Over the last two years, the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly Special Committee on Peacekeeping (C-34), and UN Secretariat have taken unprecedented steps to reform policies and guidance for UN peacekeepers on the protection of civilians.
Last fall, Stimson launched a joint initiative with Better World Campaign, Citizens for Global Solutions, and Refugees International titled ‘Fulfilling the Promise of Protection’ (FPP). The initiative seeks to reinforce the United States’ position as a supporter of UN peacekeeping reform and the ability of peacekeepers to protect civilians. The FPP initiative aspires to ensure that critical UN products and deliberations on protection retain the quality content necessary to ensure their effectiveness. To do this, the partners have created a handbook, entitled “Fulfilling the Promise of Protection: Charting a Course for Policymakers and Advocates” which:
- provides USG policymakers with: (a) more thorough understanding of UN-reform processes, documents, and content related to the protection of civilians and (b) tools to guide USG engagement with the UN: a set of questions to ask and milestones to monitor for determining progress.
- provides advocates with: (i) A set of tools serving to coordinate advocacy platforms, and questions on specific issues or missions (e.g. a list of important asset and resource considerations), and (ii) a way to measure the Obama administration’s success in advancing reforms at the UN, and hold the administration accountable for its commitments.