From concept to practice: the long road to operationalising protection

Area of Science:

• Humanitarian Studies
• International Relations
• Conflict Resolution

Background:

• Humanitarian actors face challenges in effectively protecting civilians due to broad definitions of protection.
• Existing protection strategies lack operational clarity, hindering systematic responses.
• The complexity of protection issues requires a re-evaluation of current approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To operationalize humanitarian protection by developing a clearer typology.
• To identify gaps in current protection efforts through analysis of actor strategies.
• To inform a more effective, system-wide protection response.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the scope, objectives, and strategies of various humanitarian actors.
• Examination of existing humanitarian protection frameworks.
• Review of literature on collective analysis and protection crises.

Main Results:

• A broad typology of humanitarian protection can improve gap identification.
• Collective analysis is crucial for developing protection strategies.
• Protection solutions are contested and politically intertwined, defying simple technical fixes.

Conclusions:

• Developing a nuanced understanding of community interests is essential for effective collective protection.
• Operationalizing protection requires moving beyond broad definitions to actionable strategies.
• System-wide protection responses necessitate a deeper engagement with the political dimensions of crises.