A while ago I was struggling to understand influence and social connections in Afghanistan. It seemed to me that more than a few Afghans in positions of authority had trusted contacts on both sides of the conflict. It was something I didn’t really understand until I came across references to the Afghan Qwam (or Qaum) system.

I can’t claim any great insight beyond the simplistic explanation that a Qwam is a shifting solidarity network that exists for the benefit of the group and its members. Qwams compete with one another for influence and resources but there is also competition within the group. It appears that Qwams, at least in Afghanistan’s current fractured society, cut across family, tribal, and even ethnic boundaries.



In an effort to better understand the Qwam concept I mapped some connections in Analyst’s Notebook. Since I never used them for anything beyond my own efforts at understanding I’m making them available here. Maybe some of you smart types out there can make better use of it.

Qwam - Analyst’s Notebook version
Qwam - .pdf version

Tags: Afghanistan, Analysis

A group of aid workers with an unspecified NGO were robbed and assaulted in eastern DRC according to a media report. The group was stopped and robbed by unidentified armed men. The gunmen then raped a French woman and sexually assaulted others in the group.

The aid workers had been based in Goma.

Tags: Incident, DRC

View Larger Map
Map - Humanitarian Aid Worker Fatalities - 2008



Heat Map - Violence Related Fatal Incidents - 2008

Tags: Maps, Analysis, Global, NGO Security

Human Rights and Wrongs at the UN - This BBC audio podcast examines the UN Human Rights Council and whether its obsession with Israel, and apparent blindness human rights abuses in countries like Zimbabwe, has destroyed its credibility.

Filipino rebels want investment for hostages - During a meeting with a Philippines provincial vice governor the al-Queda linked kidnappers of three Red Cross staff demanded education and development projects for Muslim communities.

wfplogistics - WFP Logistics now has a Twitter account. Is this a sign that large humanitarian organizations are losing their fear of Twitter?

Tags: links

2 UN Staff Freed - Two WFP workers kidnapped in Afghanistan n New Year’s Day were freed late Tuesday with mediation from tribal elders.

Red Cross sticks to no-ransom stand - The Red Cross again refuses to pay a P5 million ransom demand for the three staff kidnapped and reiterates that they never pay ransom.

KarKorder - NGO drivers face significant risk, both from traffic accidents and violent incidents. This vehicle mounted combination video recorder and GPS data logger might be useful for mitigating some of the risk.

Tags: links, News

Photo: Ruth with Pancake the Tiger by Corlett family

An aid worker from New Zealand is in hospital after being mauled by a tiger at the Khumsu Chiang Mai Tiger Centre in Thailand. According to Thai media the year old tiger attacked Ruth Corlett after she touched its head during a hands on exhibition at the centre.

According to Stuart, Ruth’s husband, she is remains in hospital but is doing “OK”.

Ruth Corlett and her husband were apparently working with Partners in Thailand near the border with Myanmar.

Partners is a faith based organization working on relief and development.

Tags: Incident, Thailand, Abduction

The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), a Sudanese rebel group, is reporting to local media that Government of Sudan (GOS) aircraft bombed an area near El Fasher on 26 January.

According to this US Embassy in Khartoum warden message the GOS has cancelled all flights to El Fasher airport:

U.S. Embassy KhartoumJanuary 26, 2008This Warden Message alerts U.S. citizens to fighting outside of El Fasher and other areas of Darfur between government and rebel forces. The Government of Sudan has cancelled all flights to/from El Fasher airport for January 26. The US Embassy urges all U.S. citizens in the Darfur region to take maximum security precautions, monitor news reports, and remain in a safe location until the situation stabilizes. U.S. citizens traveling in Sudan despite the current Travel Warning should register their presence in Sudan with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the Department of State's website (http://travel.state.gov/) and obtain updated information regarding travel and security within Sudan. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency. The U.S. Embassy is located at Sharia Ali Abdul Latif, Khartoum; tel. (249-183)774-700/1/2/3 (outside Sudan); tel (0183) 774-700/1/2/3 (inside Sudan). Americans may contact Embassy by phone or email KhartoumConsular@state.gov. For emergencies, please call the Embassy and ask to be connected to the duty officer.

Tags: News, Sudan, Darfur

Twitter updates from Madagascar - Unconfirmed reports that the president has fled the country, radio and TV stations going off air, and a five star hotel burning. @MadagascarTweet is attempting to amalgamate reports.

