Market-based livelihood interventions for refugees and host communities - Certification programme
Photo © Unsplash/Anes Sabitovic
Market-based livelihood interventions for refugees and host communities - Certification programme
9 Noviembre–4 Diciembre 2026
El curso está disponible en English
Presentación del curso
Humanitarian funding is projected to fall by more than 40 per cent while seven in ten refugees remain in displacement lasting five years or longer. UNHCR's 50 by 35 agenda now commits the sector to halving the number of refugees dependent on humanitarian assistance by 2035 - through work, self-reliance and access to national systems. Livelihood teams are being asked to deliver that with a fraction of the resources direct assistance once absorbed. Most livelihoods programming for displaced people has centred on skills development that is not anchored in market demand. At scale, these interventions have delivered limited impact and have often proved economically unsustainable. This certification programme teaches you the alternative: how to diagnose why local market systems are failing refugees and host communities, and how to intervene so those systems start working for them, creating opportunities that continue once your programme ends. The methodology was originally developed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) together with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to address the absence of specialised training on market-based livelihoods in displacement settings. It has been adapted and updated in each edition since, drawing on tools and practice from ILO-UNHCR field cooperation and from ILO market systems projects worldwide, so that the content reflects the financing conditions and self-reliance priorities practitioners face now. The programme is applied throughout. You work through mapping exercises, real case studies, practitioner testimonials and design tasks alongside faculty who have built these programmes in the field, supported by learning specialists who facilitate a learner-centred experience.
¿Quiénes participan en este curso?
The programme is designed for practitioners responsible for livelihoods, economic inclusion or resilience work who want to move beyond direct delivery, and who have little or no prior exposure to market systems approaches. It is particularly relevant if you: - design or manage livelihood programmes for refugees, Internally Displaced Persons or host communities - work at the intersection of humanitarian and development programming - are preparing or revising a programme design and need a stronger economic rationale - lead private sector engagement, economic inclusion or self-reliance portfolios Participants come from UN agencies, international and national NGOs, donor and development agencies, and government institutions. Previous editions have included staff from UNHCR, IOM, CARE International, CGAP, Enabel, Caritas, the IFRC, the Danish Refugee Council and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
What will I learn?
By the end of the programme, you will be able to:
- analyse refugee and host community livelihoods through a market systems framework
- identify demand-driven economic opportunities rather than supply-led activities
- select sectors with real potential for displacement-affected populations
- map a market system and diagnose the root causes that keep refugees locked out of viable work
- articulate a clear vision and intervention logic for a market-based livelihoods programme
- design sustainable business models and facilitate partnerships with the private sector
- build results chains and indicators that credibly measure systemic change
- apply international frameworks on refugees' economic inclusion, including the Minimum Economic Recovery Standards, so that economic viability and protection needs reinforce rather than compete with each other
How does the course work?
The programme runs in two phases and takes you from structured learning to a completed piece of professional analysis. Together they represent approximately 60 hours of learning.
Phase 1 - Core learning | 9 November to 4 December 2026
Phase 1 takes place over four weeks, online through the ITCILO eCampus. It combines live sessions of 90 minutes each with self-guided modules and applied exercises. Participants can expect to commit roughly seven to eight hours a week.
You work through the full arc of a market systems programme: the market systems framework and its relevance in displacement settings, international frameworks governing refugees' economic inclusion, sector selection, market mapping, root-cause analysis, intervention design, sustainable business models, facilitation and partnerships, and results measurement. Structured exercises are combined with real case studies and testimonials from practitioners running these programmes today. All live sessions are recorded and made available to participants, so colleagues in any time zone can follow the full programme.
Participants who complete this phase receive an ITCILO certificate of participation.
Phase 2 - Fieldwork assignment | to 26 February 2027
You then conduct a full market systems analysis in a country and sector of your choice — in most cases, your own operating context. You receive individualised tutoring throughout and personalised feedback on your final analysis. Three group skills clinics let you test your progress against the cohort, work through obstacles with the training team and brainstorm solutions with fellow participants.
Participants who complete the assignment receive an ITCILO certificate of achievement.
This second phase is what distinguishes the programme from a short course. You finish with a piece of analysis you can use, not only a record of attendance.
Languages and resources
The programme is delivered in English.
Participants receive ILO and UNHCR tools and a library of case studies on market systems development in refugee contexts from operations worldwide.
Fees, group rates and scholarships
Tuition is €1,445, covering both phases, including tutoring and feedback on the fieldwork assignment.
Organisations sending three or more participants qualify for a reduced rate. Sending a team means the approach takes root in your programme rather than in one person's notebook, and recorded sessions mean colleagues can participate around operational demands rather than around a European schedule. Contact us to discuss group enrolment.
A limited number of partial scholarships are available for practitioners from developing countries, with priority for national NGOs, refugee-led organisations and government institutions. To be considered, indicate your interest in the funding section of the application form. Scholarship applications close 30 September 2026 and decisions are communicated by 7 October.
Applications for the programme close 19 October 2026.
