INSSA Insights INSSA

Welcome to another episode of INSSA Insights. In this episode, we explore the realm of NGO security and humanitarian aid, focusing on the INSSA-CSD Excellence Awards. Host Amaury Cooper engages with distinguished guests, including Ebe Brons, CEO of the Center For Safety and Development, Rising Star Award recipient Mahmoud Al Iskandarani, and Outstanding Achiever Award winner Emanuely Okongo. The episode highlights the awards' importance, the future of NGO security, and the impactful contributions of rising talents in the field.

Join us for an in-depth look at the changing dynamics of humanitarian aid and security risk management.

TakeawaysIdentifying and Nurturing Talent for Frontline SecurityFuture of NGO SecurityAttracting Diversity to NGO Security Field
Quotes

"To prepare for the fast-approaching future, people must get training, education, and mentoring." - Ebe Brons"We have young people, and it's important to provide them with the necessary skills tailored to our operational environment."- Emmanuely Okongo

"More training in humanitarian law is vital. We stay impartial in conflicts to help those in need, a core commitment when joining humanitarian organizations." - Mahmoud Al Iskandarani

Featured in this Episode

Ebe Brons
Director, Centre for Safety and Development
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebe-brons-63280310/

Emmanuely Okongo
Security and Access Coordinator for Global Surge
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmanuely-okongo-6b746221a/

Mahmoud Al Iskandarani
Safety and Security Consultant
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahmoud-al-iskandarani-995134119/

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
03:41 - Team Gratitude for the Rising Star Award
07:37 - Certification and Skill Recognition in NGO Security
09:55 - Enhancing NGO Security Expertise with Travel and Training
11:38 - Advocating for Diversity with Tangible Organizational Practices
16:16 - The Holistic Mission of NGO Security Professionals
17:52 - Avi's Insights: Necessity for Heightened Focus on Humanitarian Law
21:19 - Fostering Generosity, Skill Development, and Resolving Global Conflicts
24:40 - Conclusion

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Welcome to another episode of INSSA Insights. In this show today, We featured Amaury Cooper, Board Member and Treasurer, at INSSA, Joe Gleason, Director at Global Risk Management, and lastly, Ben Longworth, the Director of Security Services at On Call International. In the episode, they discuss the top security challenges facing NGOs in 2023 and beyond. From the impact of climate change on security to geopolitical tensions between major powers like the USA, China, and Russia, we explore a range of issues that are affecting NGOs globally. We also examine the specific challenges faced by NGOs operating in regions such as South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, and the strategies that NGO security managers can use to manage risks in the age of the pandemic. Join us as we delve into the complexities of NGO security management and the resources that can help organizations better navigate these challenges.

Takeaways

The most influential and impactful in managing security for NGOs.
Security Challenges faced in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America
NGO Strategies for Climate Change and Security Intersection
Challenges Faced by NGOs Operating in Ukraine
The pandemic effect and the status around the world
Geopolitical tensions around the world
The resources that will help NGO security managers

Quotes

"Geopolitical tensions are rising, and if governments turn to Chinese or Russian aid instead of Western aid, NGOs may face fewer restraints." - Joe

"The COVID impact in 2022 is very interesting for NGOs. More on the program side, certainly, of course, we're referencing the risk to employees and personnel. But it's just interesting to see organizations might be able to put that focus back on, and there is a change in focus in a lot of these markets based on what was the strain on the healthcare system." - Ben

"In 2023, we'll see major changes in how organizations manage risks unless something changes dramatically." - Joe

Featured in this Episode

Amaury Cooper
Board Member/Treasurer, INSSA
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amaurycooper

Joe Gleason
Director, Global Risk Management
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-gleason-907a325

Benjamin Longworth
Director of Security Services, On Call International
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-longworth-7b200b40

