UNITAR Online Catalogue

Protection of Civilians in Peace Operations [PTP.2013.06F]

Deadline
15 Jul 2013
Type
Course
Location
Jaji-Kaduna, Nigeria
Date
to
Duration
10 Days
Programme Area
Peacekeeping
Website
http://www.unitar.org/ptp/
Price
$0.00
Event Focal Point Email
ptp@unitar.org
Contact Number
+41 (0)229178929
Partnership
NAPKT

Background

Systematic violence and mass atrocities against civilians increasingly occur in armed conflicts. Millions of individuals have lost their lives, while tens of millions more have been displaced from their homes. In war-torn societies, civilians – in particular women and children – have suffered from gross violations of human rights and political, psychological and economic repression that have become part of deliberate conflict strategies. In 1999, the UN Peacekeeping Operation in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) was mandated “to afford protection to civilians under imminent threat of physical violence.” Today, the majority of the nearly 100,000 uniformed UN peacekeepers deployed worldwide operate under such a mandate. 

Event Objectives

The goal of the course Protection of Civilians in Peace Operations is to advance a better understanding of the conceptual framework for the protection of civilians in peace operations.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the course, participants will be able to: 

  • Define protection of civilians in the context of UN peace operations;
  • Identify the legal instruments that discipline the protection of civilians in UN peace operations;
  • Illustrate UN institutional framework for protection of civilians in peace operations;
  • Analyze challenges related to planning and implementation of protection activities;
  • Assess specific issues linked to prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence. 

Content and Structure

The course is composed of five modules that will be covered over five weeks: 

  • Module 1: Overview of the protection of civilians
  • Module 2: International legal dimension of the protection of civilians
  • Module 3: Protection of civilians in the context of UN peacekeeping operations
  • Module 4: Ensuring the protection of civilians
  • Module 5: Prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence

 

Methodology

In order to create collective knowledge and to facilitate interaction and experience sharing among participants, working groups and discussion forums are organized. In particular, working groups are the core learning activity. In each module, participants are requested to work in groups on a specific assignment that refers to a real-life situation. The situations are immersive and participants are requested to act according to a specific role assigned to them by the facilitator. 

 

Targeted Audience

Primary audience

The course is designed for national and regional military and police personnel of every rank and function serving or interested in serving in peace operations.
 
Secondary audience
The course also addresses a broad audience of civilians, from international and regional organizations, governmental and non-governmental organizations, universities and research centres working or interested in working with peace operations.
 
Participants are not expected to have prior experience in or knowledge of protection of civilians. However, as this is an advanced course, participants must:
  • Have a sound understanding of the structure and functioning of a peace operation;
  • Have a university degree in a relevant area with proven interest in protection of civilians (BA or equivalent) or the equivalent working experience in a relevant field (2 to 4 years);
  • Have good command of English language (reading and writing);
  • Be computer literate.