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ITPCM – International Training Programme for Conflict Management

ITPCM conducts research activities in the fields of: Peacekeeping; humanitarian assistance; election monitoring; disaster preparedness; human rights promotion and protection;

The International Training Programme for Conflict Management (ITPCM) was established in 1995. At that time, the UN had been facing serious concerns due to the lack of skilled human resources to serve in peacebuilding and peacekeeping missions. At that moment, the UN Secretary-General Boutrus Boutrus Ghali launched an appeal to training institutions worldwide to offer new training opportunities for those, especially civilians, wishing to serve in international field operations. The creation of the ITPCM represented the response of Scuola Superiore Sant’ Anna to that appeal.

One of the first trainings that the ITPCM founders organised was a Summer Course for the Civilian Component of Peacekeeping/Peacebuilding Operations. This first attempt was a success, and the programme officially took off and moved on to the design and delivery of several kinds of courses, e.g. specialisation courses, mission/country specific pre-deployment courses, mission induction courses, in-mission trainings, refresher courses, senior leadership courses and Master programmes (see the “Trainings” section below for more details). While many courses were open to anyone who passed the selection procedure, several others were reserved exclusively for the personnel of specific organisations, such as the United Nations, the Africa Union, the European Union, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe etc. In the first decade of activity, the majority of ITPCM trainings were addressed to international civilian personnel wishing to work in crisis-affected countries. Over the years, the same international organisations extended the group of target audience to national staff working in the country of operation. The ITPCM has constantly adapted its activities to the new trends and significantly increased the number of courses targeting local staff of war-torn countries. This led to conducting most activities abroad, directly in the relevant countries.

Today, through the ITPCM, Scuola Sant’Anna conducts research activities, offers institutional as well as on-demand training courses and provides project assistance and other consultancy services related mainly to the fields of:

  • Peacekeeping;
  • Humanitarian assistance;
  • Electoral issues;
  • Disaster preparedness;
  • Human rights promotion and protection;
  • Post-conflict rehabilitation;
  • Security in hostile environments.

In 2020, the ITPCM celebrated its XXVth anniversary since the foundation. On that occasion we published a booklet including all the activities that had been implemented within the 25 years of activity carried out by the ITPCM. The booklet, entitled “Celebrating an Amazing Journey – ITPCM 25th Anniversary 1995-2020”, contains further and more detailed information on past and current activities of the ITPCM, the testimonies of several alumni of our courses and the short biographies of all the contributors. The booklet can be downloaded for free by clicking here.

For further and more detailed  and updated information on the training and research activity, we have also drafted  an updated Record of Activities of the ITPCM (1995-2022) that can be downloaded here.