06 Security analysis
Conducting a security analysis of the local situation is a must in the project planning phase. The security situation must be investigated in detail and the various factors need to be weighed. If security is questionable, we recommend that the project start and any trip that might have been planned are postponed.
How to analyse the security situation
The first place to go could be the local partner organisation. They know the local situation and can give some preliminary information.
With your partner organisation, you should address following questions:
- Political situation
-> Are there any political unrest, violent protests or ethnical tension?
-> Are elections coming up or being prepared? - Environment / natural risks
-> Is a period of drought or food shortage forecasted?
-> Will the project period be during the rainy or cyclone season?
-> Is there a high risk of earthquakes in the area in question? - Security
-> Are foreigners and tourists target groups of terrorist organisations (abductions, etc.)?
-> Is an armed conflict going on somewhere in the country (cf. also do no harm)?
-> Are there any mine fields in the area?
-> Is the crime rate very high? - Health
-> Is medical care provided for (medication, hospitals)?
Apart from the exchange with your partner organisation, you should also check out the official sources of information.
Links:
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), travel information
http://www.eda.admin.ch
Reliefweb
http://www.reliefweb.int
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europa (OSCE):
http://www.osce.org
UN security check
http://www.unops.org
Based on the information compiled you should be able to decide if a project can be implemented in the target country, or if it needs to be postponed or canceled completely.
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