ENSURE · Branching conversation application

Help an international team work on foreign ground without losing local legitimacy.

Navigate conversations about customs delays, host-country permissions, community access, cultural customs, language, privacy, local law and fair representation. Maintain trust while respecting role boundaries.

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Persistent branching conversations
Earlier promises, omissions and referrals change later responses and access.

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Host-country authority and local legitimacy
International accreditation does not replace local permission, consent or community trust.

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CREO role boundaries
Recognise when to act, when to negotiate and when to refer customs or legal matters to IDRC or authorised officials.

Estimated duration: 20–25 minutes. Choices influence trust, authority confidence, cooperation, compliance and operational access.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

Community liaison exchangeScene 3 of 6

Community leader:
People do not know who the foreign team is, and some homes were filmed without permission.

CREO:
We will pause recording, explain the purpose of the visit and agree consent rules before continuing.

Team leader:
That may slow the assessment.

Community trust74

Authority confidence81

Operational access63

Step 1

Deployment briefing

You are the CREO liaison attached to a newly arrived international emergency-response team.

Operational context

A foreign technical response team has arrived after a major earthquake. Some equipment remains at customs, municipal permissions are still being clarified, and the team wants to begin work in several affected communities. Local actors are concerned about access, privacy, language and fairness.

Your roleCREO community and local-liaison lead

Not your authorityCustoms clearance or legal authorisation

Main objectiveLegitimate, inclusive and practical access

Final outputInternational Team–Community Liaison Review

Six connected conversations

1. Customs delay and expectation management

Separate community communication from promises about equipment clearance or deployment readiness.

2. Host-country permission and community entry

Balance urgency with municipal authority, recognised liaison and proportionate escalation.

3. Cultural customs, consent and privacy

Respond to filming, private-space access and community concern without becoming defensive.

4. Language and functional comprehension

Recognise when national-language interpretation is insufficient and confirm understanding.

5. Foreign procedure versus local law

Pause or adapt drone use and other technical activities until authorised.

6. Fair representation and distribution access

Avoid relying on one gatekeeper or reinforcing local exclusion.

Step 3

Review the deployment conversations

Check unresolved permissions, trust losses, role-boundary errors and inclusion gaps.

Conversation summary

Warnings and strengths

International Team–Community Liaison Review

Evaluation and final report

The report records decisions, referrals, permissions, safeguards and unresolved local-legitimacy issues.

Reflection

1. Which issue most clearly required referral rather than direct CREO action? 2. Which response best preserved both compliance and operational usefulness? 3. Which earlier choice had the strongest consequence later in the deployment?