Andrew Eckert joined the GISF Secretariat in September 2017 as the new Research Assistant. Prior to joining the team, Andrew completed an MA in Conflict, Security and Development before working for UNDSS as a research associate and as a risk intelligence analyst for a private security risk management firm.
After the success of Borderless 2017 in Harrogate, GISF is pleased to announce that we will be contributing to Borderless 2018, a travel risk management event dedicated to the humanitarian, NGO and international development community. This year Borderless will be held on 8th March at the Millenium Copthorne Tara Hotel in Kensington, London. Due to new funding from sponsors, registration for this event is now free but you should book your ticket as soon as possible to avoid missing out.
Our Executive Director, Lisa Reilly, and Research Advisor, Adelicia Fairbanks, will deliver a presentation on diverse profiles in international humanitarian work, a subject linked closely to an exciting research project GISF began working on last year and plan to publish early this year. Managing the Security of Aid Workers with Diverse Profiles explores the most effective ways for humanitarian and development organisations to develop appropriate and inclusive security risk management systems for staff with diverse profiles.
EISF will be accompanied by a range of humanitarian and international development experts who will discuss existing examples of good NGO practice, as well as professionals from other industries who will address key issues of concern within the NGO sector.
James Brandon from political and security risk specialists Falanx Assynt will outline the major global events, threats and legal precedents of 2017 which have impacted the non-profit sector and will go on to map the key travel risks NGOs should have on their radar in 2018. He will also draw attention to game-changing product developments in the insurance, assistance, communication, traveller tracking and remote healthcare provision markets. He will explain how capitalising on these developments may enable humanitarian and development organisations to operate more effectively and increase the impact of their work.
In the social media age, enabling high profile guests to maintain a low profile whilst travelling in dangerous areas can be difficult but Scott Desborough will explain how Comic Relief approaches this challenge.
Jose Hulsenbek, HR Director for Médecins Sans Frontières, will talk about how his organisation developed a world class human resources department, focusing on MSF’s approach to policy development, mission preparation, disciplinary processes and recruitment.
Humanitarians working in emergency response rarely occupy the spotlight, however, Richard Savage, Global Emergency Response Security Manager at Save the Children International, will look behind the scenes at these individuals and the challenging environments they operate in.
Adrian Powell will provide an insight into the challenges that NGOs could encounter if they face legal action for corporate manslaughter by running the first ever mock courtroom scenario.
Megan Nobert, the founder of Report the Abuse, will be returning for her second Borderless conference to discuss the issue of sexual abuse in humanitarian aid, a subject that has received significant attention in the media in recent months.
And finally, aviation risk expert William Sandover will elaborate on some of the key travel risk management lessons learned in the world of commercial aviation that can also be applied by humanitarian and development practitioners.
Registration gives participants access to the full programme of presentations, the opportunity to speak to 30 different corporate companies exhibiting products and services tailored to the needs of humanitarian and development organisations, full catering throughout the day and a networking drinks session to conclude the event.
For further information, visit www.borderless2018.com or contact the organisers at info@mcmillancooper.com or 01423 611 111.
We hope that you will join us for what promises to be an enlightening and informative event.
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