Webinar – Private Security Companies as a Security Risk Management Measure

Date: 2 May 2024

Location: Online

Organised in partnership with the Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF)

ICoCA collaborated with the Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF) to co-organise a session at the United Nations OCHA Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW). One under-explored facet of the rise of PSCs is their impact on humanitarian action and the delivery of humanitarian aid. This HNPW session attempted to answer a number of key questions relating to the use of PSCs in humanitarian settings, including:

• With humanitarian organisations now widely contracting private security actors to secure their staff, assets and operations, how does this recent evolution blur the perception of humanitarian organisations as neutral actors but also create risks for the people they assist ?
• Guards of private security are often poorly paid and poorly treated: what are the responsibilities of humanitarian organisations vis-à-vis their security providers?
• How should humanitarian organisations be selecting and vetting their security providers and what do are they typically doing this in practice?
• What are the key risks for humanitarian organisations when contracting security providers and how can these be mitigated?

Key resources:

• GISF/ICoCA Research, policy brief and webinar on “Private Security Contracting in the Humanitarian Sector: time to take responsibility“
• ICoCA training on “Using Private Security in Humanitarian Organisations”
• Module 14 of the GISF “Security To Go Risk Management Toolkit” on responsible private security contracting for humanitarian organisations
• ICoCA Research and policy brief “When the Abused Becomes the Abuser: Poor working conditions in the private security industry undermine human rights compliance”

Speakers:

• Jael Amara, Research and Gender Consultant, Consumer Options
• Gregory Beattie, Global Operations & Plans Manager, IDG Security
• Vincent Bernard, Senior Policy Advisor, International Code of Conduct Association