Twitter As A Business Continuity Tool? - After reading Twitter is a Continuity of Operations Tool, State Agency Discovers Dave Fleet outlines some of the potential pitfalls of relying on Twitter as a continuity tool.

‘Solar Powered Medical Clinic Will Save Lives in War Torn Iraq’ - Aid Worker Daily wonders why NGOs are not quicker to be involved in alternative energy in the field. It is something I’ve always wondered as well. Alternative energy even has security advantages for NGOs. There is no need to expose drivers to increased risk bringing large amounts of fuel into crisis zones. Generators make it difficult to hear what is going on around your compound and even reduce your acceptance. Who wants to live next to a noisy generator? Especially if you don’t have an opportunity to use it yourself.

Tags: links, News, Twitter

On 15 January, following heavy fighting in Muhajariya, South Darfur, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) was forced to temporarily relocate most of its medical team to Nyala.

According to a recent MSF article the MSF base in Muhajariya has since been completely destroyed by fire. Fortunately the MSF clinic remains functional and a skeleton crew of local staff are attempting to provide basic services despite the risks.

The security situation in the Muhajariya area remains far from clear. Fighting between government forces and the Justice and Equality Movement has made delivery of aid very difficult. UNAMID is trying to fill the humanitarian void left after the withdrawal of the other humanitarian organizations.

Further complicating the situation, local civilians and ‘some’ combatants have taken refuge at UNAMID camps. This clearly endangers the safety and security of UNAMID troops and those civilians seeking refuge in the camps.

Although Sudanese officials have not directly linked the current attacks with the impending indictment of Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court, Sudanese government officials have repeatedly threatened recriminations against civilians, peacekeepers, aid workers and others in the event of an arrest warrant.

Tags: Incident, Sudan, Darfur

If you see the teeth of the lion, do not think that the lion is smiling at you. — Al-Mutanabbi

Tags: risk

SNAPR: Social Networking Action & Privacy Risk Methodology - This website, developed by security and risk analysis students at Penn State University is a handy tool for assessing your risk exposure from your use of popular social networking sites.

Australia worried about aid workers in Mindanao - but not enough to do anything practical.

Surveying OpenStreetMap in Africa - a handy overview of the open source mapping activity going on in Africa.

Tags: links

The Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ - German Technical Cooperation) is an international cooperation Organization for sustainable development with worldwide operations. We provide viable, forward-looking solutions for political, economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world.

We seek to recruit a suitably qualified person for our newly created position of a
Security Advisor

Job Scope:
Reporting to the GTZ Country Director, the Security Advisor shall work closely with our country projects and programmes to develop and implement a security system within our organization.

Main Tasks will include:

* Develop, implement and maintain a Security Management System
* Undertake regular analysis and make recommendations concerning safety and security of facilities, offices, residences and movements.
* Update the Crisis Management Plans and produce on regular basis required security information documents and reports, including incident mappings and security alerts.
* Ensure that adequate means of communication are in place, equipment is maintained and personnel are trained on how to use it
* Conduct security briefings and necessary training for all personnel.
* Liaise with different official and informal national civilian authorities as well as with national and international security entities.

Qualification and Skills:

* University Degree or Professional Training in Security related area
* 5 years of relevant practical experience in the field of security
* Profound knowledge of Risk Management concepts and experience in implementation of Risk Management in the context of International Development Cooperation as well as capacity in crisis management
* Training Experience
* Excellent analytical and Computer skills
* Team player able to work with discretion and with good writing and presentation skills
* Excellent command of English and Swahili, any knowledge of the German language would be an advantage

An attractive remuneration package and benefits will be offered to the selected candidate.

If you believe you fit the required profile, please send your application to

GTZ-Office Nairobi Attn.: Mr. Dieter Schmidt
P.O. Box 41607,
00100 GPO NAIROBI
E-mail: Dieter.Schmidt @ gtz.de

Deadline for applications is Friday, 06 of February 2009. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Tags: Jobs, Kenya

As with many things in life it seems that the death of Jiri Zivny may not have been what it first seemed. A report in the AsiaSentinal suggests that Jiri may have died in a motorcycle accident rather than a robbery. You can read more in this disillusioning report: Cashing in by Doing Good in Cambodia

At this point it is very difficult to know exactly what is going on but it reinforces my previous advice - “Ensure you have proper medical evacuation insurance before you go abroad. The organization you work for should be able to provide this for you. If not, you will need to pay for your own... and you should probably consider choosing another organization.”

