Kigali Principles

THE KIGALI PRINCIPLES
ON THE PROTECTION
OF CIVILIANS
Kigali, Rwanda I 28-29 May 2015

1
Report of the High-Level International

Conference on the Protection of Civilians
Introduction
he Government of Rwanda
organized
the
High-level
International Conference on
the Protection of Civilians in Kigali,

from 28th-29th May 2015. The
conference brought together the top
30 Troop and Police Contributing
Countries (T/PCCs) and top 10
Financial
Contributing
Countries
(FCCs) to UN peace operations, UN
Theme of the
Conference:
Protection of civilians through
Peacekeeping: From Mandate
Design to Implementation.
Objective of the
Conference:
professionals, scholars and other

stakeholders. The conference was
Obtain a deeper understanding
a follow-up to the High-level Summit
of how UN peacekeepers can
on Peacekeeping Operations, co-
effectively implement the protection
hosted by the President of Rwanda,
of civilians (POC) mandate in armed
Vice President of the US, Prime
conflict.
Ministers of Bangladesh, Pakistan,

Japan and the UN Secretary General
The
in September 2014 in the margins
address the growing concern that
of the 69th UN General Assembly in
peacekeeping missions have missed
New York.
opportunities to protect civilians.

conference
was
held
to
While missions contingents express their frustration that they are scapegoated
by those who do not understand the operational realities on the ground, and the
complexities associated with protecting civilians; there exist a growing concern
for a common understanding of POC.
Discussions sought to provide in-depth

perspectives to:
- How can UN entities tied to peacekeeping efforts collaborate with TCCs
to better match troop capabilities and national caveats with the nature of
threats to civilians?
- How can the UN DPKO and TCCs strengthen pre-deployment training on
POC?
- How can North-South bilateral partnerships enhance the capabilities for
implementing POC mandate?
- What capability gaps hamper POC implementation in UN peacekeeping
and how to address them?

Kigali Principles on the Protection of Civilians
e, the troop and police contributing countries, following the International

Conference on the protection of civilians held in Kigali, from 28-29 May
2015 under the theme Protection of Civilians through Peacekeeping:
From Mandates Design to Implementation; bringing together the top 30 troop and
police contributing countries, the top ten financial contributing countries and other
stakeholders; and after deliberations on how to effectively implement the protection
of civilians mandates in peacekeeping operations, pledge the following:
1. To train all of our troops on the
3. To be prepared to use force to
protection of civilians prior to their
protect civilians, as necessary and
deployment to missions.
consistent with the mandate. Such

action encompasses making a
2. To ensure that our sector and
show of force as a deterrent; inter-
contingent-commanders, as
positioning our forces between
well as our nominees for mission
armed actors and civilians; and
leadership positions, have a high
taking direct military action against
level of training and preparedness
armed actors with clear hostile
on peacekeeping operations and,
intent to harm civilians.
in particular, the protection of

civilians.

4. Not to stipulate caveats or other

restrictions that prevent us from
operations that facilitate improved

civilian protection.
fulfilling our responsibility to protect

civilians in accordance with the
mandate.
7. To avoid undue delay in protecting

civilians,
by
investing
our
contingent commander with the

5.
To identify and communicate to the
authority to use force to protect
UN any resource and capability
civilians in urgent situations without
gaps that inhibit our ability to
the need for further consultations
protect civilians.
with capital.
6. To strive, within our capabilities, to
8. Not to hesitate to take action to
contribute the enabling capabilities
protect civilians, in accordance
(e.g. helicopters) to peacekeeping
with the rules of engagement,

in the absence of an effective
and encouraging the utilisation
host government response or
of
demonstrated willingness to carry
organisations such as the African
out its responsibilities to protect
Union and its RECs.
partnerships
with
regional
civilians.
12. To be vigilant in monitoring and
9. To demand clarity from the UN and
reporting any human rights abuses
mission leadership on our rules
or signs of impending violence in
of engagement, including under
the areas in which our personnel
which circumstances the use of
serve.
force is appropriate.
13. To take disciplinary action against
10. To seek to identify, as early as
possible,
civilians
potential
and
threats
proactively
our own personnel if and when
to
they fail to act to protect civilians
take
when circumstances warrant such
steps to mitigate such threats and
action.
otherwise reduce the vulnerability

14. To undertake our own review, in
of the civilian population.
parallel to any after-action review,

the
in the event that our personnel are
arrangements for rapid deployment,
unable to protect civilians, and
including by supporting a full review
identify and share key lessons for
of the UNs standby arrangements,
avoiding such failures in the future.
11.
To
seek
to
enhance
exploring a system in which

earmarked units from troop and
15. To hold our own personnel to
police contributing countries could
the highest standard of conduct,
be placed in readiness in order to
and to vigorously investigate and,
ensure rapid troop deployment,
where appropriate, prosecute any

incidents of abuse.

16. To better implement protection of
18. Noting
that
any
well-planned
civilians mandates and deliver on
mandate implementation may be
our responsibilities, we request
undermined by inefficient mobility,
better, regular and more extensive
logistics or support; To call for
consultations on the mandating
effective support of all military
of peacekeeping missions. When
plans, including contingency plans;
mandates
peacekeeping
and to commit to work with the
missions are under review and
Secretariat to review the current
may change, it should also be
support arrangements, including
mandatory for the Security Council
possible transfer of authority over
to consult all troop and police
more of the logistical capability
contributing countries deployed
to the military component, where
to the mission. We commit to
appropriate.
of
bring our own ideas and solutions

to these consultations that can
strengthen the implementation of
protection of civilians mandates.
17. To urge the Security Council to
ensure that mandates are matched
with the requisite resources, and
to commit to support a process
that
addresses
the
current
critical resource gaps in several

missions. We support a more
phased mandating process that
can ensure a better alignment of
resources and mandates.
The governments of Rwanda,

