Minimum safety standards for humanitarian workers need improvement – Alliance of Ukrainian CSOs
The minimum package of protection for humanitarian workers in Ukraine, Duty of Care, needs constant improvement, said Mila Leonova, Director of the Alliance of Ukrainian Civil Society Organizations.
She noted that the current standards do not fully meet the real challenges of teams in the field.
"Caring for those who help others cannot remain an optional option or a formality for reporting. The minimum package of Duty of Care is a living document that must be updated continuously. Without it, we will not be able to guarantee any level of safety for those working in the most dangerous conditions," said the Director of the Alliance of Ukrainian Civil Society Organizations during the round table "Duty of Care: What Humanitarian Workers and Volunteers Need for Safety" at the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
Leonova paid special attention to the budgeting of security measures. According to her, caring for people should be "sewn" into project budgets not on a point basis, but systematically - taking into account the work for years to come. These include insurance, security training, psychological support, incident management and other key elements that are still often underestimated or funded on a residual basis.
She also emphasized that in Ukraine over the past two years, a new humanitarian sector has actually been formed, hundreds of Ukrainian organizations and volunteer initiatives that have become the basis for helping the population in war conditions. And this sector needs no less protection than those for whom it works.
As of now, the mini-package includes Duty of Care for humanitarian workers includes: psychological support, first-aid kits, bulletproof vests and helmets, training, insurance.
However, the Alliance of Ukrainian Civil Society Organizations notes that war requires broader solutions, in particular - armored vehicles, electronic warfare and new types of personal protection.
