Counsel for International Development Annual Civil Military Forum 2013

‘Protection of Civilians’

Panel – Peacekeepers and Protection: Methods of Protection from Soft to Hard Protection

A International Humanitarian Perspective

Presented by Kevin Riddell - TEAR Fund NZ

Friday 24th May – St John’s Willis Street Wellington.

There is an ongoing ‘Civil-Military’ discussion around this!

How do we as International Stakeholders Effectively address this?

How do we ensure our mandate and action will ‘Protect Civilians’ and ‘do no harm’?

From a ‘humanitarian perspective’ our effectiveness in reaching this outcome, is determined by …

Our recognition of ‘Humanitarian’ principles and Practice (As outlined in the Sphere Handbook and the Red Cross Code of Conduct) .

Our willingness to interact and understand each others mandates.

Effective Interaction and coordination of Stakeholders depends on;

Recognizing all the ‘stakeholders’.

Adapting to the ‘changing landscape’ of a multi-stakeholder environment.

Creating ‘safe operating zones?’ for multi-stakeholder interaction.

Example from my own experience … Iraq

Iraq in 2005 was a country divided into ‘safe’ operating zones and very definite ‘danger’ zones!

3,000 civilians were being killed per month

3m people displaced in Jordan and Syria and 1m internally displaced in Iraq.

The US was spending 2b USD per month on the reconstruction of the country.

Private security number 150K compared to US troops on the ground @ 60K

What do you think is missing in these photos?

There are no people!

Why do you think there are no people?

Kirkuk Rehabilitation Centre

People felt too unsafe to come for treatment

Instead people would travel to Rehab Centres in Safer Zones!

Suleimania – 2hrs drive East

Soran – 4hrs drive North

Erbil – 2hrs drive North-east

Dyala displacement township – 1 1/2hrs drive North-east

The Changing Landscape

Changing landscape of Iraq

Closed Country 1970s/1980s – 1 in 3 people worked for security police

Post Conflict Zone (1990s – Following Kuwait war)No Fly Zone

UN SanctionsGovernment controlled zone/Kurdish

enclave Safe Haven (Kurdistan) – 1991 - 2003

Civil war – Kurdish in-fightingTurkish/Iranian influence – PKKSnipers

War – US led coalition ‘Iraqi war’ – 2003Collapse of Bath’ist Regime – 45yrs reign

Danger Zone – 2003 – present dayReconstruction of Iraq.Introduction of Western style political reform ‘Democracy’.Power Vacuum – rise of terrorism/organized crime/new political elites.Kurdistan region of Iraq legitimized.

How did we adapt to this changing landscape?

Included Ministries & Community Groups in ‘Danger’ Zones in the discussions

Included the CIMIC teams

Developed a regional strategy based in the ‘Safe’ zones that included representation from all zones

Developed a referral system – from ‘hostile’ areas into ‘safe’ zones

Elaborating further - Example from Afghanistan

Eastern Region Community Development Programme

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ERCD Project : Nangahar Province

1. Feuding Communities

2. Poor, rural and illiterate

3. Taliban Presence

4. Marginalized minority

5. Suspicious of outsiders

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The Consequence of the intervention …

Feuding stopped and dialogue began

Influence of Taliban to control these communities weakened

Majority of adult men and woman reading and writing

Communities food secure and disaster resilient

To Summarize

The Conflict environment is a complex scenario of multiple stakeholders with wide and distinct Mandates

Important that International Stakeholders ‘interact’ and work in the spirit of ‘inclusiveness’.

Recognize that the environment is a ‘changing landscape’ that requires an adaptive approach within our programmes.

Crucial that international humanitarian principles and Practice are applied by all international actors

The CHALLENGE for us as International Stakeholders remains;

How can we ENTER and OPERATE in this Environment without endangering each others lives and the lives of people being assisted?

How can we EXIT with some kind of reassurance the people receiving assistance will benefit from our combined intervention?’