In what is now accepted as a grim reality of war, hundreds of humanitarian aid workers each year fall victim to violent attacks. Delivering aid to people in conflicts and crises is an inherently dangerous endeavour, and as new and worsening armed conflicts fuel the need for ever larger humanitarian response efforts, the aid worker casualties continue to mount. Security risk management for humanitarian operations is a set of measures aimed at mitigating this risk as far as possible, to allow critical relief work to continue. A study released in January 2024 by GISF and Humanitarian Outcomes, set out to assess the current state of practice in humanitarian SRM, and whether it is fit for purpose in the changing landscape of humanitarian crises.

Experts from the research team will come together to discuss the report’s recommendations and how some are being operationalized in a new ongoing Sahel project. Breakout groups will further examine the report’s recommendations and facilitate discussion on tangible operational changes the sector can make.