About the BIPC
The Barcelona International Peace Center (BIPC) is an initiative aimed to promote the culture of peace through dialogue, awareness-raising, and training in crisis management and conflict resolution.
Created in 2009 by the Barcelona City Council in the context of the historical recovery process of the Montjuïc Castle. In 2017, the Center becomes a fully independent non-profit initiative hosted by Ensurecer Foundation
With a unique model in Catalonia and in Spain, the Center for Peace is inspired by the philosophy of centers around the world specializing in crisis management and peace operations.
The BIPC's main activity is an international specialized training program designed to meet the extensive learning needs of civilian personnel and to equip them with the skills they need to engage in field operations around the world.
The center offers a range of training courses aimed at professionals working in peacebuilding, complex crisis management, and humanitarian aid. The program has a strong practical focus and is based on experience accumulated in the field. Knowledge-sharing between participants, simulations, and case studies are basic components of the training sessions, which also cover fundamental theoretical concepts taught interactively.
To offer the highest possible quality, the BIPC works in conjunction with international organizations and academic institutions that are leaders in their fields. The BIPC has thus carved out a distinctive niche as a knowledge hub for professionals in peacebuilding and humanitarian action to ensure quality training geared to the realities of the field.
The center offers a range of training courses aimed at professionals working in peacebuilding, complex crisis management, and humanitarian aid. The program has a strong practical focus and is based on experience accumulated in the field. Knowledge-sharing between participants, simulations, and case studies are basic components of the training sessions, which also cover fundamental theoretical concepts taught interactively.
To offer the highest possible quality, the BIPC works in conjunction with international organizations and academic institutions that are leaders in their fields. The BIPC has thus carved out a distinctive niche as a knowledge hub for professionals in peacebuilding and humanitarian action to ensure quality training geared to the realities of the field.
The BIPC has organised more than 95 international training courses for more than 2000 participants of over 120 different nationalities.
The BIPC in numbers
Year after year, the training offer increased in number of courses and number of participants. Demand for the courses outstripped the number of available seats by more than 2 to 1. Candidates were carefully selected by the academic staff in collaboration with the BIPC to ensure a good mix and balance of participants.
Given the enormous importance of having an adequate mix of participants in the courses, the BIPC and the academic partners offer a number of full or partial scholarships for participants from local NGOs, government officials, and peace negotiators from countries with ongoing or recent conflicts.
From 2009 to 2017, the BIPC has organised more than 95 international training courses for more than 2180 participants of over 120 different nationalities.
Among participants, male students 55% have outnumbered female students 45%. Almost half of the participants were aged over 40 (48%); 44% were aged between 30 and 40 and just 8% were under 30.
In all, 27% of the participants were from government institutions, 24% were from NGOs, 19% were working with UN agencies, 12% came from other international organizations and 18% were from universities, research, private sector and others.
Participants contributed their direct experience to the training. Over half of the participants worked in countries with ongoing or recent conflicts, namely, Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burma, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Serbia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, South Sudan, Sudan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uganda, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
The rest were working in support operations within the framework of international peace and humanitarian aid missions in the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Gambia, Germany, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Philippines, Peru, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Turkey, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, and Zambia.
The rest were working in support operations within the framework of international peace and humanitarian aid missions in the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Gambia, Germany, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Philippines, Peru, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Turkey, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, and Zambia.