Overview
This field handbook aims to provide the ‘what’, the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of protecting civilians in violent contexts. In the two decades since the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) recognised that keeping people safe from harm during times of conflict is a matter of international peace and security, there has been a great deal of progress. However, alongside the substantial developments in diplomatic and legal frameworks, on-the-ground practice has struggled to keep up.
For a variety of reasons, comprehensive, coordinated and consistent Protection of Civilians (PoC) action remains a work in progress, and a gap this handbook addresses.