Protection and Risk Management in the Third Sector

This session will explore core protection principles in humanitarian action and how to effectively integrate them into programming. Participants will learn the difference between mainstreaming protection across sectors versus designing standalone protection interventions.

The session will also address risk management, distinguishing between contextual risks (external threats) and programmatic risks (risks associated with programs by NGOs, UN Agencies and other external actors).

Special attention will be given to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA), one of the most critical programmatic risks, with a focus on prevention and response mechanisms. There will be room for questions and/or a brief debate with participants at the end of the presentation.

Structure:

1. Introduction to Protection: the centrality of protection in development and humanitarian responses, key protection principles: do no harm, accountability, participation, and non-discrimination, mainstreaming vs. standalone protection programs
2. Risk management: contextual risks (security threats, armed conflict, political instability, economic and socio-political crises); programmatic risks (operational gaps, ethical risks, SEA, harm to affected communities); tools for identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks.
3. Deep Dive: Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) Prevention and Response: what is SEA, and why is it a non-negotiable risk in humanitarian and development settings?; preventive measures: codes of conduct, PSEA policies, and reporting mechanisms; survivor-centered response: ensuring access to support services and accountability mechanisms.
4. Discussion and Questions: Open space for debate

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand protection as a fundamental pillar of any response
• Differentiate between protection mainstreaming and standalone protection interventions
• Learn how to identify and mitigate contextual and programmatic risks
• Gain knowledge of SEA risks, prevention strategies, and response mechanisms

Additional resources:

Participants will receive supporting materials, including:

• Key UN and NGO guidelines on protection and risk management
• Case studies on protection challenges and mitigation strategies
• Practical risk assessment tools for humanitarian programming
• PSEA policies, reporting templates, and survivor-centered response guidelines