Protecting Staff During International Development & - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Protecting Staff During International Development & Humanitarian Operations

Amaury T. Cooper

Director, Global Safety & Security | Education Development Center, Inc. Co-Founder; Secretary, Board of Directors | International NGO Safety & Security Association

Aid Worker Security Incidents, 2004 - 2014

Courtesy of Aid Worker Security Database | www.aidworkersecurity.org

Major Attacks on Aid Workers, 2004 - 2014

Courtesy of Aid Worker Security Database | www.aidworkersecurity.org

Most Violent Settings, 2014

Courtesy of Aid Worker Security Database | www.aidworkersecurity.org

History of ID/HA Security

Relatively new field

• Existed, but not codified
• Less than 10 years
• Little/no organizations had actual plans and policies

Divided into three eras of ID/HA

• Cold War years,
• Post-Cold War – September 10, 2001
• Post-9/11

ID/HA Security, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

What ID/HA Security was

• Cold War Era
• Had de facto protection from Cold War powers.
• We’re helping the people so they won’t hurt us.
• Little/no donor support/funding for safety and security.
• No staff training

ID/HA Security, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

What ID/HA Security was

• Post-Cold War – 9/10/2001
• No more protection from Cold War powers.
• Relied entirely on good will of community.
• Acceptance Model
• Safety/security seen as additional cost, not relevant to program/project

goals.

• Little/no donor support/funding for training.
• Staff training, if any, focused heavily on expatriate staff

ID/HA Security, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

What ID/HA Security is now

• Post-9/11
• Growing recognition that ID/HA can no longer depend on goodwill and reputation for

protection

• Better understanding Duty of Care
• More willing to allocate resources to safety & security.
• Growing acceptance that safety/security as important to program implementation as

delivering services

• Donors proactively requiring threat/security assessments from ID/HA
• Recognition of how safety/security plans, protocols procedures can not only protect

staff, but also reduce costs, safeguard company assets/reputation, extend programming, ultimately better serve beneficiaries

Who are the staff?

• Aid Workers Beta and 1.0
• Aid Workers 2.0
• The Cowboys
• The Tree Huggers

Challenges

• Operating Environment
• Organizational Level
• Donor Level
• National Government Level
• International Level
• Individual Level

ID/HA Security Manager Description

Perception

• All gun totting former military, intel;
• Will always say “NO”;
• Make things more complicated and more expensive;
• Because they hired you, nothing bad will ever happen;
• Have a direct line to Seal Team VI to rescue them

ID/HA Security Manager Description

Reality

• Enable the delivery of international development and

humanitarian assistance

• Never/rarely say no
• Get them out when things go south
• Given the opportunity, will reduce costs and help them plan for

those “Oh shit” moments

• Of course take the blame for everything that goes wrong

Changing ID/HA Landscape

• Technology
• Logistics
• Communication
• Duty of Care

ID/HA Security, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

What NGO Security could be? Should be?!...Will be!!

• Full integration of safety/security into program design and

implementation.

• All staff are trained and compliant
• Understand that safety/security goes beyond “guards, gates,

guns”

• Acknowledgement that ROI is a factor
• Established international legal frameworks for the

implementation of safety/security

Amaury T. Cooper

Director, Global Safety & Security Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC, Inc.) acooper@edc.org | @amaurycooper | www.edc.org Co-Founder; Secretary, Board of Directors International NGO Safety & Security Association (INSSA) inssaonline@inssa.ngo | www.inssa.ngo | @INSSAOnline