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ADDRESSING PROTECTION ISSUES
cekeeping Missions, meeting these Policy for Protection of Civilians moted an integrated HQ approa-
challenges requires careful plan- for Military Units, which could be ch and field structures to improve
ning and strategy to protect the also used by the UN Formed Po- coherence among peacekeeping,
greatest number of people as ef- lice Units. It conveys conceptual humanitarian, human rights and
fectively as possible. It also requires framework, legal aspects, as well development efforts. Indeed, joint
ensuring that the host government, as operational matters, not the le- analysis, planning and action at
the population and even the inter- ast for the use of force. In 2017, all levels are often essential to ma-
ximize impact in the
field. In many Mission
settings, a special De-
puty Representative
of the Secretary-Ge-
neral is designated
to lead this activity,
supported by Joint
Units, POC Advi-
sors and focal points.
There are still debates
among some huma-
nitarian actors around
the preservation of
their humanitarian
space, independence
of human rights ad-
national community understand the Department also approved the vocacy and even security, espe-
the importance of peacekeepers as Guidelines on the UN police in cially in a non-permissive envi-
well as their very real limitations. protection of civilians designed to ronment, when peacekeepers may
The UN Department of Peace assist UNPOLs in effectively imple- be perceived as part of a conflict.
Operations (DPO - former DPKO) menting protection mandates as a Nonetheless, UN operations are
supported by Department of critical element of a comprehen- always open to the comprehensi-
Operational Support (DOS) are sive approach to this vital issue. ve POC approach. For example,
playing a central role in plan- Over the years, the Organization in CAR where criminal groups are
ning, conduct and assessment and Member States actively pro- targeting humanitarians, the UN
of protection activities, obviously
working in close collaboration with
many UN partners, national au-
thorities and international donors.
Within DPO, there is the Pro-
tection of Civilian’s Team (wi-
thin the Policy and Best Practice
Service) which provides policy
formation and operational sup-
port. In the field, POC Advisory
Units currently exist in several pe-
ace operations, with POC Advisors
embedded in major components.
They provide mission leadership
on POC priorities and provide in-
formation on vulnerable groups.
Accordingly, in 2015, DPO/DOS
launched their Comprehensive
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