ILS Duty of Care Pavilion and Conference

The Duty of Care Pavilion and Conference, hosted and curated by ILS, offers security managers, HR leaders, programming and operational staff a dedicated space to come together and discuss the challenges, solutions and the future of meeting integrated duty of care obligations and effectively supporting staff to work in challenging environments.

Duty of Care has never been more important: with resources scarcer and the risks more acute than before, we must make the most of the momentum that has returned and come together to share knowledge, resources, skills, and services.

The Duty of Care Pavilion and Conference considers topics such as safety and security, safeguarding/PSEA, wellbeing, cyber risk, travel and more. The structure involves:

• An exhibition area; featuring exhibits from leading duty of care suppliers, coordinating bodies and service providers to the sector
• ILS also hosts a collaborative networking and peer support space, providing access to thought leaders and consultants who are pushing forward the duty of care agenda in the sector
• A large conference space jointly curated by ILS. This ‘conference within a conference’ offers a thought-provoking, educational and inspiring agenda of discussion panels, workshops and case studies devoted to the sharing of knowledge, experience and good practice

This year, the theme of the Duty of Care Pavilion and Conference is "Escalating Risks x Decreasing Budgets: Collaborative, Cost-effective Innovations for Staff Safety and Care." Watch last year's highlights video to get a feel for the Duty of Care Pavilion and Conference:

*The agenda and speaker line-up are subject to change.

10:00-10:15	Keynote Opening Address
10:20-11:20	Escalating Risk x Decreasing Budgets Considering these intersections of escalated risks to aid worker safety and decreased budgets for organisations delivering aid or international development programming; how can we support the safety and security of staff in the face of a funding crisis? How does the funding crisis impact staff safety and security? What ways can organisations innovate to support the holistic integration of safety and security for their staff amidst a funding crisis? The panel discussion brings together experts from across the sector to discuss innovations, capacity sharing and building, research and insights on ways organisations can stay resilient amid a humanitarian crisis nexus.
11:35-12:30	Establishing a Global Community of Practice: Advance Staff Care, Mental Health, and Psychosocial Support for Humanitarian Workers In this session, Protect Humanitarians present the Community of Practice on staff care, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for humanitarian personnel, currently being developed and supported through Protect Humanitarians. This community of practice brings together a wide range of humanitarian organisations, academic partners, experts, and survivors of violence; serving as a technical and learning hub for issues related to staff care and MHPSS for frontline humanitarian staff.
13:15-14:10	Localising Responsibly: From Language to Logistics This session explores localisation as it is increasingly driven by external pressures: from shrinking international aid budgets and deteriorating access, to donor demands for efficiency. Drawing from recent trends and case studies, this seminar will examine how localisation efforts may inadvertently result in the transfer of risk and how organisations can localise responsibly.
14:25-15:05	Insuring Resilience: Innovative Risk Transfer for Duty of Care in a Cost-Pressured Era In today’s humanitarian landscape, aid organisations face escalating physical, digital, and legal risks—while operating under increasing financial strain. Amid crises, insecurity, and staff burnout, the principle of Duty of Care remains non-negotiable. But how can NGOs sustain this responsibility when resources dwindle? This panel, hosted by Ambrelia, a specialist in NGO insurance brokerage, will explore how fit-for-purpose insurance mechanisms can serve as strategic tools for safeguarding people, missions, and reputations.
15:20-16:15	Getting the Most out of Low-cost Tech: Creative Processes for Cost Efficiency Technology is only as useful and cost effective when leveraged with creative processes and innovative systems within organisations. This session will explore how organisations can effectively utilise low-cost/free technologies and tools to support humanitarian safety and security in the wake of limited resources.
16:30-17:10	Exploring the Case of Mauchline v. CADUS Reflections on the recent Mauchline v. CADUS legal proceedings in Berlin.

 

10:00-10:50	Stronger Together: Rethinking NGO–Private Sector Collaboration to Sustain Duty of Care Many of the services that enable context appropriate Duty of Care, such as emergency medical response, legal advice, and risk insurance, are primarily delivered by private actors. In fact, security functions in the aid sector already rely on commercial providers more than most humanitarian sectors. Yet these relationships are often ad hoc, expensive, or poorly understood on both sides. This session focuses on how smarter, more coordinated approaches can ensure all aid workers, regardless of employer size, benefit from robust, fit-for-purpose Duty of Care mechanisms.
11:05-11:55	Innovating Under Pressure: Using Systems Change for Risk Management in the Humanitarian Sector The workshop addresses how escalating risks and shrinking budgets can undermine an organisation’s Duty of Care and uses systems thinking to explore more sustainable, collaborative ways to protect staff safety and wellbeing - even when resources are limited. By shifting the focus from reactive fixes to underlying systems, this session empowers participants to explore the root causes of persistent safety challenges and identify low-cost, high-impact actions that can improve safety outcomes across departments and roles.
12:10-13:05	HEAT Training for the Mind: Building a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Toolkit This workshop looks at how non specialist staff can provide first response psychological care to staff members who are struggling. Following an overview of the philosophy and theory of mental health first aid (MHFA), participants will explore a MHFA sample training in managing a panic attack, a common and alarming manifestation of psychological distress that can be safely handled by mental health first responders.
13:35-14:30	Power to Act: Women Shaping Security and Duty of Care in Crisis Settings Despite decades of commitments, women remain underrepresented in global security efforts. When women lead, missions are stronger, trust runs deeper, and peace lasts longer. As one of the largest SRH service providers in humanitarian settings globally, MSI’s gender-responsive and conflict-sensitive approach to duty of care focuses on our clients, staff, and the communities in which we operate. This session exploring two case studies from MSI's holistic and locally-led duty of care package, Papua New Guinea and Myanmar, on how they have built positive security cultures that protect our colleagues and our programmes.
14:40-15:30	Training as a Lifeline: Strengthening Local and Regional Risk Management Capacity in Times of Scarcity This session will explore how learning and development for risk management can be strategically adapted and deployed as a cost-effective tool to strengthen field teams, uphold duty of care, and mitigate rising mental health challenges particularly in a context of increasing localisation without matched investment in support structures.