“We wish to give the victims and other involved staff members a chance to concentrate their efforts on the future. NRC also needs to dedicate its resources towards assisting refugees and internally displaced persons,” says Deputy Secretary General, Geir Olav Lisle.
In a statement, the Board underlines that it does not agree that NRC was grossly negligent in Dadaab in 2012, and emphasised that NRC will continue its efforts to strengthen risk management and staff care.
The Board’s statement:
The NRC Board of Directors, once again, wishes to express its deep regret for the suffering of our staff members who were so grievously affected by the armed attack in the Dadaab refugee camp, June 29 2012.
In an extraordinary Board meeting January 7 2016, the NRC Board of Directors decided not to appeal the judgment of the Oslo District Court, November 25 2015.
The Board does not agree with Oslo District Court that the decisions and considerations made in Dadaab 2012 or the mistakes openly admitted and detailed by the organisation itself, constitute ‘gross negligence’. The Board will, however, not appeal the judgment as it does not wish to expose past and present staff members to a new and demanding trial at a time when we face greater numbers of displaced people since the aftermath of World War II.
The organisation has learnt from the tragic events described in the judgment. NRC will continue to learn from this and other critical incidents and continuously strive to improve our risk management and staff care.
The Board stands by NRC field managers in their difficult task of managing operational and security risks, while always ensuring a safe and secure environment for staff and the civilians we assist. Going forward, NRC will continue to foster an organisational culture of openness and continuous learning.
The organisation remains committed to devoting all its resources and attention to come to the assistance of millions of refugees and displaced in the most difficult of circumstances.