To stay and deliver good practice for humanitarians in complex security environments - Egeland, Jan (Policy Development and Studies Branch (PDSB), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 2011)
"Independent study commissioned by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)."
Paralleltitel: Good practice for humanitarians in complex security environments
Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-58)
Authors -- Foreword -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Advisory Group Members -- Acronyms -- Glossary -- Executive Summary -- 1. Introduction -- 1.1. Background and aims of the study: Why humanitarian security, and why now? -- 1.2. Methodology -- 1.3. Key concepts and recent developments in humanitarian operational security -- 2. The threat environment: Challenges to secure and effective humanitarian access -- 2.1. Trends in security for humanitarian workers -- 2.2. Differentiating threat contexts -- 2.3. Intrinsic vulnerabilities of the humanitarian community -- 3. Good practice for gaining and maintaining access in high-risk environments -- 3.1. Active acceptance-based approaches -- 3.2. Negotiating access -- 3.3. Remote programming: Strategic localisation of operations, not risk transfer -- 3.4. Low-profile approaches -- 3.5. Protective measures: 'Smart protection', not bunkerisation -- 3.6. Deterrent measures: Issues around armed protection -- 3.7. Other operational means for enhancing secure access: Programming options, coordination, partnerships, and resourcing -- 4. Political constraints -- 4.1. The role of host governments -- 4.2. States, specifically donor governments -- 4.3. Non-state armed actors and the terrorist label -- 4.4. International humanitarian advocacy and negotiation -- 5. National and local humanitarian actors: Key issues -- 5.1. National perspectives on threat and risk -- 5.2. Duty of care and responsible partnership -- 5.3. Coordination and consultation -- 5.4. Principles and perceptions -- 6. Conclusions and recommendations -- Bibliography -- Annexes -- 1. Study concept note -- 2. People interviewed -- 3. Survey instrument and summary results -- 4. Legal documents
"Providing humanitarian assistance amid conflict has always been a dangerous and difficult endeavour; however, over the last decade aid worker casualties tripled, reaching over 100 deaths per year. From 2005 onwards the largest numbers of violent attacks on humanitarian personnel have been concentrated in a small number of countries representing the most difficult and volatile operating environments. Attacks in some of these settings have also grown more lethal and sophisticated and the number of kidnappings has risen dramatically. As a result, the humanitarian footprint has shrunk in some conflict areas where violence has surged in recent years, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia. Access can diminish both as a direct result of violence and as a consequence of the obstacles and conditions created by militaries, governments, and nonstate actors that hinder the impartial provision of aid.