This GISF research article identifies the unique elements in urban environments and the humanitarian security risk management (SRM) considerations resulting from these dynamics. With urbanisation on the rise worldwide and the proliferation of humanitarian responses in densely populated areas, understanding the unique parameters of SRM in these contexts is more vital than ever.
A significant constraint to humanitarian aid in urban settings is that security concerns prohibit access to populations clustered by specific characteristics. There is, generally speaking, a lack of expertise and knowledge in navigating these challenges.
This GISF article:
- Provides an overview of key operational challenges that humanitarians have encountered in urban settings and the SRM implications of these dynamics.
- Delves into the key dimensions of urban SRM, illustrating the particularities of safely and securely implementing humanitarian operations in cities.
- Offers reflections on pathways that humanitarian SRM policymakers and practitioners can pursue in this area moving forward.
The findings in this article are based primarily on a desk review, complemented by a limited set of key informant interviews with security risk management experts and practitioners to validate and deepen the article’s findings. The article is not a technical guide but is instead meant to open the conversation and potentially lead to the creation of a comprehensive technical SRM guide in the future.