COMPANY SELF-ASSESSMENT: AN IMPORTANT MONITORING TOOL

In 2019, ICoCA launched its first Company Self-Assessment (CSA), which, alongside in-country missions, engagement with CSOs, security companies, clients and regulatory authorities, is one of the core components of ICoCA’s monitoring function. Submission of the annual CSA is a mandatory requirement for all Member companies and Affiliates.

Every year, through the CSA, all member companies are required to provide ICoCA with key information, data and policies in relation to specific code provisions. This allows ICoCA to assess any gaps in compliance, areas where remedial action is needed, including through tailored feedback to companies. In addition, taken together with material and information gathered through its other activities, the CSA enables ICoCA to identify areas, contexts and issues which need to be prioritized going forward to raise standards within the security industry and compliance with the Code of Conduct.

In 2019, 93% of Member companies successfully submitted the CSA. This high response rate was welcomed by the Association, and offered the Secretariat a great opportunity to engage with each and every company that participated. Given the mandatory nature of the CSA, the six companies that did not submit the CSA are therefore no longer Members of the Association.

With the Covid_19 pandemic impacting complex environments globally, the provision of security services will be affected. In some contexts with pre-existing lack of transparency in some sectors of the security industry and a lack of good governance, Covid_19 may further exacerbate ongoing human rights challenges and insecurity. Strengthened monitoring will no doubt be needed to mitigate and address these concerns.

Over the next few weeks, ICoCA will provide more information on relevant findings of the 2019 CSA and their implications in the tailoring of ICoCA’s focus to ensure the provision of responsible security. ICoCA is also currently working on the next CSA to be launched in July 2020.

We welcome suggestions from members, affiliates and other stakeholders on Code related issues they feel should be included in the second CSA.

Please email g.menghini@icoca.ch with your ideas.