Whatever the outcome of this incident may be my thoughts are for Ziri, a man who seems to have been struggling to turn his life around for the better.

Tags: Incident, Cambodia, News

During last year’s fighting in eastern Chad some NGOs found themselves trapped in their compounds without power. Running their generators attracted unwanted attention so they quickly ran down the satellite phones and laptops that they depended upon for communications. Fortunately there are more and more devices out there that can help if you find yourself in a similar situation.

I’ll forego a round up of external battery packs for mobile phones and other gadgets. There are too many of them out there and they are all more or less the same. Instead we’ll look at some greener options.

Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies’ HydroPak is billed as a clean and quiet alternative to lead acid battery packs and portable generators this innovative device combines fuel cell technology with a water activated energy storage cartridge. Not only will this have more than enough power to recharge your mobile phone it should be able to recharge your Motorola radio or satellite phone as well. Their brochure has all the details. Estimated pricing is USD 650.00 for the unit and USD 37.00 per cartridge.



The Medis Xtreme Portable Fuel Cell Charger is another fuel cell device. Its much smaller than the HydroPak but still produces enough juice to recharge your smart phone up to four times. You just need to unwrap it, squeeze it, and plug it in. The Xtreme Emergency Kit is currently retailing for around USD 50.00.

Lenmar’s PowerPort Solar Charger was recently announced at CES and should be available soon. The charger fits most mobile phones and can be recharged by the sun or by connecting it to a USB power outlet. Lenmar claims it will recharge your phone up to five times before it needs to be recharged. No word on pricing yet.

Kenisis makes the K2, a solar and wind powered mobile phone charger. If mother nature isn’t co-operating it can also be charged from the mains.

Hankey makes a hand crank mobile phone battery charger that looks interesting. No need for sunshine, just turn the crank.

If you need to recharge a laptop or satellite phone Brunton makes SolarRolls. These are essentially flexible solar panels that can be rolled up when not in use. There are three models depending on your power needs. The largest will charge a laptop. Prices range from USD 300.00 to USD 650.00.

An alternative is PowerFilm’s Foldable Solar Chargers. The largest (PowerFilm F15-3600) produces 60 Watts, enough to recharge a laptop or satphone and it folds up to roughly the size of a two inch stack of printer paper. Prices seem to vary a lot so shop around. I’ve seen the F15-3600 going for as little as USD 1000.00 and as much as USD 1,500.00.

If you have a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air and deep pockets the Apple Ju!ce is worth a look. Its expensive but it comes with a free Element bag that’ll have you looking more like a stylish urban guerilla than an aid worker.

Some devices absolutely require conventional alkaline batteries. If you are using one of these you might want to take a look at Fuji’s new EnviroMAX line-up. These batteries are supposed to be landfill safe as they do not contain mercury, cadmium, nor PVC packaging.

Finally, if you are a DIY type or find yourself trapped in the middle of Chad with nothing but a soldering iron, some wires, and an Altoids tin you might want to watch Three Portable USB Battery Packs You Can Build.

Tags: Mobile Phones, Tools

The Three Myths About Plane Crashes - The short version: most people survive plane crashes, most people don’t panic during crashes, your actions during a crash do influence your survival.

Philippines: Aid workers' abductors want military to call off manhunt - The kidnappers have also demanded a five million dollar ransom while the Philippines government is asking the Swiss and Italian governments not to pay any ransom. Negotiations are likely to be difficult. There are three governments, three families, the Red Cross, and possibly two kidnapping groups involved and each has differing interests.

Tags: links

Canadians trade indifference for action by donating weapons to minors in foreign countries.







If you want to help visit War Child Canada.

Tags: Global, Human Rights

Women, the Devout and People with Good Memories Among Those that Worry Most About Terrorism - Comments on a somewhat flawed study that purports to show that women, the religiously devout, those with good memories, the less educated, and those lived close to the twin towers in NYC worry more about their vulnerability to terrorism.

Abducted Red Cross workers in Philippines make contact - The three Red Cross workers who were kidnapped have established contact with the Red Cross but they are still being held by their captors.

Where Walkie-talkies Dare - Ken Banks on using Walkie-talkies as an intermediate technology in the developing world. Cheap Walkie-talkies (FRS radio) are also great for ad-hoc NGO security arrangements.

