Unarmed civilian protection (UCP) is the only practice that meets Rotary requirements for sustainability and fits with the the United Nations’ guidelines for world peacebuilding. It brings peace in armed warfare by preventing, reducing, and stopping violence. Learn how to adopt UCP practices, and how to keep people safe while they make their own decisions in a conflict.

1. A PAGE FOR BIG BOLDBULLET ITEMS
Nonviolent Peaceforce 3 June 2019

2. Unbewaffnetes Ziviles Peacekeeping Trägt
Zum Nachhaltigkeitsziel “Frieden” Bei
Unarmed Civilian Protection Meets Sustainability
Dr. Christine Schweitzer * Ms. Outi Arajärvi * and
Dr. Ann Frisch with Hon.Chief DG Elvis Chukwu
Hamburg 3 6 19

3. Unbewaffnetes Ziviles Peacekeeping trägt
zum Nachhaltigkeitsziel “Frieden” bei
Unarmed Civilian Protection Meets Sustainability
Dr. Christine Schweitzer * Ms. Outi Arajärvi * and
Dr. Ann Frisch with Hon.Chief DG Elvis Chukwu
Hamburg 3 6 19
Nonviolent Peaceforce:
Stories from unarmed civilian protectors

4. Unarmed Civilian Protection
Dr. Christine Schweitzer
Bund für Soziale Verteidigung
Schwarzer Weg 8, 32432 Minden
schweitzer@soziale-verteidigung.de

5. (c) C. Schweitzer
The Need
Under regular circumstances, the task to protection falls to the state and
its agencies.
But in crisis and (civil or international) war, these agencies may fail.
Other mechanisms are needed.

6. (c) C. Schweitzer
Unarmed Civilian
Protection
Dr. Christine Schweitzer

7. (c) C. Schweitzer
Unarmed Civilian
Peacekeeping/Protection
Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) is the practice of
deploying specially trained unarmed civilians before, during,
or after violent conflict in order to prevent or reduce violence,
to provide direct physical protection to civilian populations
under threat, and to strengthen or build resilient local peace
infrastructures.

8. (c) C. Schweitzer
The Protection Onion
Development Workers
Human Rights Workers
Humanitarian Workers
Military, Police, UCP Workers
Enjoyment of human rights

9. (c) C. Schweitzer
What is UCP?
• UCP is practiced by international trained peace workers as well as trained
national civilians.
• They do protective accompaniment, patrolling, proactive presence,
monitoring, training, mediation in local conflicts, even interpositioning if
the situation allows it.
• They work in teams and are based where the problems are. So they are
visible and easy to communicate with.
• UCP is specific to each situation, led by people on the ground.
• Nonviolent Peaceforce counts as its principles nonviolence,
nonpartisanship, independence, primacy of local actors and Do No Harm.

10. (c) C. Schweitzer
Experiences
• Since 1990 around 50 civil society organizations (NGOs) have protected
people using approaches of UCP in 40 conflicts. Nonviolent Peaceforce is
one of them.
• There have also been unarmed governmental missions that can be counted
as using UCP instruments – OSCE- Kosovo Verification Mission 1998 - 99;
Peace Monitoring Group Bougainville 1997 - 2003

11. (c) C. Schweitzer
What does it achieve?
• Lives are saved.
• Women, children and men are kept safe from abuse.
• Communities are able to stay at home.
• Or, if they have to flee, they do so well prepared.
• It opens space for peace and human rights work by local actors because it
keeps them safe.
• Relationships in divided communities are reestablished.
• Conflicts are prevented or settled.
• Early warning – early action mechanisms
are in place.
• The behaviour of armed actors is changed.

12. (c) C. Schweitzer
What does it achieve?
• Deterrence through “the world watches”
• Deterrence through relationships with “influencers” on the
ground (leaders, respected personalities etc.)
• Building trust and relationships with all sides allows
communication and mediation

13. (c) C. Schweitzer
How do we know this?
Our challenges:
• Dealing with the difficulty of proving UCP prevented something that didn’t
happen.
• Having our methodology fully understood because we don’t fit conflict
resolution or poverty reduction.
• There is a growing number of case studies and evaluations.
• NP is engaged in a process collecting good practices from all continents in
workshops where practitioners from different organizations (national and
international) come together.

14. (c) C. Schweitzer
https://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org/what-
we-do/about-3/new-report-good-practices2

15. (c) C. Schweitzer
Good Practices
There is a growing list of good practices. Among them are:
• Multiple lessons how to build sustainable relationships on the ground and
at higher levels
• Empowerment and capacity-building of civilians is key.
• Mixed local-international teams – where feasible - are enhancing the
resp. strengths of locals and internationals.
• Each conflict is singular: Ongoing analysis and
adaptation are needed. There is no “fit for all”.

16. (c) C. Schweitzer
Conclusion
• UCP cannot end wars. But it can contribute to the safety of civilians on the
ground which may facilitate high-level agreements.
• It is a proven tool to monitor the ceasefire peace agreement after a truce
has been concluded.
• In a preventive manner, UCP can be employed in time to prevent tensions
from escalating into civil war.

