1. The Protection of Civilians: An Overview for Senior Leadership
Senior Leadership Programme
New York
22 July 2015

2. High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations
“Protection of civilians is a core obligation of the United Nations…”
“Each and every peacekeeper – military, police and civilian – must pass this test when crisis presents itself.”
The commitment of mission leadership … will ultimately define effectiveness. A determined, proactive posture –politically and operationally – must be driven from the top by mission leadership as well as by the Secretariat.

3. Protection of Civilians
Protecting civilians is a pre-existing responsibility of Governments
Governments retain the primary responsibility in all cases
Peace operations should first support Governments
Where unwilling or unable, mandated peacekeepers can act to protect in place of the Government
POC is a whole-of-mission effort

4. The Protection Architecture
The Protection of Civilians in Peacekeeping
Mission-specific mandates
The largest 10 peacekeeping missions have POC mandates (95% of peacekeepers) (UNMISS, UNAMID, UNISFA, UNIFIL, MONUSCO, MINUSMA, MINUSCA, MINUSTAH, UNMIL, UNOCI)
Political missions with POC-related mandates: UNAMA, UNOCI, UNAMI
Child Protection: Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC)
9 peace operations with CAAC mandates (UNAMI, UNAMA, UNSOM; MINUSCA, MINUSMA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, UNAMID, UNMISS)
Mechanism is co-led between SRSG of mission and UNICEF country rep, HQ lead is SRSG-CAAC
Women’s Protection: Conflict-related Sexual Violence (CRSV)
Six peace operations with CRSV mandates and Women’s Protection Advisors (UNMISS, UNAMID, MONUSCO, MINUSCA, MINUSMA, UNOCI)
Led in-mission by SRSG, at HQ by SRSG for Sexual Violence in Conflict

5. Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC)
Child: Anyone under 18 years of age
SG reports to the Security Council annually
Listing of parties to conflict that commit patterns of grave violations against children
Reports commitments made to end grave violations
A solution-oriented mandate

6. Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC)
Child Protection Advisors in peace operations
Mainstreaming child protection and training all mission personnel
Monitoring and reporting on six grave violations against children
Dialogue and advocacy with parties to conflict to end grave violations
Strengthening child protection capacity of national counterparts
Monitoring & Reporting Mechanism (MRM): SCR 1612 (2005)
Six grave violations against children in situations of armed conflict: Recruitment, Abduction, Killing/maiming, Rape/sexual violence, Schools/hospitals attacks, Humanitarian access
Listing of parties to conflict in SG’s annual reports on CAAC
Negotiation of action plans to end grave violations

7. Conflict-related Sexual Violence (CRSV)
“Conflict-related sexual violence refers to incidents or patterns of sexual violence, that is rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of Sexual violence of comparable gravity, against women, men, girls or boys”.

8. Conflict-related Sexual Violence
Women’s Protection Advisers in Peace Operations:
Address CRSV concerns at the political level, including through peace agreements;
Coordinate implementation of Monitoring, Analysis & Reporting Arrangements (MARA);
Facilitate dialogue with parties to the conflict, including government security & law enforcement agencies as well as armed groups;
Mainstream CRSV considerations in the work of military, police & civilian components, & build their capacity to address CRSV.
Monitoring, Analysis & Reporting Arrangements (MARA): SCR 1960 (2010):
Ensure systematic gathering of timely, accurate, reliable & objective information on CRSV;
Promote increased & timely action to prevent & respond to CRSV;
Inform strategic advocacy, enhance prevention & programmatic responses for survivors;
Facilitate dialogue with parties to conflict, (armed group and governmental security institutions) to obtain commitments to prevent and ensure accountability for incidents of conflict-related sexual violence, supporting the development of action plans to implement commitments and monitor their implementation; engaging in and strengthening prevention activities;

9. Protection of Civilians in Peacekeeping
Mandate established in 1999:
“All necessary means to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence, within capabilities and areas of deployment and without prejudice to the host government”
First official authorisation to use force apart from self-defence or vague security mandates
Authorises force regardless of the source of the threat
“Imminent” = Not time-bound
Missions limited by resources, but resources must be used strategically, proactively

10. Protection of Civilians (in Peacekeeping)
Operational measures
Mission-specific Protection of Civilian Strategies
Mission- or UN-wide assessments of risks to civilians
Senior and working-level coordination mechanisms

11. Protection of Civilians in Peacekeeping
Three Tiers of POC Action
Tier I: Protection through political dialogue and engagement
Political good offices
Mediation
Tier III: Building a protective environment
Facilitating humanitarian assistance
Human rights investigations
Police reform
Judicial reform
Security Sector reform
Tier II: Physical protection
Deterrence
Pre-emption
Response
Consolidation
(Primarily military or police)

12. POC v. Politics: Common Assumptions
Protection of Civilians:
Short-term
Reactive
Conflict contexts
Led by Force or Humanitarians
Done without Host Government
Politics:
Medium- to Long-term
Planned, deliberative
Peacebuilding contexts
Led by Political Component
Led by / Supportive of Host Government

13. Protection of Civilians Policy in Peacekeeping
First DPKO-DFS Policy for POC
Based on 15 years of lessons learned, successes and failures
Associated Military Guidelines
Police Guidelines under development

14. Senior POC Advisers Jeffrey Bunger, UMISS Zurab Elzarov, UNAMID
Baptiste Martin, MINUSCA
Koffi Wogomebou, MONUSCO
Begona Gozanlez, MINUSMA