Tags: links

The Canadian Aid Worker who was seriously beaten in Cambodia last week has died from his injuries. Jiri Zivny died at 5:15 p.m. local time on 15 January at Phnom Penh's Calmette hospital from injuries he sustained during a mugging.

As sad as this is it gets worse. According to CBC:

Zivny's medical insurance had expired before the attack. News of his death came as Picklyk and others were trying to raise funds to bring him back to Canada for treatment.

In other words Zivny did not have insurance to cover medical evacuation and neither did the organization he had paid 2700.00 CDN to volunteer for.

Potential aid workers take note - Ensure you have proper medical evacuation insurance before you go abroad. The organization you work for should be able to provide this for you. If not you will need to pay for your own... and you should probably consider choosing another organization.

More: B.C. aid worker dies in Cambodia

Tags: Death of aid worker, Cambodia

On 08 January 2009, a French humanitarian aid worker, Sebastien Daridan, was stabbed in the torso by a local resident.

Daridan is the head of mission for the French NGO Triangle Génération Humanitaire.

Local police detained an Acehnese man identified as Edi Miswar. The motive for the attack is unclear.

More: French aid worker stabbed, in critical condition in Aceh

Tags: Incident, Indonesia

I’ve been upgrading the comment system (with JS-Kit) and have run in to a few problems. Comment input and moderation work well so I am getting your comments. Unfortunately inline comments (and comment counts) do not show up in the blog proper nor do comment counts. Please bear with me while I get this sorted out.

Meanwhile you can take a look at the newly formatted aid worker fatalities list and let me know what you think.

Maps and charts will also be added soon (soon = after I work out the comments issue). You can check out a sample of what the maps will probably look like here.

Tags: News

3 Red Cross workers kidnapped in Philippines - Three workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross were abducted n the town of Patikul, on Sulu where Abu Sayyaf and other rebel groups have been active. Officials identified the victims as Andreas Notter of Switzerland, Eugenio Vagni of Italy and a Filipino, Jean Lacaba.

UN chief 'outraged' as Israeli shells hit Gaza headquarters - At least three white phosphorus rounds hit the UN headquarters building in Gaza wounding three staff members.

Twitter for emergency management - Gavin Treadgold posts about the value of Twitter in emergency management. According to Gavin, “One reason sites like Twitter have become so popular with the public is because they can get information quicker than we, as emergency managers, are able to otherwise provide it. That sends a pretty strong message that we need to do better in terms of getting information out to the public.” The same could be said for NGOs.

Tags: links

Hamas confiscates aid trucks to Gaza - At least ten Jordanian Red Crescent humanitarian aid trucks have been confiscated by Hamas. The contents have apparently been distributed to Hamas run programs.

Lost BRCA hard drive contains 300 social security numbers - A small american NGO has suffered a data breach. Approximately 300 people's Social Security numbers and personal information is on an external computer hard drive missing from Blue Ridge Community Action.

The war in Gaza escalates. Civilian and aid worker casualties on the rise. Words "Crimes Against Humanity" coming up. - A summary of recent events in Gaza including attacks on aid workers and humanitarian facilities and equipment.

Top Ten Reasons You Know You’re Working at an Aid Organization Headquarters - This has been circulating on email for a while but if you haven’t seen it you might get a chuckle.

Tags: links

Jiri Zivney, a Canadian volunteer humanitarian worker with the International Humanitarian Hope Society, was beaten and robbed in Cambodia. He remains in Phnom Penh in critical condition.

Jiri was in Cambodia delivering medical supplies to Cambodian orphans as part of a humanitarian trip to China, Vietnam, Thailand and Burma. He was apparently attacked shortly after withdrawing cash from an ATM.

A trust fund has been set up for Jiri Zivny. Please make all checks payable to International Humanitarian Hope Society (a tax deductible receipts will be issued).

Valley First
100-180 Seymour Street
Kamloops BC V2C 2Es
Phone 250-374-4924

Account # 610071571
transit 27310-809

For more details go to the International Humanitarian Hope website.

Tags: Incident, Cambodia

Japan doctor held by Somali gunmen returns home - Keiko Akahane of Medecins du Monde talks about being held by Somali gunmen.

Terrorism & Security In South Asia: Likely Scenarios During 2009 - Despite its title this paper is more of a review of terrorism in 2008 than an it is scenarios for 2009 but its still worth reading if your organization works in this area.

Oxfam worker and family in Gaza narrowly escape death as rocket hits house - An Oxfam worker describes the destruction of her house and the difficulty of finding a safe area in Gaza.

