Project on Civilians in Conflict

In Human Rights & IHL

October 26, 2011

Either caught in the crossfire or directly targeted by unscrupulous actors, each year millions of civilians suffer from physical violence or are denied access to essential services. Protecting civilians in conflict is not just a moral or legal imperative; it is a necessary component of and pragmatic step to sustainable peace.

The Civilians in Conflict project envisions a world in which the international community, nation-states, and local communities effectively eliminate violence against civilians in conflict-affected societies. As a contribution to this ambitious vision, this project works to expand and improve international efforts to develop effective prevention and response mechanisms. The Civilians in Conflict project looks at a number of areas that continue to perplex policy makers and practitioners and undermine strategies to protect.

Current research areas

Engaging Communities in Protection Strategies

Despite the growing awareness that local voices are critical to violence prevention and peacebuilding in conflict-affected countries, there is very little understanding of or guidance on how to engage conflict-affected community in interventions to protect civilians from deliberate violence. In 2011, Stimson’s Civilians in Conflict project developed Engaging Community Voices in Protection Strategies, a three-year initiative that seeks to protect civilians under threat by ensuring that conflict-affected communities are safely and effectively engaged in the development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of external protection strategies. Read more >>

Using Force to Protect Civilians

The UN, regional organizations, coalitions and
individual states have deployed military actors to protect civilians. Despite
the proliferation of such operations, guidance on how to use force to protect
civilians is largely absent. Through Addressing
the Doctrinal Deficit, the project seeks to ensure that states and
multilateral institutions develop appropriate doctrine and training to fill the
gap. Read more >>

Working with Humanitarian Actors

Humanitarian actors play an important role in
protecting civilians. Any comprehensive approach to protecting civilians should
enable humanitarian access and assistance. UN
Integration and Humanitarian Space explores
the impact of UN integration on the ability of humanitarian actors to deliver
assistance and makes recommendations towards the improved management of this
impact. Read more >>

Building Civilian Capacity

Advocates and policymakers often call for
helicopters in the air and boots on the ground to protect civilians, but what
role should civilians play in international responses? Some governments have
developed civilian response corps that deploy into crises to enable whole of
government or comprehensive approaches. Peace operations are expanding their
civilian components. This research explores
how civilian expertise can be harnessed to prevent violence against
civilians. Read more >>

Putting the Pieces Together

Research shows that effective international operations mandated to protect civilians include a combination of political, other civilian, and military resources. But planning and implementing a comprehensive response is a challenge, especially when the operation is multilateral. This research reviews the effectiveness of multidimensional approaches and makes recommendations for improved responses. Read more >>

Tailoring Strategies to Protect

Conflict-affected areas are characterized by diverse and often inter-related forms of violence against civilians: political, inter-group, ideological, and criminal. Effective strategies to protect civilians should be based on a thorough analysis of who is perpetrating the violence, why and how the violence is perpetrated, and why certain civilians are vulnerable. Read more >>

Related research and analysis

Research on the rule of law and security sector reform – critical components of
building safe and secure environments over the long-term – is available through
Stimson’s Future of Peace Operations project on Restoring the Rule of Law led by Bill Durch.
For analysis on the crisis in Syria, see the work of Mona Yacoubian, a Stimson Senior
Advisor on the Middle East and Project Director of Pathways to Progress.
For related work on child soldiers, the arms trade, and illicit weapons (including from
Libya) see the work of Senior Associate Rachel
Stohl with Stimson’s Managing Across Boundaries program.
Stimson has produced a number of publications and
analysis on the Responsibility to
Protect.
Previous research on the International Criminal Court, including a 2006 report on why the US
needs to engage with the ICC to protect the interests of its military service
members, is also available.