What Every Field Delegate Needs to Know about Humanitarian Negotiation - CCHN interview with Mustafa Marwan
This interview was made with Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN) in 2018.
During my last visit to Jordan, I had the pleasure of meeting Mustafa Marwan who works as a Regional Protection Trainer for the ICRC. Thinking about our discussions, I asked him what each new field delegate needed to know about humanitarian negotiation.
Mustafa has 8 years of experience in the humanitarian field working in more than 9 contexts related to armed conflicts. He has also some years of experience working as lecturer in academia, trainer / consultant for INGOs and facilitator for intercultural dialogue programmes.
What inspired you to embark on your professional path at ICRC?
I have a medical degree and I was in the field hospital of Tahrir square in Egypt in 2011. I got hooked since these days. I knew that working with a protection-focused organization is what I have always aspired to do without consciously knowing it.
Also, this line of career helps me put everything in my personal life in perspective. Over there, everything matters again and you suddenly realize that a clean glass of water or being safe in your bed at night is something that should not be taken for granted.
What are the most important soft skills for a humanitarian negotiator? Can they be learned through training?
To walk the straight line! Someone once said that we start any negotiation opposite to each other on a straight line. The first thing you need to do it take people next to you on the line, by agreeing on very general objective criteria. Then you try to walk the line with them. They will always try to derail going their own way. You need to deal with their objections with appropriate rebuttals and loop them back to your straight line. In order to skillfully do this, you have to know their interests which lie beneath their stated positions and use the right levers to deal with them.
I spent decent amount of time training and teaching humanitarian negotiation among other subjects and my short answer is that it could be learned through training IF you are ready to persevere in your learning process. On the other hand, it is true that some people are more natural and ‘skilled’ in it than others. This is life!
Has there been a specific negotiation in your career that you will always remember? Can you elaborate on it?
In late 2011 I was in Libya with a different humanitarian organization (not ICRC) and while going back to the residence in armed opposition held territory, I was stopped by an armed man, most likely belonging to the government forces, who ordered me on my knees and put the muzzle of his automatic weapon to my forehead. The only thing I remember saying at that moment was "I see that you are on the run. If you shoot me, people will hear it and it will make your escape more difficult." He hesitated for a second and then let me go unharmed. Since then, I never underestimated the notion of understanding the interest of my interlocutor in any negotiation I have.
What’s the one thing you wish every new field delegate knew about humanitarian negotiation?
Key concepts that I see a lot of humanitarian workers miss in their negotiations are realistic recommendations and persistent follow-ups. Some issues could be negotiated on the spot but others, especially protection-related issues, need to be taken up more strategically. Think of it as running a marathon, not a 100 meter dash.
Were peer exchanges on humanitarian negotiations useful to your learning?
Most definitely. There is always something to learn from peers. It is a form of learning that is as crucial as training, if not more!
You’ve recently joined the CCHN Training of Facilitators Program. What do you hope to get out of the Program?
New insights and experience from peers and participants.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of CCHN nor any of its Strategic Partners.
