Ensuring the safety and security of UN and NGO personnel is a basic requirement for all field operations.

Security Communications Systems are often the only way for humanitarians to communicate in remote areas and under challenging conditions. They enable vital connection and support during security incidents, timely flow of information and the monitoring of field missions and convoys.

The collaborative Telecommunications Security Standards (TESS) initiative aims to provide the right tools - in terms of connectivity systems, applications and procedures - for Security Communications Systems.

Set up in 2018 by the Inter-Agency Security Management Network (IASMN) and the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC), TESS is the inter-agency coordination structure mandated by the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) to make clear recommendations and provide hands-on support to standardize Security Communications Systems for UN and NGO personnel globally.

While TESS consists of a small core team of technical specialists, it depends on collaboration with UN and NGO partners, online networks and partnerships with the private and public sectors as well as academia.

In June 2020, the TESS project transformed into a permanent support service called {TESS+}, coordinated by the World Food Programme (WFP) – the agency that played a leading role in its creation.

You can contact the TESS team via TESS@WFP.ORG

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{TESS+} services are split up into:

  • Normative services: standards design, testing, documentation, field assessments and SCS status monitoring.
  • Field support services: standards implementation support, on-demand support.
  • Operational process support: coordination of all global and field-level services.

{TESS+} services cover three layers:

  • Connectivity: The hardware that physically connects users and security personnel into a Security Communications System.
  • Applications: The software components that run on the connectivity layer and provide security management functions to both personnel and security personnel.
  • Procedures: The implementation of technologies through standardised security procedures.

Click here to access the {TESS+} Public Library (no log in needed) for documents and training resources.

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