with a safe and confidential space to exchange on their practices and develop their negotiation skills. We also provide a space for dialogue across different humanitarian organisations.

Develop an analytical framework
We facilitate the capture, analysis and sharing of humanitarian negotiation experiences and practices to support a more systematic approach to frontline negotiation.
Governance
The CCHN is run by a governing board who provides direction to its activities; adopts and reviews its objectives, annual workplan and budget; and reviews the results of its activities.
The governing board is composed of three members of the CCHN community of practice, in their personal capacity; up to four representatives of humanitarian organisations who fund the CCHN; and up to two negotiation experts.
An independent association is charged of selecting board members, paying attention to diversity in terms of gender, professional background and humanitarian perspectives.
Our Team

Before joining the CCHN, Joëlle worked for several years with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in various field operations in Africa and Latin America focusing her work on protection and operational management. She also worked as Policy and Outreach Advisor at the ICRC’s Headquarters in Geneva. Her earlier professional experiences include diplomatic services within the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi (India) as well as field-based legal and advocacy work for non-governmental organisations.
Joëlle holds a master's degree in International Public Law with a specialisation in International Humanitarian Law and a bachelor's degree in International Relations from the universities of Geneva, Vienna and Lucerne.

During his 10-year tenure at the World Food Programme, he served in various roles in the field as well as in leadership positions at the organization’s Rome Headquarters; most recently, as the Deputy Chief of Staff. Rehan has negotiation experiences across a range of contexts, including Yemen, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Sudan, South Sudan.
Rehan holds a Master of Public Affairs in Social and Economic Policy awarded by the University of Texas’ LBJ School of Public Affairs (USA) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics awarded by the Lahore University of Management Sciences (Pakistan).

Originally from Romania, Loredana has a Master’s Degree in Financial Management and is a project manager with certifications in both traditional and agile methodologies. In her free time, Loredana loves volunteering for organisations supporting women's advancement, children's education, environmental protection and professional development.

Her long-standing humanitarian experience includes field missions as an ICRC Protection Delegate in Gaza and Syria and as the Head of Sub Delegation in South Sudan and DRC. Besides her field experience, Fiorella also worked as Program Responsible for the Horn of Africa at the Human Security Division of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and as Risk- and Crisis Management Consultant in the private sector.
Fiorella holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, a Master’s Degree in Conflict and Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Anthropology and Arabic Literature from the University of Zurich.

He previously worked for the ICRC, in the Middle East, as a protection delegate, and for several years as a Learning Facilitator for the Humanitarian Leadership Program in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He also worked in ILOT as a Project Coordinator for the decentralised French cooperation.
Toufik holds a Master's Degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Manchester.

James is an alumnus of Deakin University's Humanitarian Leadership programme where he also attained a Masters of Humanitarian Assistance.

Her academic background in social studies, law and public administration led her to professionally focus on development work and humanitarian action.

She holds a diploma in Political Science and International Relations and studied at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. She is a graduate of the Humanitarian Leadership program at Deakin University (Australia) and is pursuing a Master of Advanced Studies in Peace Building from Swisspeace and the University of Basel.

From 2018 to 2021, he directed his consultancy firm “SPV Consulting – For the Non-Profit sector”, providing strategic and operational humanitarian advisory services to organisations and individuals in Africa (Nairobi and Dakar), Asia (Bangkok), Europe (Geneva), Middle East (Amman) and Australia (Melbourne).
Patrick holds an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, a Master of Arts in Contemporary History from the University Paris XII and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Perpignan (France) and Freiburg-im-Breisgau (Germany).

Thaer’s expertise includes humanitarian protection response and coordination, capacity building and development, access and negotiations, and most recently, durable Solutions coordination.




Frédéric holds a Master’s Degree in International Security and Defence from the Université Grenoble Alpes (France) and a Bachelor's in Logistics and Facility Management from Institut Bioforce (France).

Before joining the CCHN, Hoi worked as a graduate research assistant for the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) Europe, Asia and the Pacific (EAP) hub in Geneva. In the past, she worked as a Youth Development Specialist with the United States Peace Corps in Thailand and also as an AmeriCorps member in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She holds a master’s degree in International Development Studies from the Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID).

Previously, Alina worked in a variety of NGOs and organisations, including MSF, OECD - focussing mostly on promoting access to health care, and peacebuilding, as well as working on emission reduction targets and infrastructure development.
She holds a Master's Degree in International Affairs from the Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID).

Claude has been engaged in international humanitarian action since 1985. From 1990 - 1995, he worked in humanitarian assistance and protection with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Iran, Israel and the Occupied Territories, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Yemen as well as in Geneva as a legal advisor to ICRC operations. In 1996, he joined the United Nations in New York as Special Advisor on Humanitarian Affairs. He worked particularly on humanitarian access in Afghanistan and North Korea as well as the humanitarian impact of sanctions at the Strategic Planning Unit of the Executive Office of the UN Secretary General.
Claude maintains a faculty research and teaching appointment on frontline negotiation at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Sofia holds a Master’s Degree in Public Management and Politics from the Universities of Lausanne and Bern and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Geneva.


Since she joined the ICRC in 1995, she has been engaging with humanitarian organizations and focusing on administrative, financial, logistical and HR issues. She has also worked in the field for many years, mainly in Chechnya, Congo-Brazzaville, Kenya, Sudan and South Sudan.



Barbara holds a Master’s Degree in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Switzerland), an undergraduate degree in Human Rights from the University of Padua (Italy), and an Advanced Certificate in Corporate Communications from the University of Fribourg's School of Management. In addition to English and French, Barbara speaks Italian and Spanish.

Before joining the CCHN, Ana worked as a freelance translator and editor for United Nations agencies and International Non-Governmental Organizations.
Ana holds a master's degree in Legal and Economic Translation from the University of Geneva (Switzerland). She speaks English, Spanish, and French.

Before joining CCHN, Lis worked in the NGO sector where she was responsible for day-to-day support, knowledge management, and the customisation and implementation of new digital tools and processes.
Lis holds a joint master's degree of the Erasmus Mundus MA Global Studies program, which she attended at the University of Wrocław (PL), Stellenbosch University (ZA), and Ghent University (BE).

Before taking on his next role within the German Federal Office, Stephan will be working with the ICRC and the CCHN as staff on loan for nine months. During this time, he will offer his insight and expertise focusing on policy, diplomacy, and political negotiations.
Work with us
For information about job opportunities at the CCHN, please head over to our vacancies page.