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Unarmed Civilian Protection UNARMED CIVILIAN PROTECTION STRENGTHENING CIVILIAN CAPACITIES TO PROTECT CIVILIANS AGAINST VIOLENCE NP Photo / Women Collecting Firewood in Bentiu, Unity State, South Sudan / August 2015 UNARMED CIVILIAN PROTECTION STRENGTHENING CIVILIAN CAPACITIES TO PROTECT CIVILIANS AGAINST VIOLENCE A joint project of: TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 2 MODULE 1 MODULE 2 INTRODUCTION TO UNARMED CIVILIAN UNARMED CIVILIAN PROTECTION: PROTECTION OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPLES AND SOURCES OF GUIDANCE 26 Overview and 74 Overview and 9 Preface learning objectives learning objectives 11 Acknowledgements 28 Introduction to UCP 75 Key objectives and 13 Acronyms 39 Definition of terms strategies of UCP 47 The spectrum of 84 Key principles of 15 Introduction UCP UCP 50 UCP, nonviolence, 96 Key sources of and peacekeeping guidance for UCP 58 UCP actors 108 Summary of key 64 Summary of key messages messages 109 Bibliography 65 Bibliography 4 3 4 5 MODULE 3 MODULE 4 MODULE 5 UNARMED CIVILIAN UNARMED CIVILIAN UNARMED CIVILIAN PROTECTION: KEY PROTECTION IN PROTECTION IN METHODS PRACTICE: KEY PRACTICE: LIVING COMPETENCIES IN AND EXITING THE NEEDED WHEN COMMUNITY ENTERING THE COMMUNITY 116 Overview and 170 Overview and 220 Overview and learning objectives learning objectives learning objectives 118 Proactive 171 Core competencies 222 Context analysis engagement of UCP 226 Security 130 Monitoring practitioners management 142 Relationship 180 Conflict analysis 230 Exit strategies building 186 Types of conflict 234 Development of 151 Capacity and their relevance a comprehensive development for UCP UCP strategy 161 Summary of key 191 Stages of conflict 245 Dilemmas messages 195 Needs assessment 250 Summary of key 163 Bibliography 201 Vulnerable messages populations 251 Bibliography and threatened individuals and groups 211 Summary of key messages 212 Bibliography 5 APPENDICES 257 Appendix 1: Case studies 265 Appendix 2: UCP in UN documents 268 Appendix 3: Detailed table of contents 276 Glossary 6 7 NP Photo / Lisa Fuller / June 2011 NP Photo / Lisa Fuller / June 2011 8 PREFACE I welcome this new UNITAR manual, entitled Unarmed Civilian Protection: Strengthening Civilian Capacities to Protect Civilians, developed in cooperation with Nonviolent Peaceforce. I do so for four reasons. First, it builds upon the newly accepted recognition that civil society organizations play an increasingly important protection role in situations where civilian face serious physical risks. As the previous UN Secretary-General has pointed out, United Nations peacekeeping missions are not the only protection actor on the ground and there are many conflicts worldwide in which the UN has no peacekeeping presence. This sentiment was affirmed in UNGA Resolution on Follow-up to the Declaration of Programme of Action on the Culture of Peace, A/69/L.34. This UNITAR publication aims to strengthen the capacities and competencies of international and local civil society actors, especially in areas of latent or overt violent conflict, to better protect vulnerable civilians and deter further escalation of violence. Second, the June 2015 UN High-Level Panel on Peace Operations Report to the UN Secretary- General asserts that unarmed strategies must be at the forefront of UN efforts to protect civilians. The panel also recognizes the positive contributions of unarmed civilian protection actors and recommends that political and military missions should work more closely with local communities and national and international non-governmental organizations in building a protective environment for civilians. This UNITAR manual aims to professionalize this protection work without resort to arms or reliance on military force. Third, as the international community has committed itself to several new, challenging Sustainable Development Goals to cover the period until 2030, it is increasingly clear that these goals can only be achieved in a violence-free environment in which the physical safety and security of civilians are guaranteed. That is why Goal 16 speaks of the need to promote peaceful and inclusive societies. This UNITAR manual will make a contribution to help local partners strengthen local peace infrastructures and capacities, and thus reduce the risks of an early relapse into violence after a ceasefire or peace pact has been agreed. 