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How to Apply
To apply for membership in PHAP, complete this Application Form. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to Contact Us.
Criteria for Membership
The International Association of Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP) is a voluntary association composed of individual pofessionals engaged in the field of humanitarian assistance and protection. Individuals interested in joining PHAP must fulfill the requirements for admission set in the PHAP Bylaws. Membership to PHAP requires the demonstration of a minimum of two years of relevant professional experience. "Relevant professional experience" in this context is considered to mean professional engagement that has contributed directly or indirectly to the deployment of humanitarian assistance and protection activities. The professional character of this experience is linked to the standardized nature of this activity, specific to humanitarian operations, such as planning of operations, implementation of programs, evaluation of programs, management of humanitarian operations and/or organizations, engagement in legal and policy developments, as well as advocacy work pertaining to humanitarian assistance and protection.
These years of engagement should be in a professional capacity with recognized humanitarian agencies, NGOs, governments, or academic and policy centers. Volunteer work may be accounted for, to the extent this experience was part of a recognized professional organization. A key criterion to recognize the years of experience is the extent to which the individual was accountable to an institutional hierarchy in the implementation of professional standards. In this context, consultant activities may not count towards years of experience.
The candidate is responsible for the demonstration of the necessary years of relevant professional experience. PHAP will not seek information on candidates but may corroborate this information with references provided by the candidates. In practice, candidates will have to provide with their application a short resume detailing their professional engagements over the recent years and listing their employers. PHAP may request additional information such as:
- Documentary evidence of current or past professional employments amounting to two years of professional activity such as a letter from their employer confirming current employment
- Alternatively, two professional references with phone number and email address that can be contacted by PHAP reviewers
Under the PHAP Bylaws, the selection of regular members is coordinated by the PHAP Secretariat and decided by the Board of Directors. These decisions are final and need not be supported with justification. A candidate may re-apply once he/she has gathered the required level of related professional experience.