GAZA Rafah eyewitness: CARE aid worker bombed with his family - A CARE staff member has his own narrow escape story.

Tags: links

The universe grows smaller every day, and the threat of aggression by any group, anywhere, can no longer be tolerated. There must be security for all — or no one is secure... This does not mean giving up any freedom except the freedom to act irresponsibly. — Klaatu, “The Day the Earth Stood Still”

Thanks to Sources and Methods for digging up this resource hidden in the bowels of the NIC servers.

The NIC’s Strategic Implications of Global Health paper is chock full of useful health statistics, predictions, maps and charts.

Print out the map, pin it up over your desk, and use it to explain to the new contractor that he really does need medical evacuation insurance before he heads off to Nepal.

Links: Full Report - Health Care Capabilities fold out.

Tags: links, Global

Photo by David Axe Some rights reserved.

A couple of days ago Peter at The Road to the Horizon asked me what I thought of the proposal by the UN envoy to Somalia for a Baghdad-style Green Zone in Somalia. Since I don’t know all the reasons the UN might want a green zone I’ll stick to the question of whether or not a green zone type base would enhance aid worker security in Somalia.

So do I think a Somali green zone could make humanitarian staff safer? No, at least not appreciably so and certainly not cost effectively.

Here is why:

Soldiers required: A Somali green zone would require competent armed troops to protect the perimeter and man the gates. Who would do this? The Somali army is virtually non-existent and lets face it, foreign troops aren’t exactly welcomed with open arms in Somalia. Even if a troop-contributing nation could be found there would still be the issue of feeding the perception of a link between military forces and humanitarian assistance.

Attack magnet: A green zone would become a magnet for attacks just as the original Green Zone was. Even if groups like al-Shabab decided to give up attacks on aid workers they are still going to attack the soldiers manning the facility. Every deluded suicide bomber and wannabe Jihadist would be drawn to this symbolic target.

Exclusivity: It won’t protect Somali aid workers who do most of the direct implementation. After a long day of work in the field they’ll still be returning to their family homes… outside the green zone.

It won’t protect field staff: Ibrahim Hussein Duale and Mohamud Omar Moallim were both killed while they were working in the field. A green zone wouldn’t have saved them. Nor would it protect any other staff going to do actual implementation in the local communities.

It will be a prison: While a green zone might provide some protection to international mangers and such but they will still be almost as cut off from the ground reality of Somalia as they are now in Nairobi.

Culturally inappropriate security: A green zone would not do anything to increase local acceptance of foreign aid organizations. In order for NGO security measures not to risk reducing acceptance they need to be culturally and socially appropriate for the local context. Giant HESCO Bastion barriers are just not part of Somali culture tradition.

It’s a money sink: The problem with protective security measures is that they quickly become obsolete in the presence of a determined attacker. Build thicker blast walls and they will build bigger car bombs. Each escalation requires more spending on security measures.

All in all I think a green zone would isolate and reduce the acceptance of international aid staff, blur the line between military and humanitarian response, waste money and do nothing to make aid workers safer.

Tags: Somalia, Analysis

Position: Security Coordinator for Afghan Women’s Project
Reports to: Program Manager
Location: Kabul, Afghanistan

SUMMARY:

The Security Coordinator will be responsible for leading security and safety preparedness, practice, and response for in-country staff and any visitors to the programs.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Duties: The Security Coordinator for Afghanistan will:

• Lead security and safety preparedness, practice, and response for the RI-Afghanistan Women’s Civil Society Program;
• Develop RI-Afghanistan security and safety policy with the Headquarters Global Security Director and Afghanistan senior management team;
• Supported by the Security Coordinator, the Security Coordinator will liaise with the Afghan Government, United Nations, Multi-National Forces in Afghanistan, and other organizations when necessary;
• Supported by the Security Coordinator and three national Regional Security Associates, routinely assess security and safety conditions for staff housing, offices, travel, and recreation, as well as trends by location, routinely enhance the policy manual, practice, and response capacity to match;
• Supported by Headquarters, the Security Coordinator, and three national Regional Security Associates, the Security Coordinator will lead the preparation and conduct of pre- and post-deployment orientations for staff and visitors, as well as arrange advanced security trainings and psychosocial support.

