Blogs and Articles

The Big Picture: geopolitical trends driving humanitarian security challenges (Part 2)

NGO Security Management

Humanitarian space is constantly being negotiated, and today's security managers are having to make ethical considerations as they work to keep aid workers safe. In part two of this blog series, based on Hugo Slim's keynote speech at the 2021 HNPW session: 'SRM in the Changing Global and Humanitarian Context', Slim explores the evolution of the humanitarian footprint, and the ethics of security risk management.

Blog 2022

The Big Picture: geopolitical trends driving humanitarian security challenges (Part 1)

NGO Security Management

When we’re speaking about humanitarian security risk management, we’re talking about keeping people safe when they’re engaged in humanitarian action around the world. It’s important, therefore, to start by remembering that in 2019, 125 humanitarian workers were killed. 404…

Blog 2022

Storytelling for Learning: using engaging, ethical Stories for effective security training

Inclusivity, Technology, Training

Security training over the past 20+ years has mostly followed linear teaching methods that rely on the provision of information and/or technical tools as a means to appeal to logic and learning. While it may be effective, it can…

Blog 2022

Faith-Based Organisations and Security: building acceptance for security risk management

Acceptance, NGO Security Management

Context and complexity: Key findings Our study examined current issues, trends, questions, positive and negative impacts, and challenges raised in relation to faith and security. We did this through sixty-one interviews with fourteen national offices,…

Blog 2022

The Afghanistan Crisis of 2021: a Black Swan?

Humanitarian Programmatic Issues, NGO Security Management

When the Taliban ramped up their offensive in May 2021, there were few indicators that it would lead to an immediate collapse of the Western-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the multi-trillion-dollar project of the last twenty years. Unlike past…

Blog 2022

International Women’s Day 2022: ‘breaking the bias’ in humanitarian security risk management

Gender, Inclusivity, NGO Security Management, Duty of Care

This year’s International Women’s Day seeks to ‘break the bias’, moving past biases and stereotypes to create a world that recognises, involves and enables women to succeed. This is critical for effective humanitarian security risk management. Men and…

Blog 2022

Trends from GISF's COVID-19 Benchmarking Survey: vaccine inequality and mandatory vaccinations

NGO Security Management, Policy Guidance, Covid-19

Humanitarian programmes have been forced to slow down and adjust to staff and resource shortages while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines. Balancing Duty of Care procedures and differing lockdown measures across international, national, and regional contexts has proven difficult for…

Blog 2022

Security, Resilience, and the Humanitarian Sector

Training, Wellbeing

What is resilience? Resilience is a term that is increasingly used in the humanitarian sector, whether in relation to security risk management (SRM), staff well-being or business (operational) continuity. However, we rarely discuss what the term actually means. The Oxford…

Blog 2022

When to evacuate? – diplomatic pressure and acceptance challenges for international NGOs in Ethiopia

Acceptance, Context Analysis, NGO Security Management, Access

Over the past few weeks, we have seen increasing pressure by the Ethiopian government on the humanitarian community over the Tigray crisis. This pressure has taken the form of increased checks on staff and new processes and procedures for entering…

Blog 2022

NGOs Need to Take Responsibility for their Private Security Contracting Practices

Acceptance, NGO Security Management, Private Security Providers

Over the last decade, many humanitarian organisations have increasingly used private security providers (PSPs) to manage security risks. Generally, contracted guards posted in front of compounds are the most visible manifestation of this and have become part of the daily…

Blog 2021

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