Protection of Civilians Military Reference Guide, Second Edition Second Edition | Page 14

Protection of Civilians Military Reference Guide
Chapter 1
Introduction to the Protection of Civilians
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Background, Purpose, and Scope
Protection of Civilians (PoC) Overview
PoC Risks
PoC and the Military Force
The 3-45 PoC Framework
BACKGROUND, PURPOSE, and SCOPE
B ACKGROUND
a. Protection of Civilians (PoC) must be considered and integrated during all military
operations, including peace operations and during armed conflict. Regardless of the operation’s
primary purpose, PoC is important for moral, political, legal, and military reasons. According to
the law of armed conflict (LOAC), also known as international humanitarian law (IHL) or the law
of war, civilians and all persons not taking part in combat may not be the object of attacks and
must be spared and protected. However, during contemporary operations military actors often must
strive for more than the mere compliance with LOAC/IHL.
b. For military forces, the population’s support is often the center of gravity and indispensable
for mission accomplishment. The political goals and objectives of a peace operation, combat
operation, or any other operation with a military component often include security, stability, a
sustainable peace, or other conditions that are better than the status quo. Civilians living within a
highly insecure environment expect the operation, and particularly uniformed military personnel,
to provide security. Moreover, observers around the world with easy access to media also expect
the military force to protect civilians. The credibility and legitimacy of a military operation and
the overarching political mission or goal depend on military actors who are willing and able to
proactively protect civilians from other threats.
c. PoC is relevant in the contexts of both peace and combat operations. Since 1999, fourteen
UN multidimensional peacekeeping operations have been authorized to use force to protect
civilians, 1 and the vast majority of UN troops currently deployed are serving in missions with such
mandates. 2 In addition, multinational operations in East Timor, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, Libya,
and elsewhere have often confronted PoC situations including widespread and systematic abuses
against civilian populations. In some cases, PoC has been the primary purpose of the operation and
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MINURCAT (Central African Republic and Chad); MINUSTAH (Haiti); MONUC/MONUSCO (Democratic Republic of
the Congo); ONUB (Burundi); UNAMID (Darfur); UNAMSIL (Sierra Leone); UNIFIL (Lebanon); UNISFA (Abyei); UNMIL
(Liberia); UNMIS (Sudan); UNMISS (South Sudan); UNOCI (Cote d’Ivoire), MINUSMA (Mali), and MINUSCA (Central
African Republic). The UN Security Council has also authorized missions led by other multilateral bodies to protect
civilians.
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Peacekeeping missions operate in accordance with three principles: consent of the parties, impartiality, and non-
use of force except in self-defense or in defense of the mandate, including PoC when incorporated in the mandate.
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