REPORTING:

The Security Coordinator will report to the Headquarters Global Security Director, liaise with the Afghanistan senior management team, and oversee national Regional Security Associates. The Security Coordinator will be responsible for leading security and safety preparedness, practice, and response for in-country staff and any visitors to the programs.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum 10 years aid-related experience in crisis zones;
• Minimum 5 years in role as security officer for aid-related programming;
• Experience with aid security policy and practice in crisis settings in at least three different cultural contexts;
• Knowledge of ICRC Code of Conduct, as well as Interaction and UNDSS security standards required;
• Extensive cross-cultural training experience;
• Strong English language communication skills;
• Experience in Afghanistan a big plus;
• Pashto or Dari languages a plus.


Submission:
For consideration please submit all of the following: a detailed CV, cover letter, salary history, and a list of 3 previous supervisors (including email address, mailing address, and telephone number) to Human Resources, Relief International. Email to: hrinternational@ri.org. Subject line must include: Security Coordinator - AFGHANISTAN.

Tags: Jobs, Afghanistan

On 8 January a civilian contractor for the UN Palestinian Refugees Agency (UNRWA) was reportedly killed when a UN convoy on its way to pick up relief supplies was hit by two tank shells in northern Gaza on Thursday according to a UN spokesman. Two other contractors were injured.

The convoy was reported to have been co-ordinated with the Israeli military and occurred during the three hour cease fire scheduled to last from 1pm (11:00 GMT) to 4pm (14:00 GMT) at the Erez crossing.

The Israeli army says it is investigating the incident.

more: Israel fires on UN Gaza convoy

Tags: Incident, Gaza

On 8 January 2009 gunmen killed a UN World Food Programme (WFP) worker as his team distributed aid in Daynile 10 kms north of Mogadishu. The unidentified aid worker was the second WFP staff member murdered since the beginning of the new year. The gunmen also stole the victim’s vehicle after taking weapons from his bodyguards.

WFP food monitor Ibrahim Hussein Duale was shot dead on Tuesday by masked gunmen at a school near Garbahare.

Gunmen kill WFP aid worker in Somalia

Tags: Death of aid worker, Somalia

On 6 January, Mohammed Ibrahim Samouni, a Palestinian aid worker, was killed in an aerial bombing in Gaza. One of his six children was also critically injured in the incident.

Mr Samouni worked at a food packing station managed by CARE's General Union of Palestinian Peasants in support of CARE's Gaza Fresh Food Project.

More on Mr Samouni’s death: Worker for CARE's food distribution project killed in Gaza and Violence halts most of CARE's aid distribution in Gaza Strip

Mr Samouni may have the dubious distinction of being the second aid worker killed in the recent round of fighting in Gaza. Then again he might not.

The IFRC, is reporting that a Palestinian Red Crescent Society volunteer, Arafa Abdul Dayem, was killed while on duty, after an air strike hit the Al Salheen in Jabaliya. It sounds similar to the earlier incident reported by Oxfam. A different incident location, Beit Lahiya, was given but OpenStreetMap shows both locations in close proximity so I’m thinking its the same incident.

To make matters even more confused IPS quotes a spokesman for Gaza's Shifa Hospital as saying, “One Palestinian doctor and three medics have been killed during Israel's bombing campaign...”.


View Larger Map

On a related note Mikel Maron and volunteers are working on a Gaza OpenStreetMap update. If you know Gaza reasonably well but are fortunate enough to be in the relative safety of some place else you might want to give them your help. Good maps will help the relief effort and improve the safety and security of aid workers in Gaza.

Tags: Death of aid worker, Gaza

Job Ref: SOM/EX0068

CARE Somalia/South Sudan is an International NGO working in Somalia and South Sudan. CARE and its partners work with vulnerable communities to address the underlying causes of poverty and promote peace and development, through its strategic goal to reduce poverty by empowering women, enhancing access to resources and services, and improving governance.

CARE is looking for a suitable candidate to fill the position of National Training Officer (NTO) for its NGO Security Preparedness and Support (NGO-SPAS) Program. The position will oversee delivery of training to NGOs, security report writing, liaisons with appropriate authorities, NGO project facilitation through the provision of security related training, NGO safety/security training development, and any other tasked deemed relevant with a safety and security context.

Job Summary
Reporting to the Training Manager (TM), the National Training Officer will act as the NGO SPAS national security training focal point, conduct surveys regarding the security preparedness of NGOs operating in Somalia & Somaliland as well as surveys of NGOs security training requirements in Somalia & Somaliland.

