Over the past year, with support from the European Union through ECHO and in partnership with Action contre la Faim, GISF has worked to strengthen security risk management (SRM) across the humanitarian sector at a time of increasing insecurity, shrinking resources, and growing operational constraints.
Humanitarian organisations are facing a challenging operating environment. Aid worker casualties remain at record levels, civic space continues to shrink in many contexts, and funding pressures are forcing organisations to do more with fewer resources. Against this backdrop, GISF has focused on strengthening both the individual and collective capacity of NGOs to manage security risks and sustain access to affected communities.
Research and Learning for a Changing Risk Environment
As security risks evolve, humanitarian organisations need evidence and practical insights to adapt their approaches.
Through this project, GISF explored how acceptance-based security strategies operate in highly politicised environments, examining how local perceptions, misinformation, historical legacies, and organisational identity can influence both security and access. The research aims to support NGOs in strengthening acceptance approaches in increasingly complex contexts.
The project also examined barriers to equitable risk sharing in partnerships between international and national organisations, contributing to wider discussions on localisation and more balanced approaches to managing risk.
Recognising growing pressure on security budgets, GISF developed a Return on Investment (ROI) framework for security risk management. Consultation with members highlighted a significant gap in the sector: while organisations recognise the value of SRM in supporting staff safety, operational continuity, and access, few have formal tools to demonstrate that value to senior leadership and donors.
Explore the resources:
Practical Resources for NGOs
The project supported the development and refinement of a range of practical SRM resources designed to be accessible to both international and national NGOs.
New and updated guidance covered topics including security budgeting, how to develop an organisational risk appetite statement, digital security, and emergency communications. These resources aim to help organisations make informed decisions, strengthen internal systems, and advocate for the resources needed to manage risk effectively.
GISF also created a SRM self-assessment and benchmarking tool, designed to help organisations identify strengths, prioritise improvements, and compare their approaches against sector-wide benchmarks. The tool has been piloted with 21 member NGOs.
Explore the resources:
- Security Budgeting: A guide for national NGOs (in French here)
- Risk Appetite Statements: A guide for NGOs
- Bridging the Gap Between Physical and Digital Security Risks: Protecting people, places and data
- Integrated Emergency Communications: Ensuring continuity and wellbeing in critical incidents
Strengthening Collective Security Coordination
Alongside support to individual organisations, the project focused on strengthening collective approaches to security.
GISF continued its role as NGO co-chair of the Saving Lives Together (SLT) Oversight Committee, supporting efforts to strengthen UN-NGO security collaboration and improve awareness of the SLT framework across the sector. During the project period, GISF helped finalise and disseminate new guidance materials and initiated scenario-based learning sessions in select contexts to deepen understanding of security collaboration between NGO and UN agencies.
GISF also developed and piloted a rapid security coordination needs assessment for NGO coordination platforms. The tool provides a structured way to identify security coordination gaps, inform capacity strengthening efforts, and support more effective responses. In addition, GISF created a new conceptual framework which provides a structured way to contextualise security coordination and lays out the with the key variables that shape and influence coordination.
Find out more about GISF’s security coordination work here.
Looking Ahead
The project reinforced the importance of investing in the systems, relationships, and capabilities that enable humanitarian organisations to operate safely and effectively. As threats continue to evolve and resources become increasingly constrained, practical SRM tools, stronger coordination mechanisms, and collective approaches to security are essential to protecting aid workers and sustaining humanitarian access.
GISF is grateful to ECHO and Action contre la Faim for their support in helping strengthen security risk management capacity across the humanitarian sector.