Part - 01
The Protection of Civilians (PoC) has evolved into a central pillar of modern peace operations, shaped by historical failures in Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and Timor Leste, and institutionalized through UNSC Resolution 1265 (1999). Despite twenty years of policy growth and the PoC Handbook 2020, uniform execution remains hindered by complex modern conflicts and the diverse realities of intra state wars in the post Cold War era. Furthermore, failing to distinguish victims from aggressors has dented UN credibility and raised difficult questions about impartiality and legitimacy. This paper traces PoC's evolution, examining changing warfare, mandate adjustments, humanitarian approaches, and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) framework to identify key challenges as well as remedies in the form of functional approaches for efficient civilian protection in complex environments where civilians remain the primary targets of violence.
Armed conflict has undergone a profound historical transformation, shifting from large-scale interstate wars between organized state military forces to complex internal conflicts, proxy wars, and asymmetrical battles. Historically, wars were predominantly fought on open battlefields, meaning civilians were largely spared from direct violence. In recent years, however, civilians have become the primary victims of armed conflict, bearing the brunt of both direct and indirect consequences. As Ramesh Rajasingam of OCHA noted in the UN Secretary-General's Report on the Protection of Civilians, civilians have become the "new losers" of modern war. Mary Kaldor, in New and Old Wars, highlights this stark shift: while only 10 to 15 percent of war victims a century ago were civilians, by the Second World War this figure had risen to nearly 50 percent. By the 1990s, civilians accounted for 80 to 85 percent of all casualties, a devastating trend that persists firmly into the twenty-first century.This dramatic increase underscores an urgent need for stronger international frameworks to protect civilians, which the UN continues to refine through evolving peacekeeping strategies.
Beyond direct violence, civilians endure catastrophic indirect consequences such as famine, widespread epidemics, economic collapse, and severe psychological trauma. The systematic destruction of critical infrastructure-including water systems, electricity grids, and healthcare facilities- prolongs long-term hardship and deepens systemic vulnerability.
The transformation of warfare has been severe and significant. Modern conflicts are increasingly urbanized and asymmetrical, frequently involving non-state actors, insurgencies, and hybrid forces that deliberately embed themselves within civilian populations. In these environments, civilians are exploited as human shields or targeted directly by combatants seeking to gain political legitimacy. This blurring of lines between combatants and non-combatants creates profound ethical and tactical dilemmas for conventional, organized armies. The war in Ukraine perfectly illustrates these tragic dynamics, with repeated attacks on hospitals, schools, and residential areas leading to mass displacement, the total collapse of vital services, and severe humanitarian crises. Furthermore, these dense urban landscapes transform cities into combat zones, turning apartment buildings, marketplaces, and critical escape corridors into perilous focal points of modern weaponry.
Beyond direct violence, civilians endure catastrophic indirect consequences such as famine, widespread epidemics, economic collapse, and severe psychological trauma. The systematic destruction of critical infrastructure-including water systems, electricity grids, and healthcare facilities-prolongs long-term hardship and deepens systemic vulnerability. These indirect impacts often prove far more devastating over time, leaving generations of people permanently displaced, impoverished, and traumatized. These compounding crises trigger mass migrations across borders, placing immense social and financial strains on host nations while exposing vulnerable refugees to human trafficking and exploitation along their perilous journeys. The changing nature of armed conflict has radically increased civilian vulnerability across the globe. This grim reality demands stronger, more robust international legal frameworks, humanitarian-centered responses, and highly adaptable operational strategies to effectively safeguard innocent populations in the twenty-first century.
The United Nations was established in 1945 after World War II with the mission of maintaining international peace and security. Since 1948, the UN has pursued this goal by preventing conflicts, assisting disputing parties, deploying peacekeepers, and fostering conditions for sustainable peace. Peacekeeping has become one of the UN's most effective tools in guiding countries from conflict to stability, though the journey has been difficult. Over two million men and women have served as peacekeepers, with more than 3,500 losing their lives in the pursuit of peace (Peacekeeping.un.org; POC Handbook, 2020).
Despite saving countless lives, UN peacekeeping has faced challenges. The Brahimi Report (2000) emphasized reforms in mandates, decision-making, and deployment, making civilian protection a central aim. Implementation remains complex, but the UN continues refining strategies to embed Protection of Civilians (PoC) at the core of operations (civiliansinconflicts.org, 2020).Bellamy and Williams, in Understanding Peacekeeping, identify four variables explaining the evolution of UN peace operations, reflecting the Security Council's growing responsiveness to PoC. While resolutions on civilian protection appeared in the early 1990s, the issue gained prominence in 1999 when Canada urged the Council to request a report on strengthening civilian security. Since then, biannual debates have reinforced attention to PoC.
(To be continued)
The writer is an Army Officer