Ethiopia, Italy, Netherlands, Uruguay,
Sri Lanka and Uganda have agreed
to the terms of the Kigali Principles,
a shared commitment by signatories
to strengthen their efforts in
peacekeeping operations to address
the terrible plight that civilians
continue to endure in armed conflicts.
We call upon other significant troopand police-contributing countries to
join us in endorsing these principles
to strengthen our collective efforts
to eliminate suffering and advance
conditions for peace around the
world.
7

Remarks by President Paul

Kagame at the International
Conference on the Protection
of Civilians
wish to thank you all for joining us
less the protection of politicians.
today. For those visiting our country,
The mission is to protect the ordinary
a very warm welcome to Rwanda.
people most at risk.
It is a pleasure for me to be here

to open these deliberations on the
Africa, and Rwanda in particular, is
protection of civilians.
the right place for us to meet and

have this discussion.
This is the right time and place for

this conference. And most certainly,
Africa is now the biggest U.N. troop
this is the right title for it.
contributor. But this is nothing to

boast about, given that 80 per cent
peace
of the worlds peacekeepers are
operations is the protection of civilians.
also deployed on the continent. So
This cannot be said often enough.
when we talk about the future of
It is not the protection of peace
peace support operations, we are
agreements or U.N. mandates, even
essentially talking about Africa.
The
central
purpose
of
peacekeepers for that matter, much

As for Rwanda, the international
The follow-up summit later this
communitys decision to walk away
year is an opportunity to see how
from a genocide in progress in 1994
we can continue to improve and
was not only a disgrace but a disaster
also put solutions into place. The
that had to be reckoned with. The
recommendations
new norm of a responsibility to
Level International Panel on peace
protect is the outcome of this soul-
operations will be of critical importance
searching, putting civilians at the top
to these efforts, and Rwanda extends
of the agenda where they belong.
its full support to the panels mission.
This is also the right time for this
While taking nothing for granted
discussion, because we are not
about how far we have come,
there yet in terms of implementation
I would nevertheless like to challenge
and effectiveness. Deployment is too
this group to look beyond to other
slow. Vague mandates and unclear
strategic objectives.
of
the
High-
rules of engagement many times

inhibit decisive action to protect
After all, keeping people safe from
civilians. The capabilities of regional
harm is the minimum standard to
organisations need to be further
expect. There are two other important
enhanced.
variables: The number of conflicts

prevented, and the number of
The High-Level Summit that I had the
peacekeeping missions successfully
opportunity to co-chair together with
ended.
other leaders at the United Nations

last September focused attention on
these and other important issues.
9

To make progress towards these
These convictions were the basis for
more ambitious metrics, we need to
Rwandas own journey of recovery,
enrich our approach in two specific
and also informed our interpretation of
ways.
the protection mandate, for example,

in the Central African Republic.
First, beyond the obvious moral

imperative, there is also a practical
Each situation must be examined
reason why the protection of civilians
carefully in its own context. Matters
is so central to peacebuilding: People
of national cohesion cannot be
need to be able to stay together, and
defined by others, nor can solutions
talk to each other, for however long it
be dictated and implemented from
takes to find lasting solutions to their
outside.
own problems.
What we can do as the international
Without security, it is impossible to
community is work to create a secure
conduct the inclusive dialogue and
enabling environment, while ensuring
consensus-building
which
that the necessity to protect civilians
post-conflict
does not get lost in ideological
every
upon
sustainable
debates. Building on that, we can
transition rests.
provide other necessary support.

This means tackling the hardest
challenges first. Peacebuilding cannot
If we dont, there will never be a
be a euphemism for wishful thinking
good moment for the peacekeepers
or procrastination in addressing root
to return home, and the burdens on
causes of conflict.
the international system will definitely

continue to grow.

10
Second, collective action aimed at
more so as the pace of globalisation
prevention is entirely compatible with
accelerates.
national
sovereignty.
Sovereignty,
after all, is fundamentally about
There is no clash between African
responsibility for the security and
and Western norms on this point.
well-being of citizens. The best way
The Constitutive Act of the African
to protect them is to prevent conflict
Union
in the first place.
extreme cases. The strongest voices
authorises
intervention
in
and quickest action nowadays come

That responsibility lies first and
from Africa itself. When African
foremost with the state concerned,
institutions are full partners in peace
but it does not stop there. Of course,
operations, we can address urgent
military intervention is always the last
situations with the necessary speed
option. Before that point, other forms
and legitimacy.
of engagement can also be effective,

provided we act early enough. We
What is clear is that the next stages
therefore need to keep improving our
on the journey must be taken by all of
ability to detect, and share, critical
us together. The first step is to keep
information about threats to civilian
the security and well-being of citizens
life.
at the top of our agenda.
We all have a stake in more

effective peacebuilding. The effects
of bad governance have direct
consequences on neighbours, and
even the world as a whole, all the
11

REPORT OF THE HIGH-LEVEL

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
THE PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS
Kigali, 28-29 May 2015

12
Opening Session and Keynote Addresses

Welcome Remarks by the
Minister of Defence
In
his
opening
remarks,
the
Honorable Minister of Defence of the

Republic of Rwanda, Gen. James
Kabarebe welcomed the conference
participants to Rwanda and thanked
His Excellency Paul KAGAME for finding time to open the High-level Conference.
He observed that his presence attests of his personal commitment as well as
that of his Government on this all-important subject: the Protection of Civilians.
The Minister of Defence provided the context and rationale of the conference
indicating that the Government of Rwanda (GoR) had invited the top 30
T/PCCs and top 10 Financial Contributing Countries to UN peace operations to
share their experiences, best practices and challenges, in effective protection
of civilians.
13

and the changing dynamics in

UN peacekeeping mandate and
architecture;
adding
that
over
90 percent of UN Peacekeeping
mandates
now
focus
on
the
the
UN
Despite
this
however,
Statement by the UN Resident

