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The Children and Armed Conflict Advanced Training (Third edition)
The application deadline is on 13 July 2026, 23:59 CEST
Children are the primary victims of armed conflict and are disproportionally affected by it. Protecting them is a moral, legal and strategic imperative and failing to protect them risks undermining sustainable peace, stability and development. To better address the situation of conflict-affected children and prevent grave violations against them, partnerships with a broad range of actors are needed, as well as professionals who are trained on how to mainstream child rights and child protection in their respective fields of work. The Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) Advanced Training aims to address those needs and develop skills and competencies that enable participants to translate knowledge into practice, thereby enhancing the protection of conflict-affected children.
TO APPLY, PLEASE FILL OUT THIS APPLICATION FORM
The Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (OSRSG-CAAC), in collaboration with UNSSC, and the financial support of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism (MFT) of Malta, and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, is organizing the third edition of the Advanced Training on Children and Armed Conflict (hereafter referred to as the Advanced Training).
This edition of the Advanced Training builds on the experiences, feedback and lessons learned from the 2022 Virtual Summer School on Child Protection in Armed Conflict as well as the previous editions of the Advanced Training on CAAC and it complements the knowledge acquired by participants through the CAAC Primer, a self-paced online course co-developed by the OSRSG-CAAC and the UNSSC.
Both trainings aim to raise awareness and strengthen knowledge about the CAAC agenda, enabling participants to contribute to its implementation through their work. While the CAAC Primer is meant to provide introductory knowledge, the Advanced Training will delve more into detail in some key areas of the CAAC agenda. Through practical exercises and discussions, it further seeks to develop skills and competencies to empower and enable participants to translate knowledge into practice, including by building partnerships and establishing inter-sectoral collaborations.
By the end of the Advanced Training, participants will be able to:
- Contribute to the implementation of the CAAC agenda and the protection of children affected by armed conflict;
- Mainstream the CAAC agenda into a wide range of related topics and in different fora;
- Confidently advocate for ending and preventing grave violations against children;
- Build and strengthen partnerships and establish inter-sectoral collaboration.
The Advanced Training is delivered entirely online. A stable internet connection and appropriate equipment (an electronic device to connect, headphones, a microphone, and a camera) will be needed. The course is hosted on the UNSSC online learning platform, which offers a high degree of flexibility for accessing content from anywhere and at any time.
The language of the course is English.
This online course is spread over three months (of which one is self-paced), and it is divided into two parts:
- Part I – CAAC Primer. Self-paced online learning of around 4.5 hours to be completed in September 2026 before the start of Part II at the beginning of October 2026. The CAAC Primer will provide an introductory knowledge and common understanding of the CAAC agenda.
- Part II – Advanced Training. Eight live sessions of 2.5 hours per week (from 1 October 2026 to 19 November 2026), which combine presentations, open discussions with experts, and practice-oriented exercises. The sessions will offer a dynamic learning environment seeking the engagement and active participation of participants through collaborative activities tailored to adult audiences and online teaching.
During the course, there will be dedicated moments for experience sharing, joint reflection, peer-to-peer learning, and opportunities to build partnerships and establish inter-sectoral collaborations. UNSSC and OSRSG-CAAC facilitators will guide and interact with participants throughout the course.
Certificates by the UNSSC and the OSRSG-CAAC will be issued upon completion of the CAAC Primer and participation in at least 7 out of the 8 live sessions of the Advanced Training.
Part I – CAAC Primer
- Module 1 – Introduction to the Children and Armed Conflict agenda;
- Module 2 – The six grave violations against children;
- Module 3 – Key CAAC actors and partners and their roles;
- Module 4 – The CAAC toolbox.
Part II – Advanced Training
The following topics will be tentatively covered during the eight live sessions:
- Impact of armed conflict in populated areas;
- Engagement with parties to the conflict (state/non-state actors);
- Prevention of grave violations against children;
- Protecting children while countering terrorism;
- Release and reintegration of children formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups;
- Accountability and justice for children affected by armed conflict.
The Advanced Training targets a diverse range of professionals, including staff members from the UN system, governments, military, regional organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and academia working on CAAC or in a related area or plan to work on it.
Admission requirements
Applicants must:
- Have a basic understanding of, and a professional interest in, the CAAC agenda;
- Hold at least a BA in Law, Political Science or International Relations or bring equivalent professional experience in a relevant field;
- Have an advanced English level (C1 CEFR level);
- Commit to actively participate in the training.
In applying, the potential selected participants commit to actively participate in the training and to complete the above-mentioned CAAC Primer ahead of the first live session.
Selection criteria
The selection criteria includes quality of motivation, relevant experience and knowledge, commitment, diversity (gender, geographic region, sector, etc.), and willingness to actively participate in the course and contribute to the implementation of the CAAC agenda.
Thanks to the generous support of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism (MFT) of Malta, and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, the Advanced Training is offered free of charge.
