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HNPW & GISF | Fixing the blind spot: Private security contracting in the humanitarian sector

HNPW & GISF | Fixing the blind spot: Private security contracting in the humanitarian sector table
Date12 May 2022
Time9:00 am 10:00 am CEST |3:00 am4:00 am EDT
AddressVirtual
Type Virtual, In-person
CostNo cost
Booking URLhttps://vosocc.unocha.org/Reg/aGLdxxxplus5IRCleJMva678xxxslashTPVxxxslashBK5AcsBjG.html
Description

Summary

Private security has never been on the agenda of humanitarian conferences, yet the use of private security companies by aid agencies is a growing phenomenon and should be a matter of concern for security and operational managers as well as for humanitarian donors.

In the not-so-distant past, international aid agencies used to manage their security much more through dialogue, negotiated access, and trust-building with the communities, local authorities, and armed actors in the areas where they were operating. But UN and NGO clients alike now pay security companies dozens of millions and it can make up a fair percentage of their overall spending in some of the most dangerous countries. Contracting PSPs may create serious concerns in terms of adhesion to humanitarian principles, leading to risks for the security, reputation, and acceptance of humanitarian organisations.

Are humanitarian actors equipped to make informed decisions when contracting PSPs?

Panelists will discuss the findings of a recent joint research by the ICoCA and GISF Private security contracting in the humanitarian sector: time to take responsibility“”. They will also come with recommendations for humanitarian actors, their donors and the private security sector.

Speakers

  • Jamie Williamson, Executive Directive, ICOCA
  • Panos Navrozidis, Americas Deputy Director, GISF

Steps to register for a session:

  1. Log in (or create an account)on the HNPW homepage;
  2. Select ‘Event Programme‘ on the navigation toolbar, where you can view the full HNPW event programme;
  3. To find any GISF event, you need to find ‘Priority Topics‘ in the filter selection on the left-hand side of the screen;
  4. Under ‘Priority Topics’ please select ‘Humanitarian Security’– this will filter to show you any registered GISF event;
  5. To register your attendance for any event, please select ‘register‘ just to the left-hand of the session title;
  6. You will have the option to register, either face to face or virtually depending on the session; bookmark the event; or cancel your registration;
  7. When you select register, the ‘register’ button will change to ‘registered‘, and you will receive a confirmation email from ‘no-reply@un.org’. 

If you have any questions on registration, please reach out to Megan (gisf-info@gisf.ngo)

To find out more about HNPW please click here.

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