Coordinator, Mr Lamin
Momodou Manneh
Resident Coordinator observed that
On behalf of the UN, the UN
and reiterated the need for the
Resident Coordinator, Mr Lamin
development of a holistic approach
Momodou
the
to ensure the protection of civilians,
President and the Government of
including through Justice and Rule
Rwanda for organizing the High-Level
of Law, Post-conflict peacebuilding,
International Conference on the PoC;
Security Sector Reform (SSR) among
and reiterated that the Presidents
other things, given that Peacekeeping
presence at this forum attest of His
missions alone cannot be successful
personal commitment and that of his
if they are not accompanied by a
country on the PoC.
political solution on the ground.
He described the conference as
Mr. Lamin Manneh recognized the
timely cognizant of the growing
sacrifices
vulnerabilities and surging civilian
have put themselves at risks while
casualties during armed conflicts
protecting civilians, and lauded
Manneh

lauded
14
Peacekeeping Missions still struggle

to deliver on protection of Civilians;
of
peacekeepers
that
the contributions made by Rwanda,

considering that it is now the 5th
ranked troop and police contributor
to UN peace operations.
He
further
Government
commended
the
of
for
Rwanda
demonstrating strong commitment

to protection of civilians, and for
championing
strong
prevention
efforts that address the root causes

of conflicts while serving as a nonpermanent member of the UN
Security Council in 2013-2014,
including by chairing
the Security
Council twice; as well as, chairing the

Ad-Hoc Working Group on Conflict
Prevention and Resolution in Africa
in 2013, and the Working Group on
Peacekeeping Operations in 2014.
He concluded his remarks by pledging
the UN willingness to collaborate with
the government and partners with a
focus on conflict prevention.
Statement by the UN
Assistant-Secretary General,
Dmitry Titov
The
Assistant-Secretary
General
Dmitry Titov representing the UN

Secretary- General, observed that
the vast majority of peacekeeping
missions operate in missions with
POC mandates and in the most
challenging security environments;
and indicated that the genocide
in Rwanda and the atrocities in the
Balkans have changed the perception
of UN peacekeeping.
15

Describing the UN failure in Rwanda,
be ensured; and when a situation is
he pointed out that UNAMIR faced
beyond the scope of peacekeeping,
problems of a weak mandate, a lack
resort
of resources, and an absence of the
response should be undertaken.
political will, including in the Security
Peacekeepers must be ready to
Council. The Assistant Secretary-
protect civilians where host states lack
General emphasized the need to
the capacity or adequate presence
learn from the past and observed
in affected areas; and protection of
that the protection of civilians is the
civilians is a mission-wide mandate
priority mandate and a natural result
and a full range of capacities is
of the moral logic of peacekeeping.
therefore essential for protection of
to
major
multinational
civilians, the ASG remarked.

The past decade has witnessed a
remarkable growth in knowledge
Lauding the important contributions
and skills in the protection of
of peacekeepers by citing some
civilians in terms of policy, military
examples in UNAMID and MINUSCA,
guidelines and training modules for
he pointed out that DPKOs approach
all components as well as an action
to the Protection of Civilians also
plan for their implementation; he said,
emphasizes
and emphasized that the primary
with
responsibility to protect remains with
organizations as it has been the case
the host state.
in those missions; and stressed that
regional
close
cooperation
and
sub-regional
allocating sufficient resources and

He stressed further that the issues
capabilities remains a major priority.
of accountability in the complex
He acknowledged that the UN
equation of protecting civilians must
missions face a greater spectrum of

16
threats resulting in over 100 peacekeepers being killed in the line of duty every
year; and emphasized that the ultimate objective is to create a stronger, flexible,
agile, delivery-oriented peacekeeping that reflects the rapidly changing world,
the new threats and renewed international determination for collective action.
Remarks by H.E Jose

Ramos-Horta, Chair of UN
High Level Independent Panel
on Peace Operations,
In his remarks, His Excellency Jose
Ramos-Horta, the Chair of the HighLevel Independent Panel on peace
operations and Former President
of Timor-Leste stressed that the
genocide in Rwanda will always
stand as an indictment of the leaders
of the United Nations and the international community at that time for their utter
failure of moral leadership, compassion and courage in making the decisions
that peoples of the world expected of them, that they expected of the United
Nations, especially in Peacekeeping Missions.
He denoted that at the heart of the Panels work was the conviction to prevent
such grave atrocities from re-occurring, ensuring that the most vulnerable at
any time are thoroughly protected. He then applauded the initiative to hold the
International Conference as a follow up to last years Peacekeeping Summit.
17

He commended the African continent
be more visible, show that they are
for contributing more to UN peace
determined to act against the groups
operations than any other region;
that are threatening civilians, and, as
in addition to the contributions to
a last resort, even put themselves
African-led peace support operations.
at risk when the lives of civilians are

threatened.
His
Excellency
Jos
Ramos-
Horta also took the opportunity to
As a way forward on how the missions
summarize the work of the High-Level
can deal with these challenges, he
Independent Panel on UN Peace
indicated that peace operations
Operations,
intensive
needed to be able to protect
consultation process. He observed
themselves in order to protect others;
that the AU has submitted a very
and that protecting civilians is not
important and thoughtful contribution.
just the responsibility of uniformed
including
peacekeepers. He observed that the

with
challenges to logistics, mobility, and
stakeholders, he indicated that the
rapid response in these environments
protection of civilians featured heavily
are very significant, and need to be
and that it has become clear to the
addressed.
In
their
consultations
panel that protection of civilians is of

critical importance; given that PoC
He highlighted that the UNs credibility
is the measure by which most UN
is at stake when it comes to the
peace operations are judged today;
protection of civilians under imminent
and that it was felt during those
threat, so it is imperative that greater
consultations that UN personnel
work be done in this area.
need to get out of their vehicles,

18
In this regard, he recommended
the T/PCCs and the Secretariat
several ways to make sure peace
having a shared view on
operations deliver more effectively in
implementation and objectives;
implementing this mandate, including
and being able to close the gap in
mechanisms on how the mandates
protecting everyone.
are formulated, better planning, better

capabilities, better mobility assets
He emphased that planning and
and support systems, ensuring that
coordination are very important,
missions have more timely and better
and that analysis and planning of
information on threats as they evolve,
missions have to be strengthened
and better training and other efforts
and protection of Civilians has to be
to address what some have called
fully incorporated into every step of
the mind-set. On this, he observed
that process as a central objective of
that Member States simply do not
the mission.
agree on whose job this is and how

far missions are supposed to go with
The Secretary-General has to be
the resources that they have been
as clear as possible to the Security
provided.
Council on how mission efforts will

be deployed and how priorities will
His Excellency Jos Ramos-Horta

indicated
that
the
be set, he underlined.
International
community has yet to reach a

point where T/PCCs are aware of
the situation and dynamics on the
ground, and ready to carry out the
mandate; with the Security Council,
19

Session one: Analysis of Response to POC Threats
Speaker: MS. Hilde Johnson,
Moderator:
Mr Chrisoffer Nilaus Trao,
Analyst, Danish Institute of
former Special Representative of the

Secretary General for South Sudan,
and member of the Independent Panel
International Studies (DIIS)
on Peace Operations
Speaker: Ms. Alson Giffen,
Speaker: Prof. Paul D. Williams,
Co-director, Future of peace
Professor at George Washington
operations Program, Stimson
University
Center
20
iscussions in this session
In her presentation,
focused on what can be
Ms. Hilde Johnson, former Special
done to ensure a rapid and
Representative of the Secretary-
suitable response by the military
General for South Sudan, harped
and police components to the
on never standing by as UN peace
identified threats to civilians; and on
operations were criticized for being
how coordination between various
more responsive than proactive in
components can be enhanced to
efforts to protect civilians from threats
enable a quicker and timelier threat
and violence.
analysis, as well as a more effective

operational planning.
She affirmed that significant reform
The session also discussed the
towards POC starts at home,
current developments and remaining

gaps
in
terms
of
intelligence
capabilities for POC implementation;

and how to strengthen reporting
on
POC
response
(successes
and failures); as well as on how to

better capture lessons learned from
significant POC incidents.
meaning at the UN Headquarters

where
the
Secretariat
engages
TCCs in robust and in-depth analysis

on threats to civilians. This analysis
must then be matched with mobility,
responsiveness
and
adequate
capabilities all in an effort to getting

it right.
Poor training and ill-adapted and
The
session
also
discussed
dysfunctional
Contingent
Owned
the challenges faced by TCCs
Equipment
in
from
contingents prompt response to
combatants; and how these impact
protect civilians from threat and
operations.
violence, she observed.
distinguishing
civilians
21
(COE)
also
mired

Among her recommendations include:

- Engaging in threat analysis right from the outset of mission planning,
designing and deployment. Gathering the right and accurate early warning
information (both inside and outside sources) to inform speedy and prompt
deployment with the objective of saving lives.
-
Mobility and Assets. TCCs should ask for what is needed and not what is
in the market. Deployment of good quality and functional equipments for
protection of civilian purposes in peace operations, for instance control of
aviation assets (night vision equipment and the use of modern technology).
Change of mindset: willingness by TCC to respond and take risk to protect

civilians without mission caveats.
Taking the floor, Ms. Alson Giffen also
for in-depth information gathering and
focused on how Protection of Civilians
more detailed analysis prior to crafting
can be improved, referring mainly to
mission
the 2009 Secretary Generals report
can be developed to guide threat
on Protection of Civilians.
analysis to include vulnerabilities,
mandates.
Frameworks
targets; while protection actors as

She stressed the need to revisit
well as the engagement of affected
the definition of the concept of
communities
Protection with a focus to narrowing
gathering processes was critical, she
the definition of the protection of
observed.
civilians; and emphasized the need

22
in
the
information
Ms. Alson Giffen suggested that early
sources of resilience.
warning; dialogue and engagement;
Professor Paul Williams of Gorge
use of force; and prevention as tools
Washington University summarized
to ensure the effective protection
six conclusions that have emerged
of civilians; and that Civil Affairs
from the recent scholarly literature
officers should be trained on POC
on protection of civilians in peace
with Community Liaison Officers
operations;
positions budgeted for in mission
assumptions about contemporary
budgets since they play key role in
peace operations relevant to PoC.
and
outlined
five
information gathering and analysis

He concluded by proposing five
and on POC.
arguments for discussion about

She opined that Missions should
the vital importance of increasing
prioritize threats since they cannot
the analytical capabilities of peace
protect civilians from all forms of
operations and hard-wiring PoC
threats and thus should be realistic
analysis into all stages of the mission
about the protection that they can
life cycle.
provide, while at the same time

strengthening
international
norm
against impunity, she argued.
On
the
emerging
literature
on
PoC, he stressed that the UN was

becoming more likely to deploy
Four basket issues were identified by
peace operations in armed conflicts
the resource person: understanding
where the warring parties deliberately
the
displacement;
target the civilian population. PoC
typology of organized violence; Likely
mandates are therefore here to stay,
scenarios; and understanding local
even if the UN Security Council
patterns
of
23

(or African Union) were to stop
protected by their own self-protection
issuing them; and local populations
activities rather than by foreign
would still expect protection from
peacekeepers. PoC strategies must
peacekeepers and judge peace
therefore endeavor to support local
operations on that basis.
sources of community resilience

by
engaging
local
communities
He stressed further that the number
wherever possible. Poor governance
of uniformed peacekeepers matters:
structures lie at the root of most PoC
Civilian
mandates
challenges, yet peacekeepers are
are more likely to be effectively
usually unable to seriously influence/
implemented where there are larger
change local governance structures,
ratios of peacekeepers to locals.
he argued.
protection
The deployment of peacekeeping

troops
reduced
is
also
associated
battlefield
deaths,
with
he
On
five
contemporary
assumptions
peace
about
operations
remarked; adding that protection
relevant to PoC, Paul Williams stressed
strategies based around the creation
that contemporary peace operations
and defense of designated safe
were trying to effectively implement
areas are likely to be unsuccessful.
PoC mandates but continue to
Consequently more thought must be
struggle because of difficult analytical
given to the optimum deployment
and operational challenges. Some
configurations
peace operations are confronted
and
footprints
of
by a breed of actors that explicitly
peace operations.
rejects the basic rules embodied in

He stressed that in zones of ongoing
international humanitarian law (IHL)
violent conflict, most civilians will be
and the laws of war, including the

24
fundamental
distinction
between
against warring factions.
combatant / non-combatant; civilian

/ soldier. Many draw inspiration from
His recommendation is that timely
a fanatical version of Islamic theology,
and accurate analysis is the only way
which poses an additional threat to
that resource-constrained missions
peacekeepers, whose doctrine is
can prioritize their activities in order to
rooted in these rules, he argued.
mount an effective response to the

most severe threats facing civilian
He suggested that there will continue
populations. Information collection
to be argument and confusion
and analysis should therefore be
over who counts as a civilian as
accorded priority status in all stages
sometimes challenges arise when
of the mission life cycle.
peacekeepers confront situations

where armed forces do not always
PoC analysis must be part of mission
wear uniforms and where locals may
planning from the first strategic
openly carry arms but are not part of
assessments, during the design of
formal or official military institutions.
Force Requirements, and must be

central to the design of the Concept
Like the previous speaker, he was of
of Operations (CONOPS), as well
the view that peace operations cannot
as in the subsequent development
protect all civilians from all threats
of mission-wide and sectoral PoC
at all times due to various reasons,
strategies.
including resource constraints as well

as the UN peacekeeping operations
that are not normally configured to
engage in proactive forms of combat
25

Accordingly, PoC analysis is a shared endeavor where coordination and

information-sharing is crucial: PoC analysis cannot be confined to mission
personnel alone but should include other actors:

DPKO/DFS planners need to factor PoC risks/threats into initial assessments
Wider UN Country Teams/Protection Clusters, especially if these are in the

field before the arrival of a UN peacekeeping operation.
Local communities: Peacekeepers must engage (and probably hire

members of) local communities to learn about their principal threats
and self-protection strategies. Analysis should identify and support local
sources of resilience.
Prof. Paul Williams identified four baskets of issues that should form the core of
the analytical effort as follows:

Patterns of generic risk factors e.g. causes and size of displaced populations;
patterns of hate speech in relevant media; patterns of organized criminality
etc.
Typology of organized violence in the area of operations e.g. battles, onesided violence, inter-communal conflicts, riots/demonstrations etc.
The repertoires of violence of particular armed actors (state and nonstate) e.g. tactics, techniques and procedures favored by specific groups
who perpetrate violence against civilians, and the concomitant most likely
scenarios for violence against civilians.
The sources of resilience of local communities. Understanding civilian

self-protection mechanisms and working to support local resilience will
probably be how peacekeepers help protect most civilians.
26
Each basket should be regularly
participants that there was a need
assessed as to which risks/threats
to have a timely information sharing,
are most likely and most severe.
collaboration
He also called for Investment in critical
between different actors in mission
reflection: more effort is required in
area in protection against violence.
and
coordination
devising suitable benchmarks and

key indicators of progress related to
Discussants also pointed out the
PoC, as well as generating actionable
importance
lessons learned and best practices.
warning signs and indicators in
of
identifying
early
military observation activities and

The
subsequent
discussions
revealed consensus regarding the
reporting, with a focus on protection

from violence.
importance of change in mindset,

and willingness to take a more
They also pointed out the need
proactive approach to intervene to
to deploy more female military
protect civilians, even if that include
peacekeepers in mission areas, to
risks.
easily interact with female victims of

sexual violence and therefore be able
That included the need for the
to gather more information for proper
creation of civilian tracking response
course of actions to be taken.
cell with the aim to protect civilian

lives (joint civilian and military initiative;
as well as the need to invest in critical
reflections about own weaknesses in
protection analysis. In this context,
there was general agreement among
27

Session 2: Responsibility of Host State vis--vis

other Stakeholders
Moderator:
Speaker:
Marie Louise Baricako, Member of
MS. Hilde Johnson,
the UN High Level Independent
Panel
on Peace Operations
n this session, participants exchanged views

on how the Security Council members,
mission leadership and TCCs currently
understand their role vis-a-vis the host state
Speaker:
and how they strengthen their engagement with
Augustin Tine,
host authorities around Protection of Civilians;
Ministre des Forces
and the lessons learned in this regard. Augustin
Armees, Senegal
Tine, Ministre des Forces Armees of Senegal

28
indicated that PoC depended largely
in the ongoing unrest related to the
on the capacity and will of host
constitutional issues and the seeking
countries to protect civilians.
for a third term by the incumbent
He stressed further that the

relationship between host
governments and other
stakeholders, mandates and
ownership of those mandates
President. She rejected any notion

of dialogue when populations are
being killed, stressing that killing
must stop before people can go for
negotiations.
were key in the success of any
During the discussion, there was a
missions.
general consensus that the protection
Marie Louise Baricako observed

that every nation is responsible for
protecting its own citizens from
mass atrocities; and should a nation
fail to protect its citizens from mass
killings, either intentionally or through
inability to act, it is the international
communitys responsibility to protect
the citizens being affected.
Recalling the shameful role of
international community in 1994
in Rwanda, she questioned why
the former was being silent when
people in Burundi were being killed
of civilians remains the primary

responsibility of the host government;
and that it was incumbent for the
government to respect international
human rights instruments relating to
the protection of civilians.
It
was
also
put
forward
that
collaboration between the different

stakeholders is important in achieving
POC results; and that Protection of
Civilian is inherent in peacekeeping,
thus the need for greater clarity
on TCC tasks and capacity. Host
countries capacities have to be
improved
to
reduce
operational
implications.
29

Session 3: POC Mandates and Guidance
Moderator:
Speaker:
Kwesi Aning, Kofi Annan
Anr El-Sherbini, Director of United
International Peacekeeping
Nations Division, Egyptian Ministry of
Training Centre
Foreign Affairs
his session focused on how the

Security Council, DPKO and TCCs
ensure that existing guidance on POC
mandate implementation, including specific

guidance for military components, is well-
Speaker:
understood and implementable. Participants
Victoria Holt,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State, United States
30
also exchanged views on how Council

Members, the TCCs and DPKO engage
constructively around POC mandate
implementation Guidelines for Military
interpretation and implementation;
Components of UN Peacekeeping
and on how DPKO and TCCs can
Missions issued on February 13,
work together to enhance prevention
2015.
and preemption of physical violence
Although
against civilians.
directed to develop mission-wide
missions
have
been
POC strategies, these guidelines

In her presentation, Victoria Holt
have to be understood both in the
stressed that the Security Council
TCCs capitals and in the field, and
is responsible for ensuring that
that the capital has to connect with
protecting civilians in peacekeeping
field realities, she stressed. She also
is included in Missions mandates,
proposed that TCCs and Council
with more than 95% of missions
members should meet to review
mandated for that task; but that
missions challenges. Key TCCs
POC has been a challenge for field
should also include PoC training in
missions.
core training for contingents, and not

just pre-deployment training.
She indicated that the UN had taken
She indicated further that recent
steps in the right direction, with the
crises such as in South Sudan
development of PoC guidelines in the
demonstrate that often peacekeepers
last five years, as well as mechanisms
get
to implement them in the field. These
subsequently are not prepared to
included the UN in 2009-2010
protect civilians. Many contingents
cables on POC, followed by a series
were not even familiar with UN training
of DPKO/DFS guidance and policy
guidelines on PoC; while others have
on POC; and more recently, the PoC
competing concepts.
conflicting
31
guidance,
and

Without a doctrine to review,
POC. This guidance is crucial in that
proper guidance from those in
it has to resolve the issue of political
leadership roles, standardized
concerns on the ground, he argued.
training, and assessment of

lessons learned, peacekeepers are
Among other issues, Amr El-Sherbini
negatively impacted and unable to
indicated that there was no real
identify how to properly carry out the
discussion on pre-planning with
POC mandate.
TCCs; coupled with lack of enough

interpretation of mandates and TCC
Amr El-Sherbini also agreed that PoC
capacity.
is linked to use of force; readiness

and preparation of troops; but that the
He stressed further that the UN
use of force exceeds some mission
Security Council does have a real
mandates, and should not be a norm
mechanism to discuss with TCCs and
in peacekeeping operations.
not enough to address the concerns

of TCC/PCCs. He recommended the
He added that one of the biggest
creation and better use of working
issues was that some missions
group on TCC/PCCs.
have unclear POC mandates; and

stressed that TCCs have to be given
It was pointed out in this session
clear mandates on how to implement
that the Security Council, which sets
POC.
mandates, needs to have a good

relationship with T/PCCs, whom
Training designed for the protection

of civilians is crucial, for instance what
has to be done at the tactical level on
32
implement the mandate.
It was highlighted that T/PCCS on the ground should have resources to

implement UN mandate. Coordination between all actors in missions needed
to be improved in protection of civilians against violence.
On effective response, the discussants also pointed out the need to give T/
PCCs adequate equipment to enable them have the capability, and accurate
information to respond quickly to violence.
33

Session 4: Enhancing the Capabilities, Training

and Commitments of Peacekeepers for POC
Moderator:
Speaker:
Adam C. Smith, Director,
Maj. Gen. (ret) Patrick Cammaert,
Center for Peace Operations,
Former Military Adviser, UN Department
International Peace Institute
of Peacekeeping Operations
Speaker:
Speaker:
Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba,
Col. Nazir Hussein Khan, Deputy
Chief of Defence Staff, Rwanda
Director, Peacekeeping Operations,
Defence Forces; Former Force
Pakistan
Commander, UNAMID
34
his session focused on how
He emphasized that POC mandates
DPKO can work with TCCs to
by the UNSC should be clear and
better match troop capabilities
straightforward,
providing
clarity
and national caveats with the nature
on the peacekeepers tasks at the
of the threat to civilians; and on how
operational level. He acknowledged
DPKO and TCCs can work together
however that translating UN SC
to
mandates on the ground was a
strengthen
pre-deployment
training on PoC.
Participants also
exchanged views on how

South bilateral partnerships
and
discussed
puzzle;
and
identified
North-
TCCs/PCCs deficiencies impacting
can
negatively on the implementation of
enhance capabilities for implementing

PoC;
complex
the POC mandate.
current
capability gaps that hamper PoC
These
include:
deployment
implementation in UN missions; and
dilapidated
Contingent
how those gaps can be overcome.
Equipments
(COEs)
of
Owned
especially
vehicles and APCs, deficiency in

Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba stressed
force enablers (aviation equipments,
that POC focus is informed by the
and appropriate technology), lack of
UN Charter preamble which focuses
proper training for the job at hand,
on the desire to save succeeding
language barriers; lack of good will
generations from the scourge of war;
and commitment by peacekeepers to
and provided the context of the POC
intervene when there are issues that
mandate which first emerged some
warrant the use of force; difficulties
16 years ago in Sierra Leone, with
in grouping the right size of force at
the Security Council mandating the
the right time; operational context
constraints as PKO were operating

35

in countries with large surface areas with poor infrastructure e.g. impassable
roads during some periods. He recommended that:
clearly
premised on a well-grounded
demonstrate their will to protect
culture that values excellence
civilians in danger even at the
and detects mediocrity.
TCCs
should
Troop and Police Contributing
risk of physical harm.
Countries should take tough
The UN DPKO / DFS should

pre-deployment
disciplinary measures against
and in-theatre inspections of
their peacekeepers who fail to
troop and police preparedness
protect civilians in danger in their
is
respective areas of operation.
ensure
that
professionally
conducted
and with the highest levels of

He further stressed that there was
integrity.
Tough measures should be
a need for efficient and timely
taken whenever preparedness
availability of logistic support to
is short of the required minimum
ensure self-sustainment for some
and UN Force Commanders
time; and indicated that dedicated
should be given more powers to
military aviation assets are critical
execute some decisions.
for
The
leadership
member
of
transportation
and
UN
deployment of forces especially in
should
Host Countries with vast territory and
the
states
speedy
inculcate commitment among
poor infrastructure.
peacekeepers and this cannot

be done in a very short time
Gen. Patrick Cammaert also outlined
because
the challenges and evolution of
commitment

36
is
peacekeeping context in the last 15
with
scenarios
based
years; and argued for the deployment
while serious investment in Rapid
of tailor made force that can best
deployment
implement mission mandates (lauded
exploring.
forces
was
training;
worth
the initiative of the Force strategic

On caveats, he recommended that
Call in DPKO).
when TCCs pledge troops to DPKO,

He further stressed that DPKO/DFS
the MilAd DPKO should make sure that
should inform TCC/SC of what is
there are no caveats that will hamper
required on the ground and that
the operations. DPKO should also be
TCCs should provide the missing
firm in refusing pledges in case there
capabilities; and be firm on refusing
are unacceptable caveats. The so-
mission caveats;
called hidden caveats which FCs

suddenly get confronted with should
On strengthening pre-deployment
not also be there.
training on POC, he indicated that

in-depth knowledge on the rules of
Col. Nazir Hussein Khan concurred
engagement and mandates as well
with other panelists that mandates
as the use of force was required;
have to be matched with adequate
adding that finding hot spots and how
resources; while TCCs should be
to prevent and deploy to hot spots
well trained to implement mandates.
was crucial to mission success.
He also agreed that POC mandates

were unclear.
On
Pre-deployment
training,
he
further stressed that preparation of
In the subsequent discussion, there
FC and SRSG should be mandatory,
was a consensus that operational

37

concept of POC is much broader;
resources to support implementation
and that more focus should be on
of POC mandates; while there were
mission leadership training.
calls for DPKO to invest in research

and development to fight emerging
There was also a general consensus

on the need to deploy adequate

38
threats.
Session 5: POC and the Use of Force
Moderator:
Speaker:
Maj. Gen. (ret) Patrick
Lt. Gen. Carlos Alberto dos Santos
Cammaert, Former Military
Cruz, Force Commander, MONUSCO
Adviser, UN Department of
Peacekeeping Operations
Speaker:
Speaker:
Maj. Gen. Hassan Ibrahim
Ms Mona Khalil, Senior Legal Officer,
Moussa, Ethiopia
Office of the Legal Counsel of the United

Nations
39

on
to protect civilians against threats is a
what can be done during
legal and moral obligation. While the
pre- and post-deployment to
use of force is the responsibility of the
enhance the military components
Force Commander in coordination
understanding of the ROE in relation
with the SRSG, the concept of
to POC, and how recent incidents in
proportionality has to be explained to
which force was not used to protect
the soldiers, and troops have to be
civilians are understood, in contrast
prepared for the job, he stressed.
his
session
focussed
to situations where missions military

components successfully intervened
He
highlighted
further that the
to protect civilians.
problem of the absence of technology

and the lack of knowledge on the use
the
of available technology oftentimes
lessons learnt and best practices in
hampered their operations, and that
this regard; and further exchanged
troop adaptability and the need for
views on how peacekeepers can
boots on the ground to reach out
better leverage the show or use of
to the threat targets were essential
force for credible deterrence, as
in effective implementation of PoC
well as the legal protections for
mandates; adding that there was
peacekeepers who use force to
a need for clarity in mandates with
protect civilians.
tasks explicit and realistic. The UN
Participants
also
discussed
should pay attention to the profiles

Lt. Gen. Carlos Alberto dos Santos
of the leadership at all levels on the
Cruz
ground, he recommended.
highlighted
that
the
core
business of POC is to protect people

against threat; and that taking action
40
Mona Khalil also concurred with
or lack of misunderstanding of the
previous speakers that PoC policy
demands of the POC mandate and
provides for the use of force where
the extent of the authority accorded to
appropriate; but that this language
UN PKOs. The standard formulation
was confusing and needed to be
of the authority to use all necessary
clarified,
TCCs
means, up to and including deadly
interpret the use of force in their
force is coupled with various provisos
respective pre-deployment training.
that are used wittingly or unwittingly to
especially
how
narrow the scope of intended action.

She
stressed
that
while
the
international community has acquired
Major. Gen. Hassan Ibrahim argued
the robust mandate, it is still working
that threat identification is important
towards obtaining the robust assets;
to inform the use of force and force
and it is only beginning to understand
being used as last resort. While Force
the necessity of a robust mindset. In
should be used as a deterrence to
order to make good on the promise
threat and should be used in self-
and live up to the expectations,
defense; the use of force should be
these three (robust mandate, robust
well elaborated to TCCs. Use of force
mindset and robust assets) should
is not a show of force and needs
be ensured.
highly committed peacekeepers, he

indicated.
Highlighting some of the factors that

have weakened the resolve and/or
In the interactive session, there was
inhibited the willingness to use force,
an agreement that POC requires
Miss Mona Khalil stressed that there
the use of force but that robustness
appears to be a lack of familiarity
to implement the POC mandates

41

encounters some counter sentiments from host governments. Use of subregional brigades was recommended as the best approach to use of force
to effectively implement PoC, given their geographical proximity, and local
knowledge.
Closing Remarks by Gen.

James Kabarebe, the Minister
of Defence, Republic of
Rwanda
Closing the conference, Honourable
Gen. James Kabarebe, the Minister
of Defence of Republic of Rwanda
thanked all participants for honouring
the invitation for the conference from
the Government of Rwanda.
He pointed out that although the programme had been very tight, all accounts
pointed to a very productive conference on Protection of Civilians; the first ever
international conference of T/PCCs on the subject matter.
He concluded that there was wide agreement from the conference on the
need to move beyond doing business as usual, to adopting a more robust
and proactive approach to the protection of civilians; which should be the
overarching goal of all UN Peacekeeping operations.
The honourable Minister of Defence indicated that the way forward was the
endorsement of the Kigali Principles on POC on voluntary basis; and that these
principles serve as the basis for discussion in the September 2015 High-Level
meeting on peace operations.
42
You can find more information such as the

presentations of the different panelists, the list of
participants, photos and videos of the International
Conference on Protection of Civilians that took place
in Kigali, Rwanda on 28-29 May 2015.
Click on www.civilianprotection.rw
43

S/N
FULL NAMES
1 Hon. Md.Shahriar Alam
TITLE
COUNTRY
Minister of Foreign Affairs
BANGLADESH
2 Lt. Gen. Carlos Alberto Dos Santos Force Commander Monusco
BRAZIL
3 H.E. Ntukamazina Alexis
Ambassador
BURUNDI
4 Brig. Gen Habarurema Ildephonse
Permanent Secrentary /Ministry of Defence
BURUNDI
5 Marie Louise Baricako
Member of the UN High Level Independent

Panel on Peace Operations
BURUNDI
6 David Angell
High Commissionner
CANADA
7 Honorary consul Nzengouy
Participant
CENTRAL AFRICA
Assistant to Minister of Defence
EGYPT
8
9
10
11
When lives are at stake, REPUBLIC

Amb. Shen Yongxiang
Ambassador
nothing
matters more thanCHINA
Gui Dan
Political Attach
CHINA
saving
them.
Protection
of
H.E. Aime Ngoi Mukena Lusa Diese Minister of Defence & Military Veterans
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
OF CONGO
civilians should be the central
Kristoffer Nilaus Tarp
Analyst, Danish Institute for International
purpose
of peacekeeping.DENMARK
Studies
12 Elkeshky Mohamed
13 Dr Mamira Negn
14 H.E AMR
EL-SHERBINI
Ambassador
~President
Paul Kagame EGYPT
Minister Plenipotentiary
EGYPT
15 Jose Ramos Horta
Former President of the Democratic

Republic of Timor-Leste and Independent
High Level Panelist on Peace operations
EAST TIMOR
16 Daniel Schaer
Charge d'Affaires, European Delegation in

Rwanda
ESTONIA
17 Maj. Gen. Hassan Ibrahim Mussa
Chief of peacekeeping center
ETHIOPIA
18 Amb. Michel Flesch
Ambassadeur de France au Rwanda
FRANCE
19 Mr. Alfred Grannas
Deputy Director General for International

order
GERMANY
20 Leonie Schroter
Advisor for political affairs
GERMANY
21 Mrs. Claudia Schneider
Desk Officer UNSC and PeaceKeeping

Operations
GERMANY
22 Emmanuel Kwesi Anning
Staff/Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping GHANA

Training Center
23 Maj. Gen. (ret) Patrick Cammaert
Former Military Adviser, UN Department of

Peacekeeping Operations
HOLLAND
24 Mr. Tomio Sakamoto
Counselor
JAPAN
25 Ms. Eriko Murata
First Secretary, Embassy of Japan
JAPAN
26 Ms. Mayumi Fujita
Researcher/Advisor, Embassy of Japan
JAPAN
27 Dr Frorence T.Ochieng
Deputy Head of Mission
KENYA
28 Kiritu M Wamai
Acting Principal Secretary
KENYA
www.civilianprotection.rw
44

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THE KIGALI PRINCIPLES

Kigali, Rwanda I 28-29 May 2015

Report of the High-Level International

the Protection of Civilians in Kigali,

(FCCs) to UN peace operations, UN

professionals, scholars and other

Obtain a deeper understanding

a follow-up to the High-level Summit

of how UN peacekeepers can

on Peacekeeping Operations, co-

effectively implement the protection

hosted by the President of Rwanda,

of civilians (POC) mandate in armed

Vice President of the US, Prime

Ministers of Bangladesh, Pakistan,

in September 2014 in the margins

address the growing concern that

of the 69th UN General Assembly in

peacekeeping missions have missed

opportunities to protect civilians.

Report of the High-Level International

Discussions sought to provide in-depth

Report of the High-Level International

Kigali Principles on the Protection of Civilians

e, the troop and police contributing countries, following the International

3. To be prepared to use force to

protection of civilians prior to their

protect civilians, as necessary and

consistent with the mandate. Such

2. To ensure that our sector and

show of force as a deterrent; inter-

positioning our forces between

well as our nominees for mission

armed actors and civilians; and

leadership positions, have a high

taking direct military action against

level of training and preparedness

armed actors with clear hostile

on peacekeeping operations and,

intent to harm civilians.

in particular, the protection of

Report of the High-Level International

4. Not to stipulate caveats or other

operations that facilitate improved

fulfilling our responsibility to protect

7. To avoid undue delay in protecting

contingent commander with the

To identify and communicate to the

authority to use force to protect

UN any resource and capability

civilians in urgent situations without

gaps that inhibit our ability to

the need for further consultations

6. To strive, within our capabilities, to

8. Not to hesitate to take action to

contribute the enabling capabilities

protect civilians, in accordance

(e.g. helicopters) to peacekeeping

with the rules of engagement,

Report of the High-Level International

in the absence of an effective

and encouraging the utilisation

host government response or