In this blog, Hélène Cardona shares key points from three of the March 2017 GISF Forum sessions: looking at an organisation’s responsibilities towards staff members, staff and their individual needs, and the much broader topic of international humanitarian law.
In this blog, Fiona Dunkley shares her experiences of managing cumulative trauma and stress among aid workers. She highlights 7 signs to watch out for to support colleagues who might be experiencing cumulative stress or trauma.
In this op-ed, Gonzalo de Palacios discusses the pros and cons of security levels versus scenario planning.
In this op-ed, Steve Ryan discusses what NGOs should look for when considering hiring ex-military or ex-police as security advisors.
In this blog, Alex Marriage briefly outlines the security risks that aid workers can and have faced due to counter-terrorist financing (CTF) measures and goes on to describe the international mechanism through which CTF measures are developed and evaluated. Alex goes on to outline the recent changes to CTF recommendations and what this might mean for humanitarian NGOs.
As a study by Report the Abuse shows, only 16% of humanitarian organisations have even a single mention of sexual violence as a risk to their employees within their organisation’s policy and procedural documents, let alone a comprehensive, sensitive or survivor-centred response mechanism. Megan Nobert, Founder and Director of Report the Abuse, discusses the gaps in the humanitarian sector in addressing sexual violence against aid workers and urges humanitarian organisations to take action and put in place effective and efficient prevention and response strategies for their staff.
Zimbabwe is facing an imminent crisis that will require an international humanitarian response in the near to medium-term future, with appropriate security measures for humanitarian workers. Former GISF Coordinator, Nick Hanson-James, takes a closer look at the Zimbabwean context and issues NGOs should aim to be aware of and prepared for given the current climate in the country.
In November, GISF attended a two-part expert roundtable at Chatham House that discussed the challenges NGOs face when working with non-state armed groups, in particular given the impact of counter-terrorism legislation. This is a brief summary of the key points raised and some of the implications counter-terrorism legislation has on the security risk management of NGOs.
As an NGO, do you hire or are you considering hiring a private security company (PSC) to ensure the security of your operations? Do you implement guidelines for the hiring of private security services? How do you select a PSC? Does the contract include respect for human rights? DCAF is developing a practical Contract Guidance Tool to support humanitarian NGOs, as well as states, international organisations and other clients to include human rights-based considerations in their contracting of PSCs. DCAF believes your insights and experiences can help inform other clients in similar circumstances. Contact DCAF at ppps@dcaf.ch to get involved in this project: share your experiences and good practices, discuss what tools and guidance would be useful for you, or give DCAF feedback on their Contract Guidance Tool.
Ethiopia has witnessed months of often violent protests but the week of demonstrations leading up to the state of emergency declaration earlier this month saw increasingly violent protests spreading, raising security concerns among humanitarian organisations. This blog takes a closer look at what is currently happening in Ethiopia and the implications the state of emergency has for aid worker security.