protection of civilians

March 2016 marks five years of conflict in Syria. This paper examines what the UN Security Council demands happen in Syria; the situation since March 2015 and significant actions by the Permanent Members of the UNSC.

The international community has failed so far to address the spiralling catastrophe in Syria. This briefing calls for urgent and immediate action by the international community to deal with this deepening crisis.

While engaging with communities has been a priority for peace operations since 2010, there is a gap between rhetoric and implementation. A number of non-governmental organizations that work on protection of civilians provide recommendations on how to operationalize community engagement in a joint briefing note.

The coalition airstrikes of Hodeidah’s port is yet another example of an attack on a civilian target, which Oxfam utterly condemns, says Oxfam’s Yemen country director, Philippe Clerc.

Delaying peace may have serious consequences for South Sudanese civilians who are enduring their twentieth month of a brutal civil war, aid agencies Oxfam, CARE and IRC warn today. 

The UN Secretary-General has called the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016 ‘to make humanitarian action fit for the future'. Tens of millions of people receive humanitarian aid every year, but millions more suffer without adequate help and protection, and their number is relentlessly rising.

Oxfam welcomes the announcement by the Saudi Arabian led  Coalition that Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen has ended, but warns that the work to bring aid to millions of Yemenis is still only beginning. 

Oxfam warns that the international community should push for an immediate ceasefire and allow aid into the country.

This report reviews what real effects the UNSC Resolutions have had on protection of civilians, humanitarian access, increases in international aid contributions, and political solutions.