EIGHTH ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY – AGENDA & REGISTRATION

The Eighth Annual General Assembly (AGA) of the International Code of Conduct Association will take place online between December 6 and December 10, 2021. Please register for each Plenary Session you would like to attend, using the registration links below. Registration for Pillar and Observer sessions will be sent out separately.

Language: All plenary sessions will be held in English with French and Spanish Interpretation provided throughout.

English, French and Spanish interpretation will be provided for all pillar sessions.

Monday, December 6, 2021, 15:00-17:00 CET – Plenary Session 1 (Open to the General Public)

Official Opening – Frédéric Chenais, Senior Advisor, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Government of Switzerland & Chair, ICoCA Board of Directors

Annual Review – Jamie Williamson, Executive Director, ICoCA

Panel Discussion – The Role of Private Security Companies in Migration & Detention

From 2010 to 2020, the global population of migrants increased from 220 to 281 million people and more than 10 million people are  incarcerated or detained, often under the guard of private security companies. The phenomena of migration and detention will not disappear in the future and figures are only expexcted to grow exponentially. In these spaces, whether refugee camps, immigration processing and detention centers or prisons, proper living conditions and the respect of human rights may not be adequately enforced due to lack of regulation and oversight. So what are the challenges in ensuring responsible security provision in these contexts?

Moderator:

Beatrice Godefroy, Europe Director, Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), ICoCA Board Member

Panelists:

Daria Davitti, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Lund University

Ruth Hopkins, Journalist & Founder, Private Security Network

Sorcha MacLeod, Marie Curie Fellow & Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen/Chair of the UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries

Farhan Quddus, Managing Director, Securex Limited

Tuesday, December 7, 2021  – Pillar Meetings (Invitation Only)

15:00-16:30 CET – Industry Pillar Meeting (Closed Session)

17:00-18:00 CET – Government Pillar Meeting (Closed Session)

Wednesday, December 8, 2021, 15:00-16:30 CET – Plenary Session (Open to the General Public)

Panel Discussion – Working Conditions in the Private Security Industry

The ability of private security companies to carry out contracts and deliver protection that respects human rights and international humanitarian law is contingent on recruitment standards, the training they provide and the working conditions of their staff. This panel of experts in the field of labour and private security will examine key questions regarding this topic: What are the working conditions of guards across the industry today? How do the working rights of guards today affect their human rights but also the rights of their constituencies? How can fair price and fair treatment in exchange for quality and security become incentivised in the industry?

Moderator:

Charlie Mayne, Managing Director, VSC Security Solutions, ICoCA Board Member

Panelists:

Dr. Amanda Chisholm, Senior Lecturer of Security Studies, Kings College London

Mark Death, Membership & Mental Health Awareness, International Professional Security Association (IPSA)

Temilola Oyinloye, Senior Consultant, Control Risks, Nigeria

Eddy Stam, Head of UNI Property Services, UNI Global Union

December 9, 2021  – Pillar & Observer Meetings (Invitation Only)

15:00-17:00 CET – Civil Society Organisations Pillar Meeting (Closed Session)

17:00-18:30 CET – Observer Meeting (Closed Session)

December 10, 2021, 16:00-17:30 CET – Closing Plenary Session (Open to the General Public)

Panel Discussion – Rethinking Responsible Security in the Digital Era

The technological landscape of the private security industry is constantly updating. In the past few years alone, surveillance, monitoring, the introduction of AI, and the digital movement of funds and resources have significantly altered the work of private security companies. So how might technology transform the private security sector? What questions does this raise about the compatibility of international standards with the adoption of advanced technologies by private security companies? How can private security companies be both helped and monitored to ensure the responsible use of technology that respects human rights and international humanitarian law?

Moderator:

Jamie Williamson, Executive Director, ICoCA

Panelists:

Anna Leander, Professor of International Relations/Political Science, Graduate Institute of International Studies

Anne-Marie Buzatu,  Vice President & Chief Operations Officer, ICT4Peace Foundation

Chris Kwaja, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Peace and Security Studies (CPSS), Modibbo Adama University of Technology & Member of the UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries

Tobias Vestner, Head of Security & Law Programme, Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP)

Voting Results and Official Closing – Frédéric Chenais, Senior Advisor, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Government of Switzerland & Chair, ICoCA Board of Directors