1. Human Security and Protection of Civilians
TEMPEST EXPRESS – 25
June 2014
Human Security and Protection of Civilians
Viviana De Annuntiis
OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
OCHA

2. Learning Outcomes OCHA At the end of the session participants will….
UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN SECURITY
COMPARE THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN SECURITY WITH OTHER CONCEPTS
At the end of the session
participants will….
EXPLORE THE CONCEPT OF PROTECTION AND THE KEY STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED
EXPLAIN THE LINK BETWEEN PROTECTION
AND CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION
OCHA

3. THE CONCEPT OF PROTECTION CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION
Overview
HUMAN SECURITY
THE CONCEPT OF PROTECTION
PROTECTION AND
CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION
Concept and Characteristics of Human Security
Human Security Threats
The Protection and Empowerment Framework
Human Security: Operational Tool
Protection: Definition
Protection: Stakeholders
Protection: the Search for Common Ground
UN-CMCoord : Definition UN-CMCoord and the Concept of Protection Next Steps
OCHA

10. HUMAN SECURITY
“…Human security means protecting fundamental freedoms.
It means protecting people from critical and pervasive threats and situations.
It means using processes that build on people’s strengths and aspirations.
It means creating political, social, environmental, economic, military and cultural systems that together give people the building blocks of
survival, livelihood and dignity.”
(Human Security Unit – OCHA)
OCHA

11. OCHA HUMAN SECURITY Inter-disciplinary concept
‘Human elements’ of security, rights and development.
Characteristics:
People-centered
Multi-sectoral
Comprehensive
Context-specific
Prevention-oriented
OCHA

12. Human Security Threats
Hunger
Famine
FOOD SECURITY
Persistent poverty, unemployment
ECONOMIC SECURITY
Infectious diseases, malnutrition,
Lack of access to basic health care
HEALTH SECURITY
OCHA

13. Human Security Threats (cont.)
Environmental degradation, resource depletion,
Natural disasters, pollution
ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY
Physical violence, crime, terrorism, domestic violence, child labor
PERSONAL SECURITY
Inter-ethnic, religious and other identity based tensions
COMMUNITY SECURITY
OCHA

14. How do you achieve Human Security?
Protection
Empowerment
Protection and empowerment of people are the two building blocks for achieving the goal of
human security. They are proposed by the CHS as the bi-parts of any human security policy framework.
OCHA

15. Protection:
It refers to the norms, processes and institutions required to protect people from critical and pervasive threats.
“Top-down" approach People face threats that are beyond their control (e.g., natural disasters, financial crises and conflicts).
Human security requires protecting people in a systematic, comprehensive and preventative way.
OCHA

16. Empowerment:
Strategies that enable people to develop their resilience to difficult situations.
“Bottom-up" approach.
Enable people to develop their full potential.
Allow them to find ways and to participate in solutions to ensure human security for themselves and others.
OCHA

17. Human Security – Operational Tool
A Framework for Protection/ Empowerment
Comprehensive
Multi-sectoral
Contextualization
Emphasis on Prevention
Partnerships and Collaboration
Benchmarking, Evaluation and Impact Assessment
OCHA

19. The Concept of Protection
PART II
The Concept of Protection

20. Protection – Definition
Broad term and no shared definition between international military and humanitarian actors;
Not restricted to ‘physical security’;
Encompasses a broader spectrum of human security and human dignity.
OCHA

21. Protection – Definition
Need to enhance the concept of protection arose in the 1990s among humanitarian actors;
Providing assistance to people would not be sufficient to save their lives and restore their dignity in the face of continuous threats to their human security.
OCHA

22. Protection – Definition (cont)
“…all activities aimed at ensuring full respect for the rights of the individual in accordance with international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and refugee law.”
IASC definition (1999)
OCHA

23. Protection – Definition (cont)
Protection as a set of legal obligations, for example those incumbent upon parties to armed conflict according to IHL.
Protection as an overall objective (a result to be achieved).
Protection as a concrete activity or set of activities.
OCHA