17. Unarmed Civilian Protection: South Sudan and Myanmar
Outi Arajärvi | June 3, 2019

18. (c) C. Schweitzer
How Nonviolent Peaceforce Protects Civilians
Outi Arajärvi
Federation for Sociale Defence
Nonviolent Peaceforce
Copyright: Outi Arajärvi, 2019, Photos: NP

19. (c) C. Schweitzer
Nonviolent Peaceforce
• Since 2002 Unarmed Civilian Protection
• Projects in South Sudan, Philippines, Myanmar, Iraq
(former projects in Sri Lanka, Southern Caucasus, Guatemala,
USA/Standing Rock, Syria/Lebanon, Bangladesh)
• South Sudan ca. 150 staff
• Myanmar, ca. 8 staff

20. (c) C. Schweitzer
Mission
• We protect civilians in violent conflicts through unarmed strategies.
• We build peace side by side with local communities.
• We advocate for the wider adoption of these approaches to safeguard
human lives and dignity.

21. (c) C. Schweitzer
NP in South Sudan
Yei
South Sudan

24. (c) C. Schweitzer
NP in Myanmar
• More than 60 years of Civil War
• 2011 First Steps to Democracy
and Ceasefire Agreements
Nonviolent Peaceforce
Trained in 200 Communities
National Ceasefire Monitors

25. (c) C. Schweitzer
1. Protecting People
Accompaniment Child Protection
Rumor
Controlling

26. (c) C. Schweitzer
2. Capacitating Local Communities
Women Protection
Teams
Ceasefire Monitors Risk Mapping
Training local organizations

27. (c) C. Schweitzer
3. Strengthening Protection Mechanisms
Ceasefire Monitors
negotiate with Army
Representatives
Training of Voluntary
Policemen
Creation of a Weapon
Free Zone

28. (c) C. Schweitzer
Feedback from Communities
“An armed group came and looked for women to rape, and threatened the villagers. We
managed to discuss and negotiated with the armed group and the villagers to stop the
threats and to lessen the tensions between the two groups.”
(A civilian ceasefire monitor in Myanmar)
”When NP started working in Kandako, everything changed. Before we were scared to
even leave our houses. Now we even feel safe to be outside and bathing at midnight.”
“Now that there are patrols, soldiers just walk straight to the barracks and leave us alone.”
(Community members in Kandako ,South Sudan after NP started to do patrols there)
“NP is the only international organization that will respond if we need help in the evening
or night. The rest are too scared.”

29. (c) C. Schweitzer
How Does NP work?

30. (c) C. Schweitzer
NP Protection Teams

31. Unarmed Civilian Protection: Sustainable & Effective
Dr. Ann Frisch, Nonviolent Peaceforce

32. Nineteen
hundred
powerful
women
inSouth
Sudan,
skilled&
committed
to nonviolence

33. Sustainable
Effective
Nonviolent Peaceforce:
Unarmed Civilian Protection
Twenty years since inception

34.  Encourage
local
ownership
Unarmed civilian
protection recognizes
local leadership;
protects people so that
they can make
decisions about their
community
 Listening
 Dialogue
 Relationship
building

35. ❖Start with the
community.
Unarmed
civilian
protectors
respond to an
invitation from
the community
in armed
conflict

36.  Encourage
local
ownership
Unarmed civilian
protection recognizes
local leadership;
protects people so that
they can make
decisions about their
community
 Listening
 Dialogue
 Relationship
building

37. Provide training
When requested, UCPs provide
training in nonviolent solutions,
often to opponents in an armed
conflict.

38. ❖Buy local.
UCPS live in
the area of
violent
conflict, buy
their food at
the local
markets; find
housing in
diverse areas

39. ❖Measure
your
success.
UCPs
measure
violence
continuously in
the field; we host
good practices
gatherings, third
party
evaluations;
listen to local
civilians and
others involved in
the conflicts.

40. D
Find local funding:
NO
Local funding could
include grants from
Rotary Clubs in the
area, but we do not
accept grants from
the government or
from any party that
has a vested interest
in the outcome of
the conflict.
 Yes: funding from:
Governments – no vested
interest in outcome of
conflict;
United Nations agencies,
UNICEF, and others
whose mission we can
support
Private foundations
Corporations
Individuals like us

41. Sixteen United Nations departments &
programs support Unarmed civilian
protection ... “unarmed strategies must be
at the forefront of UN efforts to protect
civilians” Independent Panel on United Nations Peace
Operations, 2015

42. TEXT OF GERMAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
INCLUSION OF UCP IN THEIR R2P DOCUMENT:
Die Bundesregierung unterstützt die Weiterentwicklung ziviler Ansätze im
Rahmen des R2P-Konzeptes und der Reform der VN-Architektur zur
Friedensförderung, wie sie vom High-Level Independent Panel on United
Nations Peace Operations gefordert werden. Dabei fördert sie
insbesondere Ziviles Peacekeeping als erprobte Methodik, um Menschen
vor Gewalt und schweren Menschenrechtsverletzungen zu schützen. (21)
The Federal government supports the further development of civil
approaches in the framework of the R2P concept and the reform of the UN
Peacebuilding Architecture as it has been demanded by the High-Level
Independent Panel on United Nations Peace Operations.Especially it
supports Civilian Peacekeeping as a tested methodology to protect
people from violence and serious human rights violations.”

43. Training in
Unarmed
Civilian
Protection
is
available
online.

44. ORDINARY PEOPLE……PEOPLE OF ACTION
United Nations
Human Rights
Women’s
rights
Banning land
mines
Ban on
nuclear
weapons
Solutions to
climate
change
End War

45. PEACE…
Article 3
Everyone has the right to
life, liberty and
security of person…
Article 24
Everyone has the right to
rest and leisure, including
reasonable limitation of
working hours and
periodic holidays…
PEACE…
Is the full realization of the universal human
rights for every person on the planet.