- Security situation
- Definition of the Criterion
- Key Questions
- Notes on the sub-criteria
- References
- Bibliography
- Further criteria
Definition of the Criterion
What is meant by 'Security situation'?
The reference dimension for all factors connected to safety and security in this catalogue is the safety of the individual1. This makes the individual the primary concern when ensuring safety and security. Personal safety is expressed in an individual’s physical and mental integrity. An individual’s integrity and intactness can be put at risk by physical, mental, systemic, gender-specific and other forms of violence.
These working definitions of the concept of safety and security are based on the ‘human security’ approach, which starts from the premise that an explicit right for the individual should be placed at the heart of all considerations of peace and security policy. ‘[Accordingly] security is not assured by the absence of manifest violence or threats of violence, internal or external. Rather, security encompasses safeguards against fundamental risks to life such as hunger and social discrimination, along with the assurance of fundamental participatory rights such as access to the media and freedom of opinion. It also makes it possible to distinguish between the perspectives of multiple stakeholders.’
Working from the premise that the priority is to ensure the personal safety and security of the stakeholders involved, it is necessary to identify factors that are significant to safety and security in the form of context-specific risk profiles and risk assessments.
Key Questions
A. Criminality and conflict
- Do you have the contact details of the diplomatic missions responsible for you at hand? What about your transit countries?
- Have you read up on the emergency situations in which Germany’s diplomatic missions will support you?
- Do you need to put special security precautions and agreements in place with trusted individuals in the country before the trip or project gets underway?
- Are university guest houses and student accommodation safe?
B. Travel, transport, nature and the environment, infrastructure, mobility, visas
- Will you be travelling in safe areas? What measures are in place to ensure transport there and the mobility of the travellers at their destination? Should you consider alternative accommodation where necessary?
- Can you travel easily on public transport at your destination?
- Do you need a rental car? Alternatively, given the local security situation, do you need a local driver or an agent to provide linguistic and intercultural support?
C. Health
- Where is the nearest hospital to your destination? Do ambulances come quickly? If there is no direct transport connection to medical infrastructure, how can first aid be guaranteed in an emergency?
- Who are the right people to contact in an emergency? Are the police trustworthy?
- Which language should you use to communicate with local authorities, emergency services and first-aiders?
D. Communication
- Is mobile coverage guaranteed at every stage of the journey or the stay? Do you need to include additional means of communication in your plans for field trips to remote areas or overland journeys?
- Do the means of communication that you employ have specific encryption mechanisms for the transfer of confidential information or data?
- How public is the environment in which you hold a confidential conversation? Can third parties hear your conversations or read the display on your mobile or laptop?
E. Diversity-specific risk analyses
- Do you include additional diversity-sensitive evaluations for your risk analyses and threat assessments?
Notes on the sub-criteria
A. Criminality and conflict
The sub-criteria given above concern travel safety in the broadest sense and apply to all forms of travel. They become ever more imperative as the threat level in a given context increases. Structural violence may generally be expected in a number of countries as a day-to-day experience. In contexts such as these, consideration should always be given to protection against criminality and assault, and this should also guide an individual’s own actions and behaviour. The special safety measures provided for university grounds and student residences in many regions are an example of this. In such contexts campuses are generally fenced off and access is controlled by security staff. When planning a visit, consideration should be given to the security and safety of a programme location and to safe travel connections between accommodation and the campus. In many regions affected by conflict, the prominent presence of the military and having to pass through military checkpoints can become part of everyday experience. When preparing for a trip, these concrete realities on the ground should be given just as much importance as planning the journey or choosing the appropriate form of transport.
B. Travel, transport, nature and the environment, infrastructure, mobility, visas
Apart from the various forms of medical prophylaxis required for a given destination, the local healthcare infrastructure should also be considered, as it cannot be assumed that German or international standards will be available everywhere. How do you contact the emergency medical services, for example? Which language should you communicate in? Can you rely on emergency medical services? Which medical care institutions in the region meet international standards? Which special precautions are required for overland journeys or staying in remote areas? Will there be mobile phone coverage on the way and at the destination? Will other means of communication be required to send a message in an emergency?
In cases such as these, an emergency will not necessarily be an event that causes exceptional harm or damage. For example, a puncture during an overland journey in an area without mobile coverage and where the travellers have not informed anyone in advance of their planned arrival time can be enough to cause an unexpected and dangerous situation.
