Protecting Threatened Civilians Protecting Threatened Civilians andand

Preventing ViolencePreventing Violence

The Role of The Role of Unarmed CiviliansUnarmed Civilians

A Briefing & Discussion A Briefing & Discussion @ @

Human Security Forum, IofC Human Security Forum, IofC by Mel Duncan & Rolf Carriereby Mel Duncan & Rolf Carriere

Nonviolent Peaceforce Nonviolent Peaceforce Caux, 12 July 2011Caux, 12 July 2011

 

NP Focus + Niche

• Keeping people physically safe

• By organized teams of civilians– professional – multinational – gender-balanced – impartial

• Dedicated to protection only• Working by invitation of, and with, local

civil society organizations (not to strengthen the state)

NP Focus + Niche• Practicing ‘proactive presence’ 24/7

• Without use of armed force• Complying to strict security protocols

(but not the UN’s)

• Funded by a variety of donors– Individual– Institutional

• Civilians protecting civilians! (on a large scale)

Every New Idea…

Every new idea, like every truth, passes through three stages:

First, it is ridiculed

Second, it is violently opposed

Third, it is accepted as being self-evident

Arthur Schopenhauer

Context of Violent Conflict

• World Bank: 1.5 billions people currently live in

countries with repeated violence (WDR 2011)

• Not one of these countries has achieved a single MDG (WDR 2011)

• It is no longer acceptable to allow belligerents to fight till exhaustion-- if only for the sake of civilians…

Cost of Violent Conflict

• On average, the total national and regional cost of a single war is:

more than US$64 billion…

• then add to this the global impacts of:– international terrorism, – drugs production and – spread of HIV

(Paul Collier, World Bank/Oxford)

Cost of Violent Conflict

• Insecurity is such a drain on resources that under the current budget, thegovernment of South Sudan spends about $700 million on security-relatedmatters —

• More than the budget for education, health care, electricity, roads and industry combined!

Context of Violent ConflictContext of Violent Conflict• Where to focus?

• Evidence of high risk (40+%) of relapse into war within the decade after ceasefire/peace agreement

• Typically, only about 12 countries are in the post-conflict category at any one time

• 90% of civil wars in the 2000s occurred in countries that had already experienced civil war in previous 30 years (WDR2011)

• A US$5 billion investment in international peacekeeping and well-targeted aid would deliver a return of US$397 billion in post-conflict countries

• Therefore, high predictability + very high returns!

Source: Paul Collier, World Bank/Oxford

Context of Violent ConflictPotential for more violence in future is high, due to:

– Growing ethnic tension– With more self-determination, 193->2000 nations?

– Competitive race for scarce resources– Depleting energy sources, water, precious minerals)

– Trade in/ubiquitous presence of small arms– Growing population pressure

– People voting with their feet

– Climate change– Economic collapse– Viral, daily in your face– Widening income disparities

Increasingly, threatening and targeting of vulnerable

Civilian Populationschildren women

ethnic/religious minorities ‘first peoples’ dispossessed suppressed

and

Individuals journalists

humanitarian aid workers (100+ death/yr) human rights workers

Increasingly, threatening and targeting of vulnerable

Civilian Populationschildren women

ethnic/religious minorities ‘first peoples’ dispossessed suppressed

and

Individuals journalists

humanitarian aid workers (100+ death/yr) human rights workers

Whatever the current level of action

for protection of civilians,

and whoever provides it,

the world needs

far more

Protection of Civilians

The Question is:

HOW?

Since End of Cold War

Some historic shifts in perceptions: – Human Security (basic rights + freedom from fear +

freedom from want)

– R2P (‘sovereignty as responsibility’)

– Protection of Civilians (as ‘humanitarian imperative’)

– New focus on Prevention of Genocide (and other

crimes of mass atrocities)

– Resurgence of Nonviolence (Middle East, Yellow, Orange, Velvet etc.)

– Peoples Right to Peace (UNHCHR drafting new Declaration)

– New UN recognition of Civilian Capacities

“The journey from war to sustainable peace is not possible in the absence of stronger civilian capacity.

Without this capacity, there may be breaks in the fighting,

but resilient institutions will not take root and the risk of renewed violence will remain.”

