The data behind #NotATarget: how humanitarian advocacy professionals can use security incident information to advocate for change

We are all familiar with the #NotATarget movement championed by Médecins Sans Frontières, the United Nations and others. This is one of a number of advocacy efforts aimed at raising awareness about the challenges that many aid organisations face in securing the safe passage and delivery of aid to civilians in need.

Security-related incidents put the lives of aid workers and aid recipients at risk in addition to disrupting the flow of assistance to disaster-affected populations. NGOs have made great progress in developing security incident information management systems to respond to ever-changing security contexts. However, security incident information collected for security and programming purposes is not always shared with humanitarian advocacy staff or pooled with other organisations to serve as a basis for a collective advocacy strategy.

Analysing trends in security incident information does not only support the identification of the risks faced by aid workers but can also serve to better understand the contexts in which NGOs operate and the realities faced by local populations. For example, trend analysis of data collected on aid workers who have died as a result of explosive weapons has shown a recent increase in the use of these weapons. This evidences a concerning reality, one which impacts local populations and aid workers alike. This data, although collected primarily for the purposes of monitoring aid worker security, is now being used to support the campaign to prohibit the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA).

The scale of insecurity for humanitarian action can unfortunately remain hidden if the role that advocacy can and should play in the collection, analysis and use of security incident data is not recognised. Each incident is dealt with in silence and, in most cases, with perpetrators rarely brought to justice. There are opportunities for humanitarian advocacy professionals to use security incident information collected by organisations to develop organisational, as well as sector-wide, advocacy strategies to address complex concerns.

This training focuses on how to use documented evidence of violence against aid workers or incidents that affect the delivery of aid in order to support broader advocacy efforts, such as the #NotATarget movement and the EWIPA campaign, to improve the protection of aid workers and local populations. This training will discuss how advocacy professionals can influence the type of security incident data collected and pooled across organisations, as well as how to analyse and use this data at a strategic level to identify and support humanitarian advocacy strategies.

Aim of the training:

The aim of this training is to provide participants with the understanding and tools needed to effectively use security incident information to strengthen their organisation’s humanitarian advocacy efforts.

Who is this training for?

This training is most suitable for humanitarian advocacy professionals, particularly those working within a humanitarian organisation.

Objectives of the training:

It is anticipated that participants who successfully complete the training will:

• Have a common understanding of what security incident information management is and what its four primary objectives are, using the Security Incident Information Management (SIIM) handbook as a reference guide
• Have a stronger understanding of how successful advocacy campaigns can be, and have been, built upon security incident information.
• Have learned how to influence the type of security incident data collected and pooled across organisations, as well as how to analyse and use this data at a strategic level to identify and support humanitarian advocacy strategies.

Participants will also be able to:

• Engage with and relate to professionals from various disciplines in relation to security incident information management.
• Use tools and mechanisms to analyse data and spot trends to inform advocacy efforts, including those focused on the protection of aid workers and improving access to populations in need.
• Explore and identify how incident information can benefit the wider aid community and populations in need.
• Demonstrate their learning by applying the principles of security incident information management and SIIM tools to a case study in a group activity.

Learning methods

This 3-hour training will be split into three 50-minute sessions, with a 15-minute break between each session. This format encourages participants to reflect and apply their learning using tools and by taking part in a group case study exercise.

• 3 hours, on 21 February 2018 and 30 March 2018
• Delivered online for maximum convenience
• Participatory approach involving group work, live presentations and discussion
• Training and reading material will be provided 2 weeks before the training commences
• Session content, discussions, polls and multiple choice questions with group work will reinforce participant’s knowledge, skills and competencies on: collection, reporting, recording, analysis, use, and sharing of incident information.

Cost

The SIIM project is funded by EU Humanitarian Aid and the training is provided free of charge. You simply need to have a good internet connection during the online webinar and a commitment to complete the pre-reading tasks.