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:23 Most influential and impactful in NGO security management
04:20 Issues in the South Asia
06:20 Security and climate change
07:41 Challenges Faced by NGOs Operating in Ukraine
12:48 Are we in the post-pandemic
15:56 Security threats in Africa
19:36 Geopolitical tensions between the USA-China-Russia
25:47 A Focus on Tensions in the Middle East
28:12 The challenges and flash points in Latin America
32:05 Managing Risk in the Age of Pandemic
38:22 The lessons learned from the previous years
41:45 The NGO Security Management for 2023 and beyond
46:36 The resources that will help NGO security managers
50:48 Conclusion

Produced by Heartcast Media
http://www.heartcastmedia.com

Welcome to another episode of INSSA Insights. In this show today, we will have a more central topic on our great women in the field of NGO security. We invited Melanie Murphy, the Physical Security Director for Human Rights Watch, Lisa Oliveri, the Director of Global Risk Management, Security, and Operations for National Democratic Institute, and lastly Javeria Malik, the Global Safety and Security Lead at ActionAid/INSSA Chair. They each share their stories of how they started in NGO Security management. They also share the challenges they've faced as women in the sector as these have been male-dominated fields. Moreover, they give some examples where women have some advantages in the field and how these sectors have been shifting towards a female-friendly environment. Lastly, they each give some tips and advice to the audience and give some knowledge about the upcoming challenges the sector will face.

Key Takeaways

Our Guests' stories on how they started in the NGO Security Sector
The challenges of our guests as women in the NGO security sector
The advantages of being a woman in the NGO Security Sector
The shift towards the women-friendly environment in the past decades in the NGO Security sector
Advice and Tips from our Guests to our fellow Audiences
The challenges the NGO security sector will face in terms of safety and security in the upcoming years

Quotes

"I can be tough however I prefer that people will see me as an approachable person, working alongside them because security management is about intimate conversations and details with people about their fears and vulnerabilities." - Melanie

"We have amazing women that support and make sure we're, diversifying our thoughts and approaches as much as possible." - Lisa

"One of the advantages of being a woman in this field is that I don't appear to be a threat and challenge their authority which able me to negotiate our way through various tensions." - Javeria

Featured in this Episode

Melanie Murphy
Physical Security Director for Human Rights Watch
Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/melanie-murphy-she-her-7a25403b
Website: https://www.hrw.org

Lisa Oliveri
Director of Global Risk Management, Security, and Operations for National Democratic Institute
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamoliveri
Profile: https://www.ndi.org/people/Lisa_Oliveri

Javeria Malik
Global Safety and Security Lead at ActionAid/INSSA Chair
Linkedin: https://za.linkedin.com/in/javmalik
Profile/Website: https://inssa.org/javeria-malik

Amaury Cooper
Board Member /Treasurer, INSSA
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amaurycooper
Profile/Website: https://inssa.org/amaury-t-cooper

Words to our Sponsors

Thank you To the Robert McPherson Fellowship for its generous support and donation, helping to make this podcast possible

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:53 How Melanie, Lisa, and Jav started in the NGO Security Management
06:13 The challenges as a female in the field of NGO security
10:23 The advantages of a woman in the field of NGO security
16:40 The changes in the field for women over the decade
22:52 Opening up for women in the NGO security sector
29:07 Pieces of Advice from our guests to all...

Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
1:33 Robert shares some of the reasons that made him decide to write his book
5:57 Robert talks about some of the similarities between the military, the marine and the International Development Humanitarian Aid sectors
9:42 Robert talks about his transition from a marine to being humanitarian worker and how it was for him
13:55 Robert talks about the lessons he learned while in the military and the advice he would give to people who want to move from the military space into the NGO space
17:57 Robert talks about how it was for him developing protocols and procedures that he had to do in policies for Safety and Security coming from the military
21:26 Robert explains if the NGO’s take Safety and Security serious
24:46 Robert talks about what he feels the NGOs are still lacking when it comes to safety and security and what they are also excelling at 
39:00 Robert talks about the geographic areas that he is most concerned about when it comes to NGO safety and security
43:54 Robert talks about what he sees is the future of NGO Safety and Security with all the knowledge that he has about it
50:44 Robert talks about the advice he would give to people who are considering a career in the NGO security space 