Jean-Marie Guéhenno, former UN Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations,

transmitting the report Civilian Capacity in the Aftermath of Conflict

to UN Secretary General,Ban-Ki Moon .

To Protect Threatened Civilians in complex security situations

What is the proper balance between (and among)

– Developmental– Political/Diplomatic – Humanitarian Relief– Military

engagements/interventions?

To Protect Threatened Civilians in complex security situations

What is the proper balance between (and among)

– Developmental– Political/Diplomatic – Humanitarian Relief– Unarmed Civilian Peacekeeping– Military

engagements/interventions?

Redressing the Balance

From

• National security• Hard power• State & military

• Reactive & late• General humanitarian

relief• Ad hoc protection (or as

by-product of ‘international presence’)

Towards

• Human security• Soft power• Civilian & unarmed,

nonviolent• Preventive & early• Effective physical

protection (as top need)

• Intentional proactive presence (dedicated, professional on call)

Towards A New Security…(Can You See It That Way?)

• National > Human Security• Hard > Soft Power• Military > Civilian• Armed > Unarmed• Reactive > Preventive• Late > Early• General > Proactive Presence

Some special interests may

not see it that way…

To Protect Threatened Civilians 2:

what is the proper balance between (and among)

– Humanitarian– Developmental– Political/Diplomatic – Military

engagements/interventions in complex security situations?

Responding to Violent Conflict

• Global civilian capacities for PoC exist (or are

potentially available), but remain unused (Guehenno report)

• Perhaps often only on small scale, but scalable

• Unarmed Civilian Protection (UPC) has its own comparative advantages & fills important niche

• CSOs all over the world are convinced they, too, can contribute to Peacekeeping + PoC

• Theirs is the power of nonviolent presence-- a role that cannot be played by the military or police

Taking Risks For Peace

Only Men and Women in Military Uniform ?

The Basics of Unarmed Civilian Protection

What it is and Why it Works

The Purpose of Unarmed Civilian Protection

What is Unarmed Civilian Protection?

Unarmed Civilian Protection is the organized, strategic use of various nonviolent tactics – by unarmed civilians themselves

– To protect civilians– To deter violence – To influence important actors in their community , and– To create safe political space where people feel encouraged to

transform their own conflicts constructively

UCP is…

Not disorganised individuals showing up without a plan, thinking only their presence is enough.

Organised teams strategically implementing proven tactics for protecting civilians and reducing violence.

Not well-intentioned volunteers working against “oppressors” and naively sticking flowers in gun barrels.

Well-trained professionals working proactively with key stakeholders on all levels to increase security of all people

Not white people from the global North holding threatened peoples’ hands so they do not get shot.

Security-conscious international/multi-cultural teams working and living within communities affected by violence and supporting them to increase their own security.

Not an add-on to an already over-burdened work day or something done indirectly while passing out food.

A specific, focused activity, based on lessons learned and compelling practices

Unarmed Civilian Protection PROACTIVE

PRESENCE

Encouragement

Deterrence Influence

NonviolenceIndependence

Primacy of Internal

Conflict ActorsNonparti

sanship

Human Rights

Co

nfi

den

ce B

uild

ing

Conscious VisibilityPro

tection

Capacity Building

Multi-Level Diplomacy

NP Staff Security & Safety

• UCP requires a higher threshold of• UCP requires a higher threshold of risk than

typical field operations

• UCP employs Active/Interactive Security based on Relationships

• and employs Active/Interactive Security based on Relationships, not Preventative Measures

1. Understand that UCP’s are partial: (e.g. towards human rights, security of all people, peaceful resolution of conflicts, etc.). Cannot be afraid of the values and mission underlying the work.

2. Separate violent actions committed from the people who commit those actions (problems vs. people).

3. Work transparently (key stakeholders know what we are doing) while maintaining the confidentiality of those we serve.

4. Strive for ACCEPTANCE and strategic connection from all key stakeholders.

5. Adhere to the 3rd Principle of UCP: Primacy of Internal Conflict Actors (i.e. It’s not about what we want, it’s our job to create the space for internal actors to achieve what they want.)

