WWID: Safeguarding in times of turbulence event summary
WWID: Safeguarding in times of turbulence event summary
As part of our ongoing commitment to strengthening governance, accountability and safeguarding across the international development sector, BDO’s International Institutions and Donor Assurance (IIDA) team recently hosted a webinar exploring “Safeguarding in times of turbulence”.
Hosted by BDO Partner Caroline Hagmann, the event featured expert insights from Emily Konstantas (The Safeguarding Alliance), Laura McNeill (UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)), Ritu Mahendru, PhD. (Vashi Impact Group) and Camilla Angelotti (SLR Consulting).
The panel explored specific challenges and risks arising from the current international development context and examined how organisations can maintain strong safeguarding standards amid shrinking budgets and shifting donor expectations, leading a timely and deeply relevant conversation.
This WWID event was an inspiring way to mark #IWD and a powerful reminder of why safeguarding must remain central to international development practice. The panellists reinforced the growing need for clarity, coordination, and stronger systems to uphold safeguarding in increasingly complex environments, emphasising the following key topics.
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Safeguarding: no universal definition, but clarity on what matters
With debates over definitions having dominated the conversation on safeguarding, the panel was quick to agree on what matters: despite variations in terminology across geographical regions, cultures and donors, several core principles underpinning safeguarding as a practice:
- Safeguarding is ultimately about keeping people safe — and extends beyond prevention of sexual harassment or exploitation.
- Safeguarding is a system that proactively reduce abuse of power. As one speaker put it: it is about understanding “how people behave when no one is watching.”
- Effective safeguarding must be proactive and contextual, rooted in an understanding of who holds influence, who controls resources, and what safety means to varying groups.
Donor coordination: a critical challenge — and an emerging opportunity
With no universally agreed safeguarding definition, and new donors entering the ecosystem, donor coordination becomes vital. Fragmentation risks confusion, duplicated efforts, and inconsistent expectations for partners on the ground.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is leading the way in promoting a harmonised approach to safeguarding. It currently facilitates a range of international donor working groups on safeguarding practices and investigation, which serve as fora for sharing best practice, lessons learnt, harmonising language and expectations. The FCDO-led CAPSEAH offers a promising pathway to establish shared global standards.
Impact of shrinking budgets and overstretched systems
The panel pointed to the multi-faceted impact of global aid cuts in safeguarding, including:
- Fewer dedicated PSEAH roles and limited access to training.
- Weaker reporting systems.
- Siloed due diligence standards, risking fragmentation and dilutions.
- Heightened anxiety among implementing partners who fear that reporting incidents may jeopardise their funding.
The panel emphasised the need to advocate for reporting and be explicit that this is viewed positively by donors, signalling transparency and strong organisational culture. Digital safeguarding infrastructure was highlighted as a valuable tool for enabling safe reporting by all communities, even the most remote.
The speakers stressed that safeguarding must not become a procedural exercise or optional add on. Instead, it requires embedded cultural ownership, investment in trained female staff and long term capacity strengthening, continuing beyond project end.
Supply chains: a major risk
A particularly powerful discussion centred on safeguarding risks within supply chains — especially in International Financial Institutions-funded programmes where:
- Short term contractors may be deployed into unfamiliar communities.
- Project personnel are predominantly male.
- Subcontracting creates layers of responsibility that obscures accountability.
The panel emphasised that lead organisations must ensure visibility and compliance across the entire delivery chain. Practical measures include:
- Ensuring all subcontractors sign and uphold safeguarding policies.
- Recruiting more female community facing staff, as reporting increases when the visible safeguarding officer is female.
- Training all personnel — male and female — in safeguarding principles and sensitive awareness raising practices.
Across all these topics and perspectives, one conclusion was clear: safeguarding must remain a priority, grounded in contextual understanding, and sustained commitment and accountability by international stakeholders, even in turbulent times.
It requires:
- Strong and consistent donor coordination.
- Local accountability and culturally safe reporting channels.
- Investment in people, not just policies.
- Long-term capacity strengthening, especially for women led organisations.
- A shared commitment to ensuring that development interventions do not create or exacerbate harm even after they end.
BDO IIDA is proud to continue supporting donors, implementing partners and other stakeholders in navigating these complexities and building systems for positive impact. For more information, please contact Caroline Hagmann.