The DAAD recommends that higher education institutions should develop a robust network of trusted individuals at the partner institution in-country, before during and after any stay abroad. Such trusted individuals should be included in contact, emergency and response chains. Acting in a culturally sensitive way and employing intercultural skills are indispensable in such cases. For example, partners may be sensitive about risks, threats and conflict situations, and directly addressing such topics can put partners in difficult situations or even expose them to risk themselves. Furthermore, partners abroad may find it very challenging to explicitly articulate experiential knowledge and everyday behaviour and to include such issues in instructions for visitors. In some cultures, it may be taboo to tell guests how they should behave or what they are not allowed to do.
A concrete example of this may be found in the following example from the DAAD’s ‘Guide to developing robust structures in German-African higher education cooperation projects’ (in German): ‘Each of the partners has a different perspective on the project planning. They know the systems and customs of how their own university goes about its business. ‘Collaborative thinking’ will bring some of the unknown variables to light that can then be accounted for in the timetable and cost planning. One project leader described the following situation: A group of students wanted to conduct field research in a certain area. However, there was one issue that neither they nor the project leadership understood, and which only emerged in the country of the partner university: this area was also part of the natural habitat of lions. Guards had to be employed in order to guarantee the safety and security of the students. Their salaries had not been included in the original budget plan.’
C. Health
The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a blueprint for the importance of re-empowering action and defining clear responsibilities within processes for volatile situations. In the blink of an eye, higher education institutions found themselves faced with challenges ranging from how to organise courses and teaching, how to maintain administrative services, how to respond to limited mobility for students, teachers and researchers, and even how to fund comprehensive digital infrastructure.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it rapid changes to the underlying conditions affecting cooperation between German higher education institutions and partners around the world. Exchange and cooperation are only possible when all involved understand the situation in their partner countries. Via the portal ‘COVID-19 impact on international higher education: Studies & forecasts’, the DAAD provided a comprehensive overview of the latest international analyses of the COVID-19 situation in higher education.
D. Communication
During the period before a research stay or trip abroad, it is worth reviewing whether secure communications can be guaranteed at every stage of the journey. It should not be assumed that mobile coverage will be available when travelling overland or in remote areas. When planning a trip under such circumstances thought should be given to acquiring additional means of communication, such as satellite phones. However, it should also be noted that importing such devices is subject to legal restrictions in some countries. No less important are replacement batteries or, ideally, mobile power sources for ensuring it is possible to charge devices during power cuts or where there is no access to electricity. Where confidential information is being communicated by phone or in writing, in particular regarding information about third parties, precautions should be taken to ensure adequate encryption to prevent unauthorised access.
E. Diversity-specific risk analyses
Aspects of diversity and the intersectionality3 of social categories such as gender cut across all the sub-criteria listed above. Sociocultural conceptions of gender roles in certain countries can mean that men, women and individuals who do not identify with a binary gender structure or fit in with heteronormative thinking can be exposed to a range of risks. A sociocultural standard could, for example, impose different restrictions on behaviour, action and agency for men and for women. Such standards could also find expression in systemic violence, gender-specific discrimination and even sexual violence. Diversity-specific manifestations of security and safety risks should be considered in conjunction with all criteria.
References
This section lists some reference sources to facilitate initial evaluations. Firstly the most important sub-criteria are given followed by the information available from each source.
A. Criminality and conflict
B. Travel, transport, nature and the environment, infrastructure, mobility, visas, Mobilität, Visa
C. Health
Federal Foreign Office (AA)
The Federal Foreign Office provides information on travel, travel safety and factors for risk assessments for foreign travel, particularly on its ‘Sicher Reisen’ (‘Safe travel’) web pages. These provide information on the latest developments relevant to travel and security, particularly regarding safety and security, terrorism, the internal political situation in countries abroad, mine dangers, criminality, nature and the climate.
These provide information on the latest developments relevant to travel and security, particularly regarding safety and security, terrorism, the internal political situation in countries abroad, mine dangers, criminality, nature and the climate. The Federal Foreign Office also provides information on infrastructure and travel, driving licence documents, the safety of the LGBTQI community in the destination country, legal peculiarities, cash and credit cards, arrival and customs, the travel documents required, visa arrangements, healthcare infrastructure and vaccinations. The website also includes a list of contact details for German diplomatic missions abroad. The DAAD strongly advises Germans abroad – regardless of the planned trip or project – to register their details via Elefand (Electronic registration of Germans abroad). The Federal Foreign Office also allows users to subscribe to a newsletter on travel and safety tips.
