CHF-DMA-0489-010 “NGO Security Programme” - 316,324$

 Somalia has no effective Rule of Law. In this void, insecurity from criminal to radical Islamist groups has made the delivery of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities in Somalia difficult and in some areas dangerous. Humanitarian actors have been targeted by incidents ranging from theft to assassination. UN humanitarian actors benefit from security management provided by UNDSS and agency specific security officers. Non UN humanitarian actors (INGOs, NGOs and CBOs) are not adequately covered by joint security initiatives such as “Saving Lives Together”. This nexus of threat and inadequate security coverage is mitigated to a certain extent for large or motivated INGOs through direct employment of Security Managers. For the majority of agencies however, their operations and staff are entirely vulnerable. Beyond this agency specific vulnerability, non UN humanitarian agencies also lack a collective “institutional memory” regarding security. It is this issue and the number of vulnerable agencies that provide the raison d’être for the intervention provided by NSP. Without a coordinated and fully accessible security programme as provided by NSP, humanitarian agencies will operate with a high level of vulnerability to the multiple threats that exist in Somalia.

The ultimate result of NSPs mission is the delivery of aid and assistance to those who need it most and the security of those who aim to assist. This is reflected in NSPs Mission: NSP is committed to providing Safety and Security for Staff and Assets for all Humanitarian Actors operating in a complex environment. To achieve this NSP must assist and facilitate the readiness and the ability of NGOs to forecast and take precautionary measures in advance of an imminent threat and to cope with the effects of insecurity. The NSP’s 3 core objectives are: Capacity Building - Where Threats are identified and Risks quantified through thorough understanding of Agency specific Vulnerability, NGOs through the provision of training, technical advice and security advisories can demonstrate effective Risk Mitigation and Contingency plans; Response - If a critical incident occurs NSP reports and fulfils a coordination function enabling access to key decision makers and service providers; Information - Information specific to understanding operational environments, threats specific to humanitarian activities and assets is collected, recorded analyzed and disseminated.