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ADDRESSING PROTECTION ISSUES
PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS:
UN DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE
By Dimitry Titov
ded genocidal acts against pea- ned the targeting of civilians.
ceful population, sexual violence These and other fundamental do-
2019 mark the twentieth anniver- as act of war, grave and massive cuments - such as the 2005 Wor-
sary of the Protection of Civilians’ violations of human rights. Facing ld Summit Document - created
concept which will be widely cele- the growing need to protect gra- the foundation for the UN pea-
brated at the United Nations. As it vely threatened civilians in armed cekeeping action and architecture.
was rightly stressed in several Co- conflict, the United Nations Secu- The POC mandate in peacekee-
ESPU publications, civilians have rity Council, addressed in a com- ping is guided by a set of principles:
increasingly become the victims prehensive manner the protection Protecting civilians is the primary
of brutal armed conflicts - in par- challenge which was described in responsibility of governments;
ticular women, children and other detail in the UN Secretary Gene- Peacekeepers with a manda-
vulnerable groups. During mid- ral’s report on the Causes of Con- te to protect civilians have the
1990’s, United Nations peacekee- flict in Africa issued in 1998. This authority and responsibility to
pers found themselves deployed in report detailed protecting of civi- provide protection within their
devastating internal conflicts; many lians as a crucial “humanitarian capabilities and areas of deploy-
UN Missions faced unprecedented imperative.” In the next year, the ment where the government is
level of violence against civilians - Council, in his resolution 1265, unable or unwilling to protect;
in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, expressed strong concern about The protection of civilians man-
Timor-Leste, Sierra Leone, Soma- the erosion of respect for hu- date is a whole-of-mission activi-
lia and many others. These inclu- man rights and strongly condem- ty, not only a military task, which
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