GISF attended UK Parliament to advocate on behalf of the NGO sector to protect aid workers and ensure lifesaving assistance reaches those in need.
On 11 March, GISF’s Executive Director, Jon Novakovic, gave evidence at the UK Parliament on the subject of aid worker security. This was to support the government’s enquiry into Humanitarian access and adherence to international humanitarian law, through the International Development Committee.
“I think there’s a lack of donor recognition of the partner-specific security needs,” Novakovic stated. He made reference to the delivery chain for aid, and how the relationships between donors, international NGOs, and local partners can impact security.
“At the end of last year, we surveyed our membership,” Novakovic continued. “Sixty per cent of the INGO respondents said that they struggled to allocate security resources to their national partners due to the donor restrictions. How can national NGOs be treated more like peers of INGOs, rather than the bottom of the chain?”
Novakovic also delved into the issue of International Humanitarian Law. “The first level of responsibility is the enforcement of International Humanitarian Law,” he said. “So, it’s actually members states that have the highest level of responsibility. To sum it up: aid workers will not be targets and aid workers will not be impeded. That is a political issue. It’s not for NGOs to deal with.” He added, “The less International Humanitarian Law is observed, the more burden NGOs have to absorb to keep aid workers safe.”
Novakovic was joined by several other sector experts, who also gave evidence. These include:
- Steve Dennis, whose case against the Norwegian Refugee was the subject of a GISF article.
- Tarini Ross from Humanitarian Aid International, who was also a speaker at GISF’s recent Global Security Risk and Policy Conference.
- Anna Tazita Samuel, founder and Executive Director of Women for Change, a national organisation in South Sudan.
- Imogen Wall, a psychological wellbeing consultant, who emphasised mental health as part of aid worker protection.
The full recording of the session is available to watch here.