Books Mentioned:
https://www.robertseamusmacpherson.com/stewards-of-humanity  

Shows Mentioned:
https://inssa.org/ 
https://www.un.org/en/ 
http://www.marines.mil/ 
http://www.peacecorps.gov/ 
https://usnwc.edu/ 
https://www.ncolcoe.army.mil/ 
http://www.aidforum.org/directory/the-international-ngo-safety-security-association-inssa/ 
https://www.usaid.gov/who-we-are/organization/bureaus/bureau-humanitarian-assistance 
https://gisf.ngo/resource/can-you-get-sued-legal-liability-of-international-humanitarian-aid-organisations-towards-their-staff/ 

Quotes Mentioned:
“The greatest enthusiasm from the women and men I associated with on the Marine Corps side is when they dropped into events where they were there to assist the humanitarian community rather than make war.”
“Practice leadership by example.”
“Always be humble.”
“You got to step back and learn how everything works”
“By 2050, half of the population, or half of the nation state of Bangladesh is going to be underwater.”
“There is never enough.”

Guests Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.robertseamusmacpherson.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertseamusmacpherson/ 
Email: rsm@robertseamusmacpherson.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertseamusmacpherson 

Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
1:10 Michael talks about how he got into the international development and humanitarian aid sector and specifically the NGO security space
3:49 Michael shares an incident that occurred in his career in international development and how it influenced his path to NGO security
9:30 Michael explains if the way that NGOs practice security management has matured or if it’s still languishing
12:31 Michael talks about what differentiates the security management in the NGO sector from other sectors 
15:25 Michael talks about the current state of security management around the world, within the NGO community and how mature it is 
18:31 Michael talks about the acceptance of the importance of security risk management in the NGO sector both nonprofits and for-profit
22:51 Michael talks about the importance of having information analysis and analysts and how it will help security risk management mature 
26:13 Michael explains if organizations are integrating the security risk management personnel with analysts and implementers in the program designs 
28:55 Michael talks about the study they did on acceptance, the core principles of acceptance, and what organizations should do to implement acceptance 
31:46 Michael talks more about the acceptance model that they did during their study and the people that they did it with 
39:06 Michael talks about World Humanitarian Day and the significance it has on the NGO’s security or humanitarian security
42:55 Michael talks about the current biggest threats to aid workers in terms of security operations and what they should do
47:09 Michael shares his thought on the future threats that might impact the security operations of the security agencies 
49:21 Michael talks about the most important lessons that he has learned over the course of his career in NGO security management
54:13 Michael shares some of the resources that he feels are essential for people who are interested in NGO security risk management 
56:07 Michael talks about INSSA, what it is and what was the force or the need that led to the formation of INSSA and its initiatives 
1:04:42 Michael talks about the future of INSSA and where he is hoping to see it go 
1:05:47 Michael talks about where he sees the NGO security sector going as a whole

Books Mentioned: 
Operational Security Management in Violent Environments: https://books.google.com/books/about/Operational_Security_Management_in_Viole.html?id=Bb6FAAAACAAJ&source=kp_book_description 
Never Split the Difference: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26156469-never-split-the-difference 
Player Piano: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9597.Player_Piano 

Shows Mentioned:
http://acceptanceresearch.org/ 
Peace Corp: https://www.peacecorps.gov/ 
GIZ: https://www.giz.de/en/html/index.html 
Save the Children: https://www.savethechildren.net/ 
OFDA: https://www.usaid.gov/who-we-are/organization/bureaus/bureau-democracy-conflict-and-humanitarian-assistance/office-us 
ICRC: https://www.icrc.org/en 
GPRA: a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/mgmt-gpra/index"...