Help us celebrate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, who was developing the Shanti Sena (Peace Army) when he was assassinated, by joining us in a dynamic conversation that will explore current applications of nonviolent civilian protection. we are honored to have members from the Nonviolent Peaceforce present on “Unarmed Civilian Protection:  Direct Protection & Violence Prevention without the Use of Force” on Tuesday, October 2, 2018, at 8:00 AM EST.

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Current approaches to protect civilians and prevent violence are insufficient to meet the needs and are often ineffective. And while military and unarmed resources, employed by multi-laterals, governments, and civil society organizations fall short of meeting the burgeoning need, effective and affordable ones must be documented and scaled up.

Unarmed Civilian Protection

Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) is an emerging resource to help address this need.  The High-Level Independent Panel on United Nations Peace Operations (HIPPO) asserted “unarmed strategies must be at the forefront of UN efforts to protect civilians.” Since then, UCP has been recognized in UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions as well as in the UN Department of Peace Keeping Operations’ policy. Forty-two nongovernmental organizations are now practicing some form of UCP in 24 areas.

The Webinar, Presenters from Nonviolent Peaceforce

Mel Duncan, Directory for Advocacy, will provide an overview of unarmed civilian protection, methodology, and good practices.  His presentation will be followed by two current field applications. Click here to read Duncan’s full bio.

Tandiwe Ngwenya, Deputy Director of Nonviolent Peaceforce’s (NP) mission in South Sudan will share lessons learned by over 170 unarmed civilian protectors in 16 teams located throughout the country. Click here to read Ngwenya’s full bio.

Tanya Walmsley, Middle East Regional Director, will describe how UCP is presently being used in the Kurdish areas of Iraq. Click here to read Walmsley’s full bio.

Webinar participants will have the opportunity to engage in a conversation on how and where Unarmed Civilian Protection could work and how it can be scaled up as well as other nonviolent approaches for the protection of civilians that can be effectively deployed.

Please note that registration will close on September 28 at 10:00 PM EST.

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