Center for Peace Canada
Building Peace • Protecting Dignity • Supporting Refugees
Intensive 5 to 10-day professional development courses delivered in person at the CPC Head Office in Scarborough, Ontario. Designed for practitioners, advocates, and changemakers working in forced migration, human rights, and peacebuilding.
The Center for Peace Canada offers a rigorous series of short, intensive professional development courses ranging from five to ten days. These programmes draw on an interdisciplinary approach encompassing forced migration, refugee law and policy, international human rights standards, and peacebuilding theory and practice.
Each course is delivered in a collaborative seminar-style format at the CPC Head Office in Scarborough, Ontario. The pedagogy combines expert-led instruction with case analyses, structured group dialogue, policy simulation exercises, and field-oriented scenarios drawn from real-world contexts across Canada and internationally.
Participants who complete a course receive an official certificate of professional development from Center for Peace Canada, recognising their advanced engagement in these critical fields of knowledge and advocacy.
All sessions are conducted at 1225 Kennedy Rd, Scarborough, ON. Our facility provides a dedicated, collegial learning environment that fosters dialogue, professional networking, and collaborative inquiry among participants from diverse backgrounds.
Short course formats are designed to accommodate working professionals, NGO staff, graduate students, and community practitioners without requiring extended leave from primary responsibilities. Multiple intake dates are scheduled throughout the year.
Courses are facilitated by experienced practitioners, legal professionals, and researchers with direct specialisations in forced migration law, international humanitarian law, peacebuilding, refugee protection, and human rights advocacy.
Participants who successfully complete a course receive an official certificate from Center for Peace Canada, issued upon satisfactory engagement with all programme components, participation requirements, and practical assessments.
Six intensive professional development courses designed to build practical capacity across the intersecting domains of forced migration, human rights law, and peacebuilding practice.
A comprehensive interdisciplinary introduction to the dynamics of human migration — causes, patterns, legal frameworks, and the lived experiences of migrants and diaspora communities in Canada and globally. Participants examine irregular migration, climate displacement, and evolving national and international policy responses.
An in-depth examination of the international refugee protection regime, refugee determination processes in Canada, and the psychosocial dimensions of forced displacement. Participants develop a critical understanding of durable solutions and the responsibilities of states, UNHCR, and civil society organisations toward displaced populations.
An intensive exploration of peacebuilding theory and practice — from conflict analysis and early warning to mediation, reconciliation, and post-conflict recovery. Participants engage with case studies from conflict-affected regions worldwide and develop practical facilitation competencies for community and cross-cultural peacebuilding.
A foundational course in international human rights law, institutions, and monitoring mechanisms. Participants gain working knowledge of the core UN treaty body system, regional human rights frameworks, and the practical application of rights-based approaches in advocacy, documentation, programme design, and accountability reporting.
A professional certificate programme equipping participants to provide frontline support, navigation assistance, and legal advocacy for refugee claimants and newly arrived persons in Canada. Combines procedural knowledge of Canada's protection system with practical client service skills, ethical frameworks, and cultural competency.
An advanced professional certificate for those working at the frontlines of human rights protection. Participants develop competencies in safety and security protocols, systematic documentation of violations, strategic communications, and engagement with international accountability mechanisms, grounded in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
Our two certificate programmes represent the most advanced offerings in our short course catalogue. They formally credential practitioners in specialised areas of refugee advocacy and human rights defence work.
This 8-day certificate programme prepares participants to function as capable, ethically grounded advocates for refugee claimants navigating Canada's protection system. Participants emerge with practical knowledge of IRB procedures, client support frameworks, and referral systems, alongside a professional ethical foundation for frontline advocate work.
This 8-day advanced certificate programme is designed for those working at the intersection of civil society, advocacy, and human rights protection. It equips participants with technical skills in documentation, security, international mechanisms, and strategic campaigning, grounded in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and its operational implications.
Our pedagogical approach draws on interdisciplinary adult learning principles that prioritise applied knowledge, critical reflection, and professional skill development.
Courses are led by practitioners and researchers with frontline expertise in forced migration law, international human rights, and peacebuilding. Lectures bridge theoretical frameworks with real policy and field contexts from Canada and internationally.
Structured group discussions, policy debates, and facilitated dialogue sessions encourage critical engagement with course material. Cohorts are kept small to ensure each participant has meaningful opportunity to contribute and be heard.
Participants work through detailed case analyses drawn from Canadian and international contexts — refugee determination cases, documented human rights violations, and peacebuilding interventions in conflict-affected settings from South Asia and beyond.
Each course includes a structured assessment — written reflection, group presentation, or practical exercise — confirming participant competency. Successful participants receive an official CPC certificate of professional development, signed and issued by Center for Peace Canada.
Our short courses are designed for a broad professional and academic audience. No formal academic prerequisite is required for most courses, though participants are expected to have a genuine commitment to the fields of refugee protection, human rights, or peacebuilding.
Cohorts are intentionally diverse — typically including practitioners, students, and community members — which enriches peer learning and enables cross-sector dialogue. Participants are actively encouraged to bring their own professional experiences and case knowledge into the learning environment.
Spaces in each cohort are limited to ensure an intimate, high-quality learning experience. Contact us today to enquire about upcoming intake dates, fees, and registration requirements for any of our short courses or certificate programmes.