International Crisis Group ‘CrisisWatch Conflict Tracker’
CrisisWatch Conflict Tracker is an information portal dedicated to conflicts and crises that includes a helpful risk map populated with information from the International Crisis Group. The International Crisis Group is an NGO based in Brussels. It provides independent analysis and recommendations on how to de-escalate, prevent and resolve conflicts. The ‘Conflict Tracker’ is continually updated and provides information on crises and conflicts around the world. Users can access country-specific conflict profiles alongside analyses of the latest crisis developments. The work of the International Crisis Group is based on expert field research and academically robust analyses prepared for policymakers. Their in-depth reports are supplemented by concrete recommendations for action. While these do not specifically refer to foreign academic policy issues, they still provide comprehensive and contextualised information that helps assess a conflict situation or analyse the contexts of political crises.
‘Uppsala Conflict Data Program Conflict Encyclopedia (UCDP database)’
The dataset and associated concise country and thematic reports in the ‘Uppsala Conflict Data Program Conflict Encyclopedia (UCDP database)’ run by the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at the University of Uppsala can be recommended as a point of reference on conflicts and civil war. The ‘Uppsala Conflict Data Program’ is the oldest ongoing data collection project for civil war data. The platform provides visualised data that can be accessed in the form of differentiated short depictions with country analyses or analyses of conflict parties.
‘World Economic Forum Global Risks Initiative’
The World Economic Forum offers an additional source of information. The ‘Global Risks’ information platform is a joint project run by the World Economic Forum with Marsh & McLennan Companies, SK Group and the Zurich Insurance Group, with the National University of Singapore, the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford and the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania as academic partners. The platform provides a wide range of information and advice products and analyses. The reference work behind the ‘Global Risks Initiative’ is the ‘Global Risks Report’ which identifies and analyses critical global risks. The ‘Strategic Intelligence’ platform provides additional detailed visualised connections between sectors and relationships between a range of issues, risk areas and indices.
Preparing to spend time abroad
There are many different organisations and service providers in Germany that offer courses to prepare travellers for specific regions or for specific levels of risk. The following institutions might be good places to start:
- GIZ’s Academy for International Cooperation (GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)
- Federal Academy for Civil Protection and Civil Defence (BABZ)
The BABZ (Bundesakademie für Bevölkerungsschutz und Zivile Zusammenarbeit) is run by the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief. It serves as the primary institution for civil protection training for the Federal Government. The academy offers courses designed for policymakers and multipliers across all administrative levels. - United Nations Training Centre Hammelburg
Courses are held under the acronym HEAT (Hostile Environment Awareness Training) and tailored to the needs of journalists or institutions such as the Federal Foreign Office, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and the Centre for International Peace Operations (Zentrum für Internationale Friedenseinsätze, ZIF). The courses focus on self-protection, first aid in dangerous situations and risk avoidance.
The BSAFE course programme from the United Nations Department of Safety and Security offers an overview of travel safety and how to act in a crisis. The programme is offered in English and six other languages. Registration is free, after which users can take the following courses:
- BSAFE (Basic Security in the Field & Advanced Security in the Field)
- Information Security Awareness – Foundational
- Information Security Awareness – Advanced
- Information Security Awareness – Additional
- Preparing and Responding to Active Shooter Incidents
B. Travel, transport, nature and the environment, infrastructure, mobility, visas
C. Health
International SOS ‘Travel Risk Map’ and WHO ‘Road Safety Map’
In addition to the detailed travel information provided by the Federal Foreign Office, risk maps based on a range of datasets and indices are worth consulting in order to gain an initial overview. Risk maps for the various sub-criteria are available from several organisations and providers. In addition to paid-for assistance services4, freely accessible risk maps are presented here as a source of summary information. For example, the International SOS ‘Travel Risk Map’ (SOS International is a global roadside assistance service) and the World Health Organization’s map functionality offer potential sources of information relevant to sub-criteria (B) and (C).
