Securing the Safety of Aid Staff
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Bombings in Iraq, shootings in Afghanistan, kidnappings and killings elsewhere --news bulletins suggest there’s never been a more dangerous time to be an aid worker, despite the urgent needs of disaster-hit communities and countries in conflict.
Hitting the headlines or not, aid work has risks that stretch from terrorism to those less obvious but more common: stress, overwork and “burn-out”, through to disease, accidents and even loneliness or depression while tackling a crisis a long way from home. Rising pressures on staff have prompted a growing number of aid agencies to share information, set standards and take practical steps to ensure that the training, support and management they offer will keep workers safe so they can deliver the best results. Multi-agency code of professional practice Key to this effort is the multi-agency network People In Aid and its newly updated Code of Good Practice in the management and support of aid personnel. The update meets the needs of an increasingly professional global “industry” that tries to save or improve millions of lives and livelihoods. As a network, People In Aid encourages agencies to exchange good practice in managing staff and volunteers, and offers its members and the wider aid community a range of training, research and information on issues from psychological support to staff benefits, security to HIV/AIDS.
The Code is an important part of aid agencies’ efforts to improve standards, accountability and transparency, especially since Code-implementing agencies receive “kitemarks” reflecting their commitment, and achievements are verified with “social audits” involving staff and other stakeholders. The updated Code encourages agencies to look at every aspect of how they manage their staff and volunteers. Where they or their staff identify an area where they should do better, People In Aid can assist with the necessary improvements. The Code of Good Practice includes safety and security within a risk management framework applicable to any organisation with staff working in conflict, natural disaster or development. This view of security goes beyond potential physical threats to consider emotional well-being, job security and the support an employer guarantees its staff. Importantly, the Code is concerned not just with expatriates but with all employees of national and international agencies, including host-country staff. The Code’s principles range from the strategic to the operational and cover seven vital areas: health, safety and security; learning, training and development; recruitment and selection; consultation and communication; support, management and leadership; staff policies and practices; and human resources strategy. The safety section, for example, highlights the need for advance briefing and comprehensive training of all staff, good internal and external communications to spot problems, painstaking risk assessments and regular security reviews. Planning for safety As other sections of the Code make clear, planning for safety requires commitment throughout the organisation, from the chief executive to the frontline staff, and should come within a framework of good recruitment and selection, communication and management, which together ensure staff have the right support to do their best work. Safety systems in aid have been highlighted by the bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, especially since the initial inquiry showed that the UN’s own security rules were not enforced. Simple safety steps--such as adding anti-blast film to windows to reduce deaths and injuries from flying glass--were not taken. If the UN was vulnerable to individual and collective lapses in security, what about the average NGO? For the Code, People In Aid gathered the decades of shared experience of its 50+ member aid agencies and many more, including WorldVision International, Oxfam GB, Islamic Relief, the World Bank and Save the Children.
People In Aid members and other agencies recognise they can never work in isolation. So one aspect of security is good communication with local people, host country staff, other aid agencies and all those in the government or military forces who must protect civilians and allow “humanitarian space” for independent, impartial and neutral aid work. If such space is not guaranteed, agencies will--as in Iraq--have to stop operations or at least withdraw their international personnel, handing more responsibilities to host country workers. But the Code makes clear that the commitment remains to support and keep safe all staff. Around the world, tens of thousands of dedicated aid staff and volunteers can be found working very hard under often tough conditions--from the risk of disease to the threat of violence. They do all they can to help communities facing poverty, war and disaster. Communities in need and aid workers both deserve the best support on offer; and the People In Aid Code helps agencies provide exactly that. In particular, the Baghdad bombing and other challenges of crime and violence now being faced by aid agencies worldwide should be a wake-up call for every aid agency and every aid worker. Security must be a prime concern, central to an agency’s comprehensive system for caring for their staff. It must not be treated as a bolt-on burden that can be ignored when inconvenient. Jonathan Potter is Executive Director of People In Aid. --- OneWorld Guest Editorials represent the viewpoint of the authors and not necessarily that of the OneWorld Network. Read and comment on previous Guest Editorials. If you would like to contribute or suggest a future OneWorld Guest Editorial, please contact miles.litvinoff@oneworld.net or josie.kirby@oneworld.net. |
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