Accessibility navigation


The UN and the protection of civilians: sustaining the momentum

Gilder, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8861-1433 (2023) The UN and the protection of civilians: sustaining the momentum. Journal of Conflict and Security Law, 28. pp. 1-37. ISSN 1467-7954

[img]
Preview
Text (Open Access) - Published Version
· Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.
· Please see our End User Agreement before downloading.

239kB
[img] Text - Accepted Version
· Restricted to Repository staff only

337kB

It is advisable to refer to the publisher's version if you intend to cite from this work. See Guidance on citing.

To link to this item DOI: 10.1093/jcsl/krac037

Abstract/Summary

The protection of civilians (PoC) concept remains contested twenty-three years after the first PoC mandate. Current PoC frameworks used by the UN do not assist with determining applicable legal standards. They lead the UN down an unsustainable path that risks diminishing political support for PoC, especially within intense conflicts and following well-documented protection failures. With ever-rising expectations from communities under protection, the UN’s ‘Three Tiers of PoC Action’, and the complexity and dilution of PoC mandates under a whole-of-mission approach. It becomes challenging to determine what missions must do to protect individuals. To undertake a major re-evaluation of PoC, this article charts the progression of PoC mandates drawing on examples from several missions to highlight the diverse nature of PoC and subsequent activities. The article then argues that current definitions and practical applications of PoC have cast the net too wide, presented uncertainties, and leave PoC open to attack from member states amidst a political climate of weakened support for collective security action. Instead, the discussion must shift toward a concise and shared understanding of what protection mandates entail for UN peace operations. The article suggests how PoC can be reconceptualised to distinguish a narrow and easily communicated minimum obligation to be placed on UN peacekeepers.

Item Type:Article
Refereed:Yes
Divisions:Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Law
ID Code:109406
Publisher:Oxford University Press

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

University Staff: Request a correction | Centaur Editors: Update this record

Page navigation