RAPID Initiative

RAPID: A New Initiative in the Face of Climate Uncertainty

The Initiative called Response and Action for Public security for Intense weather Disasters (RAPID) was launched in early 2025 as a collaborative effort between Université Laval, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and key partners in the security sector.

Objective of the initiative
Provide high-level interdisciplinary training to graduate students, civil servants, crisis management professionals, and public decision-makers.
More specifically, this course is intended for students in international studies, political science, international law, and public administration, as well as professionals in public safety, emergency response, and policy analysis. Emphasis has been placed on making the course accessible to individuals from diverse educational backgrounds.

Scientific Committee

To support this initiative, a scientific committee has been established for an initial period of two years. The committee is composed of three delegates from Argentina and three from Canada, representing the academic, public, and crisis response sectors.

Professor Luciana Micha, from the Faculty of Law and Director of the Center for International Policy Studies at Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Prof. Anessa Kimball, from the Faculty of Social Sciences at Université Laval and Co-Director of the CDSN, were elected as co-chairs of the committee. The committee can also count on three major members which are Diego F. Osorio, Professor Adolfo Rossi from Universidad de la Defensa Nacional (UNDEF) and Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Panchana Moya, Vice-President of Institut Militaire de Québec (IMQ).

The committee also includes seven additional members: two master’s students, four doctoral students, and one other professor, all affiliated with Université Laval. Furthermore, the Institut Militaire de Québec (IMQ) has committed to acting as the Canadian security sector partner, while the Center for International Policy Studies (CEPA) serves as the social partner for Argentina. RAPID also benefits from the support of the Roméo Dallaire Academic Leadership Chair on Civil Conflict and Sustainable Peace, as well as the Center for Public Policy Analysis, both affiliated with Université Laval.

Download here the Concept note.

RAPID and Canada

By integrating both theoretical and practical components, RAPID prepares participants to respond effectively to complex crisis scenarios, including those stemming from natural disasters, climate-related events, and human security challenges. In doing so, RAPID aligns with Canada’s new defence approach established in 2017, which frames human security around the three pillars of anticipation, adaptation, and action (Lewis-Simpson & Meharg, 2023), with an emphasis on the dimension of resilience. Indeed, in the face of the emerging challenges of the 21st century, “ensuring Canada’s protection, security, and engagement […] requires a flexible, modern, accountable, and entirely new approach to defence” (Government of Canada, 2017, p. 63).

In developing RAPID, we also took into account the various critiques directed at human security-based approaches, particularly the lack of attention to gender dimensions and issues of inclusivity (Denov, 2023; Hutchinson, 2023a). To support a unified and comprehensive vision of security, it is essential to ensure gender equality (Hutchinson, 2023b), as well as the inclusion of minorities. Indeed, “ensuring a strong gender equality approach to human security is particularly important if issues of violence against women are to be effectively recognized and addressed” (Hutchinson, 2023b, p. 264).

RAPID addresses these issues by adopting a Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) approach. Our scientific committee is composed of members from eight different countries, with more representatives from Latin America than from transatlantic countries (i.e., the United States, France, and Canada). Over 75% of members do not fall at the intersection of whiteness and maleness. In addition to Canadians and Argentinians, our team includes individuals from Chile, Venezuela/Colombia, Benin, Brazil, China, France, and the United States. The faculty includes five immigrants, 80% of whom belong to visible minorities. Team members include visible minority immigrants from Latin America, an English-speaking white woman from Quebec with Irish ethnic heritage, and a white non-binary person living with invisible disabilities. The diversity within the team reduces the risk of unconscious bias.

In alignment with the Government of Canada’s GBA Plus objectives, RAPID ensures that crisis operations and policy responses are tailored to the needs of vulnerable and historically marginalized populations. The project embodies the inclusion of diverse and intersectional perspectives. Furthermore, the policy and operational response framework developed for participants guarantees the integration of GBA Plus into the team’s proposals at every stage—from stakeholder engagement and risk assessment to operational and resource management.

Objectives and Pedagogical Approach

To ensure applicability to real-world situations, the course objectives are aligned with the terminology used by NATO Centres of Excellence. The pedagogical approach includes both theoretical and practical elements, emphasizing strategic communication, information management, and a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving. The core component of the course is the crisis simulation module. In this module, participants will work in interdisciplinary teams to:

Analyze a complex scenario;
Plan response strategies;
Integrate legal, political, and operational frameworks at the international, regional, and local levels;
Present their proposals to a panel of experts.

Diplohack

This module uses the Diplohack co-design methodology, developed in the Netherlands and adapted for the public policy environment. The Diplohack approach encourages collaborative problem-solving and dynamic crisis management. The simulation mirrors decision-making in real crisis situations by requiring teams to work under pressure, with limited time and constantly changing conditions. It employs multi-stakeholder collaboration techniques and leads to the development of policy proposals that undergo iterative evaluation by experts.

See an example here.