Human Security and Protection of Civilians

Viviana De Annuntiis

OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

http://www.unocha.org

TEMPEST EXPRESS – 25June 2014

OCHA

OCHA

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the session

participants will….

UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT

OF HUMAN SECURITY

EXPLAIN THE LINK BETWEEN PROTECTION

AND CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION

COMPARE THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN SECURITY

WITH OTHER CONCEPTS

EXPLORE THE CONCEPT OF

PROTECTION AND THE KEY

STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED

OCHA

Overview

HUMAN SECURITY

THE CONCEPT OF PROTECTION

PROTECTION AND

CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION

“…Human security means protecting fundamental freedoms.

It means protecting people from critical and pervasive threats and situations.

It means using processes that build on people’s strengths and aspirations.

It means creating political, social, environmental, economic, military and

cultural systems that together give people the building blocks of

survival, livelihood and dignity.”

(Human Security Unit – OCHA)

HUMAN SECURITY

OCHA

HUMAN SECURITYInter-disciplinary concept‘Human elements’ of security, rights and development.

Characteristics:People-centeredMulti-sectoralComprehensiveContext-specificPrevention-oriented

OCHA

Human Security Threats

OCHA

Human Security Threats (cont.)

OCHA

How do you achieve Human Security?

OCHA

Protection:

•It refers to the norms, processes and institutions required to protect people from critical and pervasive threats.•“Top-down" approachPeople face threats that are beyond their control (e.g., natural disasters, financial crises and conflicts). •Human security requires protecting people in a systematic, comprehensive and preventative way.

OCHA

Empowerment:

•Strategies that enable people to develop their resilience to difficult situations.

•“Bottom-up" approach.

•Enable people to develop their full potential.

•Allow them to find ways and to participate in solutions to ensure human security for themselves and others.

OCHA

Human Security – Operational Tool

OCHA

The Concept of ProtectionPART II

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Broad term and no shared definition between international military and humanitarian actors;

Not restricted to ‘physical security’;

Encompasses a broader spectrum of human security and human dignity.

Protection – Definition

OCHA

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Protection – Definition

OCHA

• Need to enhance the concept of protection arose in the 1990s among humanitarian actors;

• Providing assistance to people would not be sufficient to save their lives and restore their dignity in the face of continuous threats to their human security.

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Protection – Definition (cont)

OCHA

“…all activities aimed at ensuring full respect for the rights of the individual in accordance with international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and refugee law.”

IASC definition (1999)

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Protection – Definition (cont)

OCHA

1. Protection as a set of legal obligations, for example those incumbent upon parties to armed conflict according to IHL.

2. Protection as an overall objective (a result to be achieved).

3. Protection as a concrete activity or set of activities.

PROTECTION – STAKEHOLDERS

OCHA

States: primary legal responsibility for protection;

UN peacekeeping missions, and/or regional governmental organisations;

IOs, UN Agencies

NGOs, Civil Society

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Protection – Humanitarian Actors

OCHA

Humanitarian actors undertake two types of protection activities:

1.Dedicated protection activities which seek to prevent actual abuses and the fear of abuse.

2.Integrating protection concerns into other humanitarian activities, referred to variously as ‘do no harm’, ‘mainstreaming protection’ and ‘good programming’.

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PROTECTIONCOMMON GROUND

OCHA

Promoting adherence by all parties to conflict to IHL and IHRL.

Reducing community threats and vulnerabilities (for the military through coercive means, or the possibility of force, for humanitarian actors through non-coercive means).

Building a protective environment

PROTECTION COMMON GROUND

OCHA

• International humanitarian and military actors make an effective contribution to protecting affected populations in conflict and other crisis contexts;

• Diverse ways of engaging and understanding Protection gives rise to a spectrum of possibilities for interaction and dialogue, all within the definition of civil–military coordination (UN-CMCoord)

The Concept of Protection and Civil-Military Coordination

PART II

UN-CMCoord What is it?UN-CMCoord What is it?

The essential dialogue and The essential dialogue and

interaction between civilian and interaction between civilian and

military actors in humanitarian military actors in humanitarian

emergencies necessaryemergencies necessary

to protect and promote humanitarian to protect and promote humanitarian

principles, avoid competition, principles, avoid competition,

minimize inconsistency, and minimize inconsistency, and when when

appropriateappropriate pursue common goals.pursue common goals.

Credit: Getty Images

UN-CMCoord & Protection

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Dialogue and interaction that allows humanitarians to

coordinate their strategies (incl. protection)

with international military actors to identify roles and

responsibilities and leverage available resources

and capacities.

IMPLICATIONS FOR UN-CMCOORD

OCHA

• General civil-military concepts and principles are applicable to Protection but may require further clarifications;

• There is a gap in the guidelines (IASC Discussion Paper, MCDA Guidelines, etc.) on practical considerations in relation to UN-CMCoord on Protection issues

NEXT STEPS

OCHA

• Sharing of general analysis of protection threats; allow a mutual understanding of the prioritisation each actor makes when defining its protection strategy.

• Sharing of lessons learned on respective actions aimed at protecting civilians, and lessons learned in relation to the interaction between International military and humanitarian actors operating in the same theatre

NEXT STEPS

OCHA

• Development of specific guidelines on the interaction of peacekeeping missions and humanitarian actors on the issue of Protection;

• Development of training modules for peacekeepers and humanitarians on Protection;

• Key role of UN-CMCoord officers

OCHA

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the session

participants will….

UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT

OF HUMAN SECURITY

EXPLAIN THE LINK BETWEEN PROTECTION

AND CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION

COMPARE THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN SECURITY

WITH OTHER CONCEPTS

EXPLORE THE CONCEPT OF

PROTECTION AND THE KEY

STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED