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On 30 November 2011 SMI launched a report in collaboration with A4ID: "Can you get sued? Legal liability of international humanitarian aid agencies towards their staff." The launch was hosted by CMS CameronMcKenna in London, and was attended by professionals from aid agencies and NGO's.
A4ID CEO, Yasmin Batliwala, gives some introductory remarks.
A new report launched by Security Management Initiative (SMI) and A4ID considers the legal obligations international aid agencies have to consider in looking after their staff.
The report, ‘Can you get sued? Legal liability of international humanitarian aid agencies towards their staff,’ is the result of an SMI research project that looked at current practice in the aid sector and, in cooperation with A4ID, legal reviews undertaken by law firms in five countries for the project.
The report considers the duty of care of humanitarian organisations as a legal term with corresponding legal responsibilities. Since safety and security include legal obligations, this report argues that, while due safety and security may be viewed as matters of choice or conscience, they must also answer to objective laws, regulations, standards and norms that can be objectively evaluated, are open to scrutiny, and can be enforced.
The study is the result of work with lawyers, non-profit organisations and donors around the world to develop a common standard and process for analysis to be applied by international organisations seeking to meet their legal obligations in looking after their staff.
After the talk, Jonathan Potter from People In Aid and Christine Williamson from Save the Children UK reacted to the paper and what it means in practice for aid agencies. Interview with Jonathan Potter and Christine Williamson
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More about how the report was initiated and what implications it has for the humanitarian aid industry, watch the Interview with Maarten Merkelbach and Edward Kemp co-authors of 'Can you get sued?'
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For more information about the launch please visit this page: http://a4id.org/story/can-you-get-sued
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Previous Events
Past workshop – London 19 - 23 March 2012
Past SMI book launch: Washington DC - Thursday 23 February
Past SMI WORKSHOP: Washington DC, Friday, 24 February
Past event: Humanitarian HR Conference 2012 (May 23-25)
Past event: NGO Security Conference 2012 (May 31)
News
Can you get sued in Switzerland?
New SMI Publication 2012
Price of Anything - Video clips
Views of practitioners – These short clips are part of an advocacy campaign supporting the safety & security of humanitarian aid workers and human rights defenders.
Can you get sued ?
Late 2011, SMI concluded its research project and the issued the Policy Paper "Can you get sued? Legal liability of international humanitarian aid agencies towards their staff" written by Edward Kemp and Maarten Merkelbach.
This Policy Paper looks at current non-profit organisations’ practice related to legal liability/duty of care, and discusses the relevance of national law related to legal liability in five countries: the USA, the UK, France, Italy and Sweden.
The policy paper draws a number of cross-country conclusions and provides policy recommendations.
The ‘Can you get sued? Policy Paper was launched - in collaboration with A4ID – in London on November 2011. The launch was hosted by the London law firm CMS CameronMcKenna – which had participated in the research. Further launch evens were held in Washington DC and New York. These events were attended by professionals from aid agencies and NGO's; some reactions can be viewed here: