Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 05/2011

Protecting Civilians in Disasters and Conflicts

Elizabeth Ferris

March 2011

The Brookings Institution

Abstract

Between civil war in Libya and natural disasters in Japan, humanitarian efforts have moved to the top of the international agenda. Elizabeth Ferris urges the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies to reevaluate what protection means in the context of today's conflicts and to recognize their own limitations in keeping people safe. She suggests that the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs offer guidance on how to translate the principles of protection into action.