This short policy paper considers how the progressive aspiration of the UN Charter can be used as a reference point for maintaining an aspiration for civilian protection that extends beyond the protections afforded by international humanitarian law (IHL). It builds on our previous thinking about the importance and potential of establishing the ‘full protection of civilians’ as a goal towards which work can be directed. These interconnected lines of thought are both trying to resist the structural devices by which efforts to give greater weight to civilian protection are narrowed or closed down in the current multilateral conversation.

At a time when international rules and norms are under direct attack, this approach is seeking to build a positive aspiration rather than a continued retreat towards the most minimalist protections. International law is vitally important and we need to maintain a non-political expectation of adherence to international law. At the same time, we cannot ignore the way that international humanitarian law is systematically exploited to validate violence and to narrow discussions on civilian protection.

This paper suggests a simple, initial policy approach that could be built upon to justify and validate proposals and initiatives that promote civilian protection beyond the minimum requirements of IHL.

Read the paper here: A progressive goal for civilian protection

Photo: UNHCR supporting displaced communities in northern Iraq, 2020 © Emily Garthwaite