In April 2016, a first roundtable on Safer Access was held in Kenya. Participants from six National Societies in Africa (Burundi, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan) and their counterparts from the ICRC came together to discuss implementation of the Safer Access Framework (SAF).

The idea behind the roundtable was to initiate a practical dialogue among National Societies on Safer Access and to facilitate the exchange of related experiences, achievements and challenges. Participants shared a variety of perspectives and best practices, from those of National Societies working in highly operational settings with real-life experiences of implementing the SAF to those of National Societies that are just starting to apply the SAF in their own contexts.

To enhance the peer-to-peer exchange, the final session of the roundtable was turned into a Safer Access “stock market”. Participants acted as brokers, offering tools and best practices they had developed to other National Societies facing similar challenges in the region. This exercise enabled participants to take advantage of and build on the work already done by others in the Movement. For example, one National Society that is looking for Security Management Training was able to link up with another that had already developed such a training package.

Looking back on the roundtable, one participant stated, “I was impatient to learn from other National Societies about their experiences in the practical application of the SAF, and all my questions have been answered. I used to think sometimes that my National Society was facing extreme situations/challenges, but I realize that others, too, are facing the same challenges. I am reassured that what I learn from others’ experiences and good practices will help me and my colleagues improve our safety and access in our daily activities.”

The roundtable was hosted by the Kenya Red Cross Society and the ICRC regional delegation in Nairobi. Further roundtables are planned for this year in Mali and Sri Lanka. For more information on the concept of the roundtable, email us at saferaccess@icrc.org.