Safety and Security Measures of all important documents. One set could be brought on the mission, the second set left with family or friends. Contact details and information list All members of the mission team should provide the contracting organisation with relevant information regarding their health status and contact details in case of emergency (Annex 1). The members should at all times carry an emergency contact list with telephone numbers such as • • • • Their embassy Their insurance company The travel agency The organisation responsible for the mission Normally it would also be useful to carry the contact details of the local partner and other team members. In some situations, however, it may put them at risk. Insurance All travelling team members should be covered by travel and health insurance. For travel to conflict areas or areas of high risk, it should be assessed if normal health/travel insurance covers the mission or whether an additional insurance is required. It should be clear in the contract how much liability is with the mission team and how much with the contracting organisation, for example, in case of permanent disability or loss of life. Hotel The team should stay, if possible, in a secure hotel in a safe area or in the compound of the partner NGO. The team should familiarize itself with the surroundings of the hotel or compound, and should know which places to stay away from. In conflict zones or areas with high criminality, rooms on the ground floor or facing an outside corridor should be avoided, to prevent easy access from the outside. At the same time rooms should be low enough in case of fire (preferably not higher then the seventh floor). The nearest fire escape should be checked. It is also important to make sure that the exit is indeed open. The hotel room should preferably have a safe to store valuables. In many countries the authorities could pressure the hotel management to open the safe or safe boxes in individual bedrooms, so they should not be considered completely secure. Health issues in connection with travel Physical and environmental changes and jetlag encountered during international travel may affect the well-being and health of team members. Prior to the mission information is needed on • Health risks such as communicable diseases • Vaccinations, required and recommended, such as yellow fever in several countries 25