The research project started in 2008 after being presented at the Third Senior Security Management Seminar which was organized in Geneva by SMI and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) on November 10-12, 2008, and at which the research project received the support of the IAA that were present.

From its preliminary review of current practice, SMI is concerned that while compliance with legal standards is an established practice among private sector, aid agencies tend to fall short when it comes to abiding by legal norms of duty of care. This observation is of importance as IAA are currently witnessing an increase in the number of cases that are potentially subject to litigation on behalf of humanitarian staff (or their families).

The research project on “Legal Accountability of International Aid Agencies: Risk and Security Management on behalf of staff” encompasses a twofold review of: a) relevant legal standards and of b) current risk and security management practice.
 

More specifically, the research project reviews the current practice of the main IAA and looks into current existing legislation and case laws in the countries where these IAA are headquartered. The research project intends to look at the legal norms and IAA practice in the following countries: France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
 

The research aims to: a) identify and establish common standards of legal liability and duty of care; b) identify good practice and possible gaps as to current ways IAA deal with these legal obligations; c) indicate ways to bridge noted gaps; and eventually, d) propose good practice guidelines as to legal obligations of International Aid Agencies.
 

The research and aims of the project will be presented and discussed at an Expert Conference, principally intended to share results among IAA and experts having participated in the research.

The research project thus aims to contribute to the establishment of shared common standards and to enable legal accountability to be part of an adequate risk management practice.

The literature and evidence-based research on safety and security of aid workers has steadily grown over the past decade. The majority of this research examines acts of violence and/or safety related incidents affecting international and national aid organizations and their staff, with a focus on direct and indirect causes of incidents and events.

The present project builds on the academic and policy literature that examines aid organization responses to security risk challenges. In collaboration with participating aid organizations, documentation on risk and security management will be collected and reviewed; this will be complemented by structured interviews. The study will be directly relevant to – and for the benefit of – aid organizations, policy makers, donors and other stakeholders by presenting a comprehensive analysis of the different types of systematic approaches designed and implemented by the organizations both institutionally and in various operational contexts.

Security system design is examined through eight inter-dependent parts from (1) governance frameworks, (2) policy, (3) management processes, (4) information and knowledge management, (5) training strategies, (6) financing security, (7) contextual plans and procedures, through to (8) monitoring and evaluation of the system.

The study examines system function using the international standard for risk management that proposes eleven principles for effective risk management. These principles are used as the baseline reference, applying for each indicators that are specific to aid organization security risk management. The comprehensive approach of this study will take into account inputs, processes and outputs throughout the system and provide a comparative analysis of different security risk management methods and structures.

The research will present new information on the current architecture of aid organization security management systems, as well as propose a practical self-assessment tool. It aims to provide an evidence base from which the following questions may be addressed: (1) What is the current status quo of humanitarian security management systems?; (2) Do common systems exist across the different agencies?; (3) To what extent do current systems reflect national and international risk management industry standards?; (4) What are the strengths and weaknesses of these security systems?; (5) Do systems demonstrate duty of care?; (6) How do these systems develop and influence staff behavior and attitudes towards safety and security management?; and (7) How can and/or do these systems adapt to experience and new circumstances?

For more information about this study, please contact:
Christopher Finucane | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it | + 44 759 004 7863 (GMT)