UNITAR Peacekeeping Training Programme (PTP) in collaboration with the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) is holding a five day, face-to-face training course on the Protection of Civilians in Peace Operations. The course, which runs from February 8-12, 2010, is fully funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

The course, being held within the premises of the BICC in Bonn, Germany, seeks to advance a better understanding of the theoretical and practical framework of the protection of civilians. At the end of the course, participants will be able to identify the legal instruments that discipline the protection of civilians in peace operations and the operational framework for protection. The diverse group of participants will be expected to analyze the specific needs of vulnerable groups and apply the framework for protection analysis and strategy development.

As the issue of the protection of civilians gains authority and prominence among academics, diplomats, and policy makers, UNITAR PTP has quickly acknowledged the importance of addressing such a topic within the realm of peace operations.

The concept of protection of civilians first appeared in the UN Secretary General's Report on the situation of Africa of 13 April 1998 (S/1998/318 or A/52/871) in which Kofi Annan identified the protection of civilians in situations of conflict as a "humanitarian imperative". Building on this acknowledgement, the concept of protection of civilians has been progressively introduced to a wider audience. However, within the framework of peace operations, the full implementation of this principle is hindered by a number of shortcomings, such as the limited understanding of roles and responsibilities, and the lack of clear methods and guidelines. 

 

UNITAR PTP seeks to migrate the content of this course onto an e-learning platform, enabling PTP to reach a far wider and more diverse audience in the future.

 

For more information about UNITAR's Peacekeeping Training Programme, click here.