Civilian Protection and Humanitarian Action
This CIPSS research stream comprises a series of projects and policy-engagement activities that relate to the protection of civilian populations in armed conflict, refugees, and internally displaced peoples.
Projects engage in analysis of:
the normative and legal frameworks for protection - including the UN’s Protection of Civilians agenda, the principle of the ‘responsibility of protect’, the laws and norms related to asylum and refugees, and the Guiding Principles for IDPs
how the actors and institutions engaged in protection and humanitarian action are responding to both the changing nature of conflict and broader shifts in geopolitics.
Research within this stream has led to a series of publications, reports, and policy dialogues with practitioners from humanitarian NGOs, the UN’s Department of Peace Operations, and national governments.
Current project: Protecting the internally displaced: Sovereignty, agency and the localization of international norms
Director Jennifer Welsh and fellow Megan Bradley are embarking on a project on civilian protection and humanitarian action. This project addresses the pressing issue of internal displacement, which affects over 100 million people worldwide due to conflict and rights violations. With a focus on the 53.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) who remain within their countries, often in hostile domestic environments, the research investigates the localization of international norms on IDP protection and their physical security.
The project aims to provide a landmark cross-national comparative study of IDP protection, particularly since the adoption of the 1998 UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. It will examine cases in Colombia, Philippines, Burkina Faso, and Ukraine, analyzing how international norms have been adapted to local contexts and their effectiveness in addressing the challenges of displacement.
The research led by Prof. Welsh and Prof. Bradley sets out to understand IDP agency in the localization process, the relationship between internal displacement and sovereignty, and to develop new theoretical perspectives on these issues. The ultimate goal is to inform and improve policy and practice on IDP protection, aligning with the call for more research and academic engagement by the UN Secretary-General’s recent High-Level Panel on IDPs. The project's findings will be disseminated through policy briefings, scholarly publications, and direct engagement with key stakeholders in the field.