Threat Awareness Training for Non-Governmental Organizations Deploying Humanitarian Aid Workers into Conflict Environments

Abstract

Introduction:The current war in Ukraine and the subsequent deployment of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) from around the world has highlighted the many potential dangers faced by humanitarian aid workers operating in conflict zones. Humanitarian aid workers may face both direct and indirect threats and aggression whilst on deployment, and given the rising number of global conflicts, the authors postulate a need to incorporate threat awareness training as part of pre-deployment training.Method:A list of the top 22 rated NGOs providing international aid was obtained from CharityWatch. All 22 were contacted via their public email addresses or website contact pages to find out if they provide any form of security, tactical, or threat awareness training.Results:Seven of the 13 NGOs that responded did not deploy staff into recent conflict zones or surroundings. All six NGOs who deployed staff into Ukraine or surrounding border countries, provided either security, tactical, or threat awareness training to their staff.Conclusion:With the rising number of conflicts and disasters around the world, humanitarian aid workers are increasingly exposed to hostile environments and there is a compelling need for NGOs to ensure staff are adequately trained and prepared to handle any dangers and threats they may face.