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Recent events in Mozambique and Central African Republic have put mercenaries back in the spotlight, as the blurring of roles between regular armed forces and military contractors adds to the risks for civilians. A less dramatic but also growing phenomenon is the use of private security companies by aid agencies. The companies that provide night guards and X-ray scanners may not seem as problematic as military-style operators such as Blackwater or Wagner, but they present a package of human rights and reputational risks that is all too often underestimated.

The US Biden Administration delayed the planned 1st May 2021 withdrawal date, NATO included, to 11th September 2021, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the USA. The programme began on 1st May and is underway. After the US announcement, the Taliban did not attend the peace talks planned for mid-April in Turkey, now scheduled for after Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. The US Embassy in Kabul has advised US Nationals to leave the country. The US Department of Defense has told its sponsored programmes to submit a thirty-day drawdown plan, and it looks likely that all will have moved their international staff out of country by 31st May.

Thank you for your kind introduction Jamie and thank you for the opportunity to participate in this important webinar on reducing human rights risk. May I acknowledge the excellent work being undertaken by ICOCA under your leadership, by encouraging widespread adoption of international security standards and increasing the number of companies achieving ICoCA membership and certification.

It is relatively rare to see risk talked about in a positive context. In this blog, Blair Cameron offers an alternative perspective and reminds us of the positive and essential nature of risk and risk taking. The full report can be found here.

In light of growing concern amongst our client base relating to the global outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) ILS has put together the following guidance, with those working in remote or challenging environments in mind. The full report can be found here.

A report by PRAETORIAN, using local and regional open source social media and news media to examine the relevance of the North Sinai Governorate tribes to the Sinai insurgency and efforts by the Egyptian Armed Forces and Egyptian Security Forces to counter IS Sinai. For further details please contact info@int-pcl.com The full report can be found here.

In a recent interview with Security Management Highlights' Chuck Harold, Paul Mercer, managing director of HawkSight SRM outlines the potential for global civil unrest to erupt out of the Cornoavirus pandemic. His interview begins at 13 minutes and 10 seconds. It is preceded by an interview Dr James Cawood, president of Factor One, looking at how organisations are obligated to protect employees from risk - particularly domestic violence - as work forces shift to home working during COVID-19 The full report can be found here.

These are unprecedented times for us all. Every business is being tested to its very core. Businesses and organisations across the world have spent the past weeks in firefighting mode, reacting to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in an attempt to protect the business and its key assets, primarily its people. The full report can be found here.

What We Know About Piracy is the outcome of a collaboration between the SafeSeas Network, based at the Universities of Bristol (UK) and Copenhagen (Denmark) and the Stable Seas programme of the One Earth Future Foundation. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the data available on piracy, drawing on desk-based research conducted between June 2019 and March 2020. It is the first of three reports and will be followed by similar data overviews on smuggling at sea and on maritime environmental crimes. The full report can be found here.