The incumbent of this position will develop and deliver detailed security training packages tailored to the needs of NGOs operating in Somalia & Somaliland and all other trainings as required by the training Manager and or the program manager which shall include, generic national focused defensive driver training packages, basic communications training packages, generic basic emergency first responder training packages, basic duties of a guard force.

H/She will develop generic security standard operating procedures for implementation by NGO's, act as a security officer as and when required as well and Manage all training equipment and stores as required.

Key Competencies

* Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to clearly convey information;
* Team player;
* Strong planning, organizing and coordinating abilities;
* Good analytical skills;
* Proactive, innovative and able to initiate action

Required skills and qualifications

* Bachelors Degree in personnel Management or related field;
* Security/Safety training;
* 2 years of experience in a Security/Safety training environment;
* 2 years of experience in a Humanitarian or Civil Emergency services;
* Proven presentation and facilitator skills;
* Proficient computer skills;
* Fluency in written and spoken English and Somali languages;
* Ability to work under minimal supervision and high level of flexibility;
* Ability to establish training requirement and detailed training matrix

This position is based in the Nairobi office with 40% travel to the field offices. Closing date for applications is: 21st January 2009. The shortlisted candidates will be contacted by: 4th February 2009.

Applications/CV with daytime telephone contacts and three referees should be sent to:

The Human Resources Officer,
CARE Somalia/South Sudan,
P.O. Box 2039, 00202 Nairobi.
Email: hr @ ci.or.ke

CARE is an Equal Opportunity Employer, promoting gender, equity and diversity and women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply!

Tags: Jobs, Kenya, Somalia

SPAS Somalia Safety Coordinator (2 POSITIONS)- Job Ref: SOM/EX0067

CARE Somalia/South Sudan is an International NGO working in Somalia and South Sudan. CARE and its partners work with vulnerable communities to address the underlying causes of poverty and promote peace and development, through its strategic goal to reduce poverty by empowering women, enhancing access to resources and services, and improving governance.


CARE is looking for suitable candidates to fill the two positions of Somalia Safety Coordinator (SSC) for the Northern and Southern Somalia region for its NGO Security Preparedness and Support (NGO-SPAS) Program. These positions will oversee security report writing, liaisons with appropriate authorities, NGO project facilitation through the provision of security related advice, NGO safety/ security development, and any other tasked deemed relevant with a safety and security context..

Job Summary
Reporting to the Operations Coordinator (OP), the Somalia Safety Coordinators will manage field staff in multiple locations within Somalia and Kenya; collect and analyze a wide range of security information on Somalia as well as provide security advice and updates to NGO Consortium members and other humanitarian actors within the Somalia context.

The incumbent of this position will also Provide CARE, NGO Consortium members and non consortium NGOs with travel-related security advice, generate both periodical as well as ad hoc reports and present security briefings to the aid community at regular intervals

The SSC will carry out regular site visits and assessments on request from NGOs and other international actors as appropriate, advise, organize and facilitate staff relocations and or evacuations in emergency situations and or staff in critical medical conditions, monitor
daily media from Somalia, Somaiiland, Puntland and international media in order to obtain security related information; translate and distribute as required.

H/She will also liaise as directed with members of the NGO Consortium, government officials and all other relevant leaders and stakeholders in Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland in order to exchange security related information

Key Competencies

* Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to clearly convey information;
* Strategic decision making abilities with strong political acumen
* Team player;
* Strong planning, organizing and coordinating abilities;
* Good analytical skills;
* Proactive, innovative and able to initiate action
* Required skills and qualifications
* Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field. Training in security management and or previous experience as a journalist would be an added advantage;
* 3 years of experience in a Security management, project management and or journalistic environment;
* Good investigative and reporting skills;
* Good understanding of Somalia environment;
* Fluency in written and spoken English and Somali languages;
* Ability to work with limited supervision;
* Ability to establish trends and make projections and posses high investigative skills

This position is based in the Nairobi office with 40% travel to the field offices. Closing date for applications is: 21st January 2009.

The shortlisted candidates will be contacted by: 4th February 2009

Applications/CV with daytime telephone contacts and three referees should be sent to:

The Human Resources Officer
CARE Somalia/South Sudan
P.O. Box 2039, 00202 Nairobi
Email: hr @ ci.or.ke

CARE is an Equal Opportunity Employer, promoting gender, equity and diversity and women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply!

Tags: Jobs, Kenya, Somalia

RedR has a position for an NGO security trainer/manager to support NGO activities in Darfur.

