Course Content:
This course is divided into twelve chapters, each one based on a different aspect of managing risk in the field. The text is designed to be read from beginning to end, and in most instances a good understanding of the material presented in any chapter is required to fully appreciate the next. For the casual reader who only wants to review those chapters of most interest, however, references to important points in previous
(and in some instances future) chapters are included where required for full understanding.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Security for Humanitarians Workers – This chapter provides an overview of the global security situation facing humanitarian aid workers today. It also explores some of the recent trends regarding threats against staff in the field.guides you through the options and decision-making process for choosing the right training approach to meet your learning needs.

Chapter 2: Approaches to Managing Security – This chapter explores the basic response strategies in use by humanitarian organizations. It explains, in simple terms, the options and strategies for security management in use by the Red Cross Movement, the UN system, and in a very general way, by the many NGOs working in insecure environments.

Chapter 3: Overview of Security Risk Assessment – This chapter provides a step-bystep outline of the SRA process. Each part of the cycle is discussed in detail in the following chapters of the course.

Chapter 4: Threat Assessment – This chapter provides guidance on practical ways to collect and analyze security threat information.

Chapter 5: Vulnerability Assessment – This chapter illustrates some of the key aspects of vulnerability relevant to humanitarian programs, and shows their importance in the overall SRA process.

Chapter 6: Program Assessment – This chapter examines ways in which the programs undertaken by humanitarian organizations can affect their security. It proposes concrete ways for managers in the field to analyze this relationship methodically.

Chapter 7: Risk Assessment and the Risk Matrix – This chapter discusses how Threat, Vulnerability and Program Assessment are brought together to yield an overall picture of risk. It introduces the Risk Matrix as a tool to analyze, prioritize and explain threats in terms of their impact and likelihood

Chapter 8: Risk Reduction Measures - This chapter begins by discussing Criticality Assessment as a process for weighing programmatic benefits against the associated risks to staff. It then provides an overview of a range of prevention and mitigation measures – a field safety toolkit – that can be used to reduce risk to tolerable levels.

Chapter 9: Security Plans and Planning – This chapter describes the importance of security planning and provides the reader with both generic and specific templates that can be used to begin or improve the security planning process.

Chapter 10: Critical Incident Management – Even with good security planning, serious security incidents can still occur. This chapter gives some guidance on the immediate actions to take when critical security incidents happen.

Chapter 11: Security Relationships in the Field – Humanitarian workers are almost never alone in the field. There are many actors involved, from the host government, Red Cross, UN, Military, NGO, and local community stakeholders. All of them have an impact on and are influenced by the others. This chapter investigates some of the key security relationships between the usual players in humanitarian field situations.

Chapter 12: Security and Stress – Situations of high risk increase stress on field staff. High levels of stress among field staff increase risk to the team. This chapter provides some advice and guidelines on managing stress in insecure field environments.