United Nations Department of Safety and Security for India and Bhutan (UNDSS)

In India since: 2002

About: United Nations Security Coordinator (UNSECOORD) office was established in India in 2002. UNSECOORD was the predecessor of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) which came into formal existence on 01 January 2005. UNDSS is responsible for providing leadership, operational support and oversight of the security management system to enable the safest and most efficient conduct of the programmes and activities of the United Nations System.

UNDSS is an element of the United Nations Security Management System (UNSMS), which is an UN system-wide approach to security. It encompasses policies, guidelines, processes, and security personnel aimed at managing security risks to the UN system in order to enable UN system activities worldwide. The UNSMS is composed of all UN system organizations grouped under the Inter-Agency Security Management Network (IASMN).

The department has been dedicated to performing the following functions:

To support and enable the effective conduct of United Nations activities by ensuring a coherent, effective and timely response to all security-related threats and other emergencies;
To ensure effective risk mitigation through the establishment of a coordinated security threat and risk assessment mechanism within the framework of a common, system-wide methodology;
To develop high-quality, best-practise security policies, standards and operational procedures across the United Nations system, including the appropriate degree of standardization;
To support implementation and monitor compliance with those security policies, standards and operational procedures;
To ensure the most cost-effective provision and employment of security personnel by taking advantage of economies of scale and through centrally directed recruitment, selection, training, deployment and career development.

Location: New Delhi

Focus Areas: Security and Safety

Website: http://www.un.org/undss