9 Fourth, the unmet need for direct physical protection of civilians against armed violence has never been greater than it is today. The past years have been excruciating for civilians caught up in violent conflict. The number of people having to flee because of war and persecution accelerated since 2014. The UN High Commissioner on Refugees is reporting that more than 60 million individuals have been forcibly displaced worldwide. This is the largest number since UNHCR began keeping records. The international community has long searched for better ways to guarantee the centrality of civilian protection, but has not had sufficient tools or guidelines to implement. This manual is a small but vital step in offering practical guidance and skills. It will require involvement of many more actors, including civil society. No one can do it all alone! Without a renewed and practical commitment to this concept, the humanitarian system will not move forward. UNITAR is pleased to present this manual at this opportune moment in time. Nikhil Seth United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Executive Director UNITAR 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This manual was written by Huibert Oldenhuis, with contributions from Rolf Carriere, Mel Duncan, Ellen Furnari, PhD, Ann Frisch, PhD, and Thor Wagstrom, PhD. Authors benefitted from inputs from numerous others individuals who reviewed early drafts. In particular, the authors want to thank Clare Blenkinsop, Richard Holloway, Michaela and Czikus Carriere, Claudia Croci, PhD, Alina Soltani Neshan, Evariste Karambizi, Aernout Zevenbergen, and Lisa Fuller. The authors also wish to acknowledge the generosity of the Fenwick Foundation, the Holthues Trust, the Samuel Rubin Foundation, Connie Goldman, Marialice Harwood, Nevin Harwood and Ken Tilsen. Authors would also like to thank the participants in the beta-testing of this manual and the on- line course based thereon. Copyright Copyright UNITAR and NP Cover picture: NP 11 PBI Photo / Volunteer Accompanying the Inter-Church Justice and12 Peace Commission (CIJP) in the Curbaradó River Basin, Colombia / September 2011 ACRONYMS CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women CPC Civil Protection Component (Philippines) CPR Communities of Popular Resistance (Guatemala) CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child CSO Civil Society Organization EU European Union EWER Early Warning/Early Response GAM Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (Free Aceh Movement) ICC International Criminal Court ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross IDP Internally Displaced Person IFRC International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies IHL International Humanitarian Law IMT International Monitoring Team (Philippines) IRC International Rescue Committee IRL International Refugee Law ISIL Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ISIS Islamic State of Iraq and Syria JIU Joint Integrated Unit (South Sudan) LGBT Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transsexual MDG Millennium Development Goals MONUC United Nations Observer Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) MONUSCO United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo MSF Medecins Sans Frontieres NCOORD National Coordinating Office on Refugees and Displaced NGO Non Governmental Organization PBI Peace Brigades International R2P Responsibility to Protect 13 SDG Sustainable Development Goals SPLA Sudan People’s Liberation Army UCP Unarmed Civilian Protection UNAMSIL United Nations Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNDPKO UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations UNEF UN Emergency Force UNICEF UN Children’s Fund UNOCHA UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs WES Western Equatoria State WFP World Food Programme WFP Witness for Peace 14 INTRODUCTION Unarmed strategies must be at the forefront of UN efforts to protect civilians. Humanitarian organizations play essential roles in protecting civilians. High-Level Independent Panel on United Nations Peace Operations, 16 June 2015 [W]e heard a few messages again and again. First, the journey from war to sustainable peace is not possible in the absence of stronger civilian capacity. Without this capacity, there may be breaks in the fighting but resilient institutions will not take root and the risk of relapse into violence will remain. Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Chair to the Senior Advisory Group to the UN Secretary General on Civilian Capacities in the Aftermath of Conflict, March 2011 More than 1.5 billion people live in countries affected by repeated violence (World Bank, 2011). In absolute terms, the unmet need for direct physical protection of civilians against imminent violence has never been greater than it is today. In these contexts, civilians are faced with a wide variety of abuses and human rights violations, including killings, torture, sexual abuse, and forced displacement. In many situations children are abducted or recruited into armed forces; women trafficked for sexual exploitation; and human rights defenders1 imprisoned or killed. Even humanitarian aid workers, delivering aid to survivors of war, are not free from intentional (or targeted) attacks. Recognizing the overwhelming need, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon insists that ‘human protection is a defining
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