Lesson Learned from Implementing Nonpartisanship in the Field

What is Proactive Presence?

“What is needed…is not passive presence for its own sake, but well informed and carefully analysed strategies and tactics that use the presence of each [UCP] to influence all the actors around them.” -Liam Mahoney

MPT

How Does Proactive Presence Work?

DETERRENCE

Decision Makers (Worried about Int’l Image)

Perpetrators of Violence

(Worried about witnesses)

Targeted Civilians

Cha

in o

f C

omm

and

International Pressure

X

MPT

How Does Proactive Presence Work?

DETERRENCE

Decision Makers (Worried about Int’l Image)

Perpetrators of Violence

(Worried about witnesses)

Targeted Civilians

Cha

in o

f C

omm

and

International Pressure

“It’s not really me.”

MPT

How Does Proactive Presence Work?

DETERRENCE

Decision Makers (Worried about Int’l Image)

Perpetrators of Violence

(Worried about witnesses)

Targeted Civilians

Cha

in o

f C

omm

and

International Pressure

X

X

MPT

Proactive Presence: Conditions of Effectiveness

1. Effectiveness is based on conflict actors’ acceptance of UCP’s

2. Being present and being visible is the foundation of this technique, but does not provide protection in and of itself unless it is used strategically and, if acceptance fails, can be backed up by credible pressures

3. Credible pressures must be based on careful research which identifies who is causing the threat and what kinds of pressure they may be susceptible to

3. There must be real power and influence behind the pressure for it to be credible: i.e., political, economic, legal, religious, cultural or social pressure such as disrupting tourism, indictment by a court or tribunal, imposing economic sanctions, canceling contracts or investment or aid packages

4. There must be direct lines of communication open to the perpetrators somewhere along their chain of command in order for pressure to be effectively applied.

Key UCP Activities

Conscious V

isibility

Mu

lti-Level D

iplo

macy

Pro

tect

ion

Co

nfi

den

ce B

uild

ing

Cap

acit

y B

uild

ing

Facilitation of Safe Access to Government Mechanisms

Forums/Meetings for State Duty-Bearers and

Vulnerable Communities

Safe Travel Routes for Civilians

Accompaniment/ Protective Presence for

Vulnerable Individuals / HRDs / Community

WorkersEstablishment and

monitoring of protocols with government and military

actors

Coordination of security services for vulnerable civilians

Community Conflict Early Warning Early

Response Systems

Collaborative security assessments,

consultations, and trainings

Support for Community

Security Teams

Community Conflict Resolution

Facilitation

Intentional presence during

critical times

Ceasefire Monitoring

LocalMembership OrganizationsEasy Access

EffectiveTraining Methodology

Tried & Tested

Global professionalsPeacekeepers

High Quality Candidates

Global professionalsPeacekeepers

High Quality Candidates

For activationNetwork of InfluencersAt times of crisis

Visionary & practical goalHuman Security

Complementing MDGs

Visionary & practical goalHuman Security

Complementing MDGs

NP’s Assets

Broad constituencyDonors

Growing Appeal, incl. UN

Fully operationalSpecialist Organization

Ready to scale up

Even more relevant nowFeasibilty Study

Defines Niche for NP

Verification Mission on Landmine Use in Mindanao

Unarmed, Civilian Peacekeepers enable humanitarian & development entities to be successful in their work

‘As far as I am aware, this is the first time in the history of international relationsthat such a fact-finding mission has been carried out with the agreement of, and facilitation by, both parties to an armed conflict, in casu, a State and a non-State actor.’

Unarmed civilian Peacekeepers – emphasizing neutrality and impartiality – provide logistical support for Geneva Call as it conducts an historic Verification Mission on landmine use in Mindanao

Eric David, Professor of Law at Brussels University, mission participant

Teams come from all over the world

Sri Lanka

Mindanao

GRP and MILF invite NP to join Civilian Protection Component of the International Monitoring Team

Southern Sudan

Kyrgyzstan & South Caucasus

Not about NP, but the concept & practice

Theodore Roszak

“People try nonviolence for a week,

and when ‘it does not work’,

they go back to violence

which hasn’t worked for centuries.”