The Protection of Civilians (PoC) WG included representatives
from the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), National
Defense University, NATO’s Allied Command for Transforma-
tion, PKSOI, Protect the People, and the Department of State’s
(DoS) African Affairs Bureau (ACOTA). The working group
shared information on various PoC initiatives, including UN,
NATO, and U.S. military approaches to PoC.
The working group’s main focus was discussing the advisabil-
ity and content of a proposed reference on the protection of
civilians. Unlike PKSOI’s recent Protection of Civilians Mil-
itary Reference Guide, the proposed document would also be
intended to assist non-military readers. It would be a primer to
orient unfamiliar audiences on PoC, and facilitate the per-
spective of a “PoC lens” by specialists in other areas. The guide
would present a common framework and language, explain the
roles of various protection actors, and identify different tools
that can assist with civilian protection. The document can also
assist such efforts as the development of PoC-related messages,
themes, and narratives.
The document’s primary audience would be members of U.S.
government organizations who need a working familiarity with
PoC. These might include personnel in country teams whose
duties overlap with the topic. A wide range of secondary au-
diences might find the document helpful as well. These could
include officials from other governments and representatives
from international organizations or NGOs. Instructors at train-
ing courses or in academia may use the document as a reading
assignment for their students.
The working group’s consensus was that the document should
be thirty-to-fifty pages so that a reader can adequately learn
about PoC in a brief period. The document would be sufficient-
ly comprehensive that most readers can obtain a good overview
of PoC, and would include references to other more detailed
sources for those readers that may need them.
The working group spent most of its time developing an outline
for the document, which would include the following compo-
nents:
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Work group 1's main focus was discussing the advisability
and content of a proposed reference on the protection
of civilians with the intent to provide a reference for
non-military audiences.
Preface and Foreword
The preface would articulate the document’s purpose and in-
tended audiences, as described above. If a foreword is included,
a noted authority in the field would emphasize the wide-ranging
importance of PoC and share insights on the subject.
Part 1: Introduction to the Protection of Civilians
The first part of the document will provide an overview of PoC,
explain its background, and articulate the purpose and scope of
the document. It will summarize recent institutional emphases
on PoC including UN