Tags: Jobs, Darfur

After last weeks killing or a paramedic in Gaza I found myself wondering how and why such incidents happen. Sure, being a medic in Gaza is dangerous work. They place themselves in harms way in order to save others and unfortunately crossfire doesn’t discriminate.

Could there be other reasons for attacks on ambulances and medics in Gaza? The video link below suggests there is. Watch it carefully. What do you see?



If this video is in fact what it purports to be there is cause for concern. First is that the ambulances seem to show up before the violence starts. They don’t appear to be responding to an incident. Rather, they seem to know in advance that trouble is coming. How neutral and impartial are you if you become the de facto medical support for one side?

Second and more important is the issue of the ambulance itself. The ambulance is clearly marked as such and even has UN markings. Despite this the gunmen are clearly using it as transportation. Using ambulances to transport combatants is a violation of the Geneva Convention.

It doesn’t take many incidents like this to lose the acceptance that humanitarian organizations depend upon to ensure their safety and security.

Tags: video, Analysis

It’s only the sixth day of the new year and already we have this disturbing report of the death of an aid worker colleague in Somalia.

According to WFP:

Three masked gunmen shot and killed 44-year-old Somali national Ibrahim Hussein Duale, while he was monitoring school feeding in a WFP-supported school in Yubsan village six kilometres from the Gedo region capital of Garbahare. Witnesses say the gunmen approached him while he was seated, ordered him to stand up and then shot him.

WFP Statement
Aid worker killed in Somalia

Tags: Death of aid worker, Somalia, Incident

According to an Oxfam statement a paramedic working for an Oxfam funded organization, Union of Health Work Committees, has been killed in the fighting in Gaza. The health care worker was killed when an errant shell hit his ambulance. Another paramedic and the ambulance driver were injured in the same incident.

The ambulance team was trying to evacuate an injured person in the Beit Lahiya area of Gaza.

Tags: Gaza, Death of aid worker, Incident

Relief International is looking for a Security Director for Iraq. Being an NGO Security Director in Iraq is one of the most challenging jobs you’ll find in the NGO security world.

Position: Security Director for Iraq
Reports to: Global Security Director
Location: Baghdad, Iraq

SUMMARY:

The Security Director for Iraq will be responsible for leading security and safety preparedness, practice, and response for 536 staff in-country, as well as 4 staff based in Jordan who travel in Iraq, and any visitors to the programs.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Duties: The Security Director for Iraq will:

• Lead security and safety preparedness, practice, and response for all RI-Iraq staff and programs;
• Develop RI-Iraq security and safety policy with the Headquarters Global Security Director and Iraq senior management team;
• Supported by the Security Coordinator, the Security Director for Iraq will liaise with the Iraqi Government, United Nations, Multi-National Forces in Iraq, Triple Canopy, and other organizations when necessary;
• Supported by the Security Coordinator and three national Regional Security Associates, routinely assess security and safety conditions for staff housing, offices, travel, and recreation, as well as trends by location, routinely enhance the policy manual, practice, and response capacity to match;
• Supported by Headquarters, the Security Coordinator, and three national Regional Security Associates, the Security Director for Iraq will lead the preparation and conduct of pre- and post-deployment orientations for staff and visitors, as well as arrange advanced security trainings and psychosocial support.

REPORTING:

The Security Director for Iraq will report to the Headquarters Global Security Director, liaise with the Iraq senior management team, and oversee one expatriate Security Coordinator and three national Regional Security Associates. The Security Director for Iraq will be responsible for leading security and safety preparedness, practice, and response for 536 staff in-country, as well as 4 staff based in Jordan who travel in Iraq, and any visitors to the programs.


REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum 10 years aid-related experience in crisis zones;
• Minimum 5 years in role as security officer for aid-related programming;
• Experience with aid security policy and practice in crisis settings in at least three different cultural contexts;
• Knowledge of ICRC Code of Conduct, as well as Interaction and UNDSS security standards required;
• Extensive cross-cultural training experience;
• Strong English language communication skills;
• Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian languages a big plus;
• Experience in Iraq a big plus.


Submission:
For consideration please submit all of the following: a detailed CV, cover letter, salary history, and a list of 3 previous supervisors (including email address, mailing address, and telephone number) to Human Resources, Relief International. Email to: hrinternational@ri.org. Subject line must include: Security Director - IRAQ.

Tags: Jobs, Iraq