Information sources on COVID-19
Information from the Robert Koch Institute on infectious diseases, the latest travel medical advice from the health service of the Federal Foreign Office and information from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), for example, on entry requirements proved very useful during the COVID-19 pandemic and will be helpful in future global emergencies. In addition, the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance collates information and advice on how to deal with epidemics and pandemics such as a 9-point crisis management checklist for businesses (in German).
Initiative Wirtschaftsschutz for developing structures and systems to manage risk, security and crises
The Initiative Wirtschaftsschutz’s information portal is a joint project by the four security agencies in Germany: the German domestic intelligence services, the Federal Criminal Police Office, the Bundesnachrichtendienst and the Federal Office for Information Security. The portal provides a wide range of information and frameworks, with a particular focus on cybercrime, economic and scientific espionage and IT security. It is highly recommended as an information portal. The building blocks for basic economic protection should be consulted for advice on how to implement and develop specific systems and structures for risk, security and crisis management. The documents in German language are presented as practical guidelines.
Employers’ duties to provide care, information and protection when deploying staff abroad
German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) has worked with SOS International to create a framework and reference work on employers’ duties to provide care, information and protection when deploying staff abroad: : Rights and obligations of German companies towards their employees on deployments abroad. In collaboration with the Sant’Anna Scuola Universitaria Superiore Pisa, International SOS Foundation produced a 2017 study entitled Universities Duty of Care specifically in the context of higher education. The study focuses on three aspects in particular: I) the legal basis for universities’ duty of care; II) the content of academic institutions’ duties of care, especially with regard to field research, including its planning, risk assessment and administration; and III) how recent case law has treated universities’ duties of care. SOS International also provides Guidelines on risk assessing business trips abroad. This was a joint project with the Berufsgenossenschaft Rohstoffe und chemische Industrie (BG RCI), the Gesamtverband der versicherungsnehmenden Wirtschaft (GVNW) and the Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. It provides a set of practical guidelines on how to develop preventative measures in the context of implementing comprehensive systems and structures to manage risk and security where international mobility is involved. The guidelines introduce readers to the topic area and provide checklists, complemented by interviews with practitioners.
Three electronic checklists and sets of guidelines in German are available on the website of the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz GesundeKMU.de: (1) a PanPlan for pandemic planning in SMEs, (2) a Recovery Plan for restarting after the pandemic and (3) a Risk Analysis for Business Travel checklist, known as RABiT. These resources were developed in collaboration with the Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, the Verband für Sicherheit, Gesundheit und Umweltschutz bei der Arbeit (VDSI), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Arbeitsmedizin und Umweltmedizin (DGAUM) and the University Medical Center Mainz.
Federal Office for Information Security (BSI)
The DAAD advises consulting the advice provided by the Federal Office for Information Security on the use of digital communications.
The BSI provides information on which formats and channels are advised when using an internet connection and recommends which settings should be used. The BSI also provides core information on encrypted communication, its areas of application, and the key objectives of encrypted communication in the internet, such as protecting the confidentiality, authenticity and integrity of data and communications.
OECD iLibrary
The OECD iLibrary is the online library of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It brings together the OECD’s publications, statistics, analysis and data. The ‘OECD Better Life Index’ includes a statistical survey of the ‘feeling safe walking alone at night’ indicator, differentiated by gender and evaluated based on country profiles.
Bibliography
1 The concept of a safety culture, as proposed by Daase (Daase 2011: 141ff).
2 Werkner and Oberdorfter’s concept of ‘human safety’ (Werkner and Oberdorfter 2019: 95-96).
3 ‘Intersectionality’ refers to the intersection of multiple structural categories that generate inequality. […] One key premise is that forms of oppression and discrimination are not stacked additively, one on top of each other. Rather, they should be considered in how they intersect and interact.’ From: Küppers, Carolin (2014). Intersektionalität. In Gender Glossar/Gender Glossary https://www.gender-glossar.de/post/intersektionalitaet. (Last accessed: 18.09.2024)
4 Professional travel assistance services specialise in travel safety, insurance and risk assessments for postings abroad. These organisations offer comprehensive practical risk, safety and crisis management at process levels. Ideally, assistance services should provide services worldwide to provide medical or safety-specific emergency support in events of damage or injury.
Further criteria
Criterion 2: Wider political imperatives
Criterion 3: Constitutional and sociopolitical framework
Criterion 4: Opportunities and risks of the respective academic system
Criterion 5: Quality of academic partner institutions
Criterion 6: Integration into institutional strategies
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