The Geneva Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action(CERAH)

What The Geneva Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action(CERAH) does

The Geneva Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action (CERAH), now operating as the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies, is a non-degree-granting academic centre within the University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine that delivers professional training and applied research in humanitarian action. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the centre serves humanitarian sector professionals and mid-career practitioners globally through short specialised courses and, since 2025, a new Executive Master in Humanitarian Action. Its curriculum spans humanitarian project cycle management, accountability and Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) frameworks, and, more recently, the ethics of artificial intelligence and data-driven tools in humanitarian response.

The centre's product portfolio consists of three named short courses—Accountability in Action, AI Ethics in Humanitarian Response, and Humanitarian Project Cycle Management—delivered through online and blended formats, alongside the newly launched Executive Master in Humanitarian Action. Its underlying "technology" is academic: course design, faculty expertise, and integration with the University of Geneva's Faculty of Medicine and Geneva University Hospitals, with no proprietary software, platform, or AI/ML product layer disclosed.

Commercially, the centre operates as a tuition-based academic sub-unit rather than an independent commercial entity. It is funded through course tuition, institutional allocation from its parent university, and now draws on the credibility of a 2025 WHO Collaborating Centre designation and SAR (Swiss Agency for Accreditation and Quality Assurance) accreditation. Customer segments include individual humanitarian professionals, mid-career graduate students, and institutional partners such as UNICEF, MSF, and Internews, whose staff appear in published testimonials after completing CERAH courses.

Name

The Geneva Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action(CERAH)

Legal name

Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies

Website

https://cerahgeneve.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies (formerly CERAH) is a University of Geneva academic centre offering short courses and an Executive Master in humanitarian action for mid-career professionals and NGO staff worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CERAH is an academic center within the University of Geneva's Faculty of Medicine that provides professional postgraduate education and applied research in humanitarian action. It sells specialized short courses (e.g., Accountability in Action, AI Ethics in Humanitarian Response, Humanitarian Project Cycle Management) and an Executive Master's degree program aimed at humanitarian professionals and mid-career practitioners. The center also conducts research and operates as a WHO Collaborating Centre for humanitarian health and policy.

Product overview

The Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies (CERAH) is an educational institution under the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Geneva that offers professional courses and academic programs in humanitarian action. The portfolio consists of specialized short courses (Accountability in Action, AI Ethics in Humanitarian Response, Humanitarian Project Cycle Management) and a new Executive Master in Humanitarian Action. These offerings are delivered through online and blended learning formats, targeting humanitarian professionals seeking to strengthen their competencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accountability in Action Course A short professional course on accountability practices in humanitarian action, designed for humanitarian practitioners and organizational staff seeking to strengthen accountability standards in their operations.
• AI Ethics in Humanitarian Response Course A short professional course addressing ethical considerations in the use of artificial intelligence within humanitarian response operations, targeted at humanitarian professionals and decision-makers.
• Humanitarian Project Cycle Management Course A short professional course covering the end-to-end project cycle management of humanitarian interventions, designed for humanitarian program managers and field coordinators.
• Executive Master in Humanitarian Action A postgraduate executive master's degree program in humanitarian action, awarded by the University of Geneva, aimed at mid-career humanitarian professionals seeking to formalize and advance their expertise in the humanitarian sector.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies was designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre, establishing a formal institutional relationship with WHO for collaboration in humanitarian health education and research.
• University of GenevacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCERAH operates as a center within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Geneva, Switzerland's largest university and a leading international academic institution.
• Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève (Geneva University Hospitals)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner institution, providing potential clinical and health-related collaboration opportunities for humanitarian education programs.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Training: ICRC runs internal and external training programs for humanitarian and IHL practitioners from its Geneva headquarters. It is an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor because its training is operational/in-house and oriented toward IHL rather than academic credentialing.

Direct peers

• Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI): HHI delivers research, education, and training programs in humanitarian action and crisis response within Harvard. It is a direct peer because it combines academic training and executive-level courses in humanitarian practice and policy, targeting professionals working in humanitarian operations globally.
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine - Humanitarian Programmes: LSHTM delivers master's and short courses addressing health in humanitarian and conflict settings. It is a direct peer because it offers specialized postgraduate and professional training in humanitarian health, serving a similar segment of practitioners and NGO staff.
• Bioforce Institute: Bioforce is a specialized institute providing vocational and professional training for humanitarian logisticians and program staff. It is a direct peer because it is dedicated exclusively to humanitarian-sector workforce training and offers competency-based courses targeting the same practitioner audience.
• Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health: The Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health provides training, research, and certificate programs in humanitarian health. It is a direct peer because it offers specialized courses and certificate pathways aimed at humanitarian practitioners, with a comparable focus on health-related humanitarian education.
• University of Oxford - Refugee Studies Centre: The Oxford Refugee Studies Centre conducts research and offers graduate-level training on forced migration and humanitarian response. It is a direct peer because it provides academic and professional development programs for humanitarian practitioners, operating at a similar university-affiliated, research-driven model.
• Tufts University - Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy: Fletcher School offers master's-level programs covering humanitarian policy, international affairs, and conflict resolution at a leading U.S. university. It is a direct peer because it trains mid-career professionals in humanitarian and international affairs with comparable degree and short-course offerings targeting a similar NGO/government learner profile.

Emerging players

• Centre for Refugee Studies, York University: York's Centre for Refugee Studies offers graduate diplomas and professional training on refugee and forced-migration issues. It is an emerging player because it focuses on a narrower forced-migration segment rather than the broader humanitarian-action curriculum CERAH delivers.

Regional players

• University for Peace (UPEACE): UPEACE is a UN-mandated university headquartered in Costa Rica offering master's and certificate programs in peace, conflict, and humanitarian studies. It is a regional peer because it offers similar degree and short-course programs in humanitarian affairs but is primarily oriented to Latin America and the Global South.
• Aga Khan University - Institute for Human Development: Aga Khan University offers professional programs in health and development with regional reach across South and East Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia. It is a regional peer because it delivers professional and postgraduate training in development and health for practitioners in geographies where CERAH has limited direct delivery presence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cerahgeneva
• Facebookfacebook.com/cerahgeneva
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2918325

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Geneva Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action(CERAH)