24. PROTECTION – STAKEHOLDERS
States: primary legal responsibility for protection;
UN peacekeeping missions, and/or regional governmental organisations;
IOs, UN Agencies
NGOs, Civil Society
OCHA

25. Protection – Humanitarian Actors
Humanitarian actors undertake two types of protection activities:
Dedicated protection activities which seek to prevent actual abuses and the fear of abuse.
Integrating protection concerns into other humanitarian activities, referred to variously as ‘do no harm’, ‘mainstreaming protection’ and ‘good programming’.
OCHA

27. OCHA PROTECTION COMMON GROUND
Promoting adherence by all parties to conflict to IHL and IHRL.
Reducing community threats and vulnerabilities (for the military through coercive means, or the possibility of force, for humanitarian actors through non-coercive means).
Building a protective environment
OCHA

28. Protection Action: Egg Model
Environment Building
Protection Action: Egg Model
Remedial
Action
Responsive
Remedial Action:
Restore people’s dignity and ensure adequate living conditions after a pattern of abuse
Environment Building:
Build a social, cultural, institutional and legal environment conducive to respect for rights of the individual
Responsive Action:
Alleviate the effects of threats
Stop the threat
Prevent the threat in the future
Threat/Abuse

29. OCHA PROTECTION COMMON GROUND
International humanitarian and military actors make an effective contribution to protecting affected populations in conflict and other crisis contexts;
Diverse ways of engaging and understanding Protection gives rise to a spectrum of possibilities for interaction and dialogue, all within the definition of civil–military coordination (UN-CMCoord)
OCHA

30. The Concept of Protection and Civil-Military Coordination
PART II
The Concept of Protection and Civil-Military Coordination

31. UN-CMCoord What is it?
The essential dialogue and interaction between civilian and military actors in humanitarian emergencies necessary
to protect and promote humanitarian principles, avoid competition, minimize inconsistency, and when appropriate pursue common goals.
A soldier carries an elderly man on his back to a shelter in Natori city, Miyagi
Credit: Getty Images

32. UN-CMCoord & Protection
Dialogue and interaction that allows humanitarians to coordinate their strategies (incl. protection)
with international military actors to identify roles and responsibilities and leverage available resources and capacities.
Information sharing is one type of coordination activity.
To be effective, information sharing needs to be done proactively; coordinators need to reach out to other actors primarily to share information and, in return, also get information and updates. Information shared about ; (capacity, areas covered, sectors, duration of operations)
Some of the types of information that can be shared and solicited are on the slides; this information is helpful in validating plans and/or adjusting priorities.
In a conflict-induced working environment, information sharing is very critical in ensuring the safety and security of humanitarian workers and the affected population.

33. IMPLICATIONS FOR UN-CMCOORD
General civil-military concepts and principles are applicable to Protection but may require further clarifications;
There is a gap in the guidelines (IASC Discussion Paper, MCDA Guidelines, etc.) on practical considerations in relation to UN-CMCoord on Protection issues
OCHA

34. NEXT STEPS
Sharing of general analysis of protection threats; allow a mutual understanding of the prioritisation each actor makes when defining its protection strategy.
Sharing of lessons learned on respective actions aimed at protecting civilians, and lessons learned in relation to the interaction between International military and humanitarian actors operating in the same theatre
OCHA

35. NEXT STEPS
Development of specific guidelines on the interaction of peacekeeping missions and humanitarian actors on the issue of Protection;
Development of training modules for peacekeepers and humanitarians on Protection;
Key role of UN-CMCoord officers
OCHA

36. Learning Outcomes OCHA At the end of the session participants will….
UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN SECURITY
COMPARE THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN SECURITY WITH OTHER CONCEPTS
At the end of the session
participants will….
EXPLORE THE CONCEPT OF PROTECTION AND THE KEY STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED
EXPLAIN THE LINK BETWEEN PROTECTION
AND CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION
OCHA