Case Studies & Impact
Publications
Case Studies & Impact
"I want to change the situation that women are in. I want to be a voice of women and peace," reflected Maypal, a woman who leads unarmed civilian protection activities in Lankien, South Sudan. She is a member of a Women's Protection Team and sees the direct impact of her work. Following successful advocacy to the governer regarding displacement of flooding victims, Maypal proudly noted, "My voice was heard."
Unarmed Civilian Protection is an approach to the protection of civilians in violent conflict that utilises nonviolent strategies to protect civilians and interrupt cycles of violence. Practices of Unarmed Civilian Protection are implemented by unarmed civilians, who protect their fellow civilians. It is a suite of practices that have global applicability but are responsive to local context, with effective examples of Unarmed Civilian Protection utilised in diverse contexts. Across the world, civilians are implementing Unarmed Civilian Protection with great effect.
Case Studies
- Community Secrurity Forum on Gunshots: Denormalizing Gunshooting as a Tribal Practice in South Mosul | Iraq | April 2024
- Bridging Divides: Youth Peace Team Promotes Social Cohesion in Sinjar | Iraq | April 2024
- From Adversity to Advocacy: Women Empowerment in Tybet El Reyah | Iraq | April 2024
- Women & Girls Breaking the Silence and Advocating Against Sexual Harassment by Security Actors | Iraq | February 2024 | English | Arabic
- Sustaining Support in Renk | South Sudan | February 2024
- "A Call for Peace and Peaceful Coexistence": The Qayyarah Festival as a Steppingstone for Women and Girls' Influence in Peace Processes | Iraq | February 2024 | English | Arabic
- Inspiring the Next Generation of Girls in Zummar, Iraq | Iraq | January 2024 | English | Arabic
- Interupting Gang Violence: Lessons Learned From Juba IDP Camp | South Sudan | January 2024
- Case studies of Unarmed Civilian Protection: Climate, Conflict, & Civilian-Led Protection | Global | December 2023
- Civilian Evacuations in Kherson | Ukraine | September 2023
- The Single Mother Encouraging Other Women to Rise Up | Philippines | August 2023
- Women Peace Team Members | Iraq | July 2023 | English | Arabic
- Change by the Community, for the Community | Iraq | July 2023 | English | Arabic
- The New Agents of Peace: Youth Peace Team | Iraq | July 2023 | English | Arabic
- Women stand up against GBV and domestic violence in Zummar | Iraq | July 2023 | English | Arabic
- Bridging Responsible Digital Usage in Today's Digital Age | Philippines | July 2023
- Grace: The Young Girl Who Dared to Resist Child Early Forced Marriage | South Sudan | June 2023
- Who to Turn To? Reporting, Addressing, and Preventing Digital Extortion of Women and Girls in South Mosul | Iraq | April 2023 English | Arabic
- The Independence and Resilience of Bentiu’s Women Protection Team in the Midst of Flooding Challenges | South Sudan | April 2023
- For the Community, by the Community | Iraq | March 2023 | English | Arabic
- Rebuilding Social Cohesion Between Communities Through Youth-led Initiatives | Iraq | February 2023 | English | Arabic
- Advocacy, Coordination and Relationships Enhancing Protection | Iraq | January 2023 | English | Arabic
- Mitigating Tensions Between Community Members and Duty Bearers | Iraq | January 2023 | English | Arabic
- Tarshana Project Update | Sudan | Novemember 2022
- Children as agents of peace: The creation of a Children’s Peace Club in Jeddah 5 IDP Camp | Iraq | November 2022 | English | Arabic
- Protection to guarantee girls’ education: How NP’s patrols enabled safe access to education in Ba’aj | Iraq | October 2022 | English | Arabic
- A step ahead on the road: Strengthening Mosul-South Mosul service provision | Iraq | July 2022 | English | Arabic
- When women speak out: Enhancing responsive governance through women’s engagement in public forums | Iraq | July 2022 | English | Arabic
- Step by Step: How a Group of Former Women Combatants are Moving Towards Peace | Philippines | June 2022
- Case Studies on Social Cohesion, Emergency Protection, WPS | South Sudan | April - June 2022
- Advocating Against Eviction in Rey Al Jazeera | Iraq | April 2022 | English | Arabic
- Reconciling a family and preventing conflict: Shuttle negotiations and violence prevention in Ba’aj District | Iraq | March 2022 | English | Arabic
- Muslim Farmers Helping Rewrite the Script of Femininity | Philippines | March 2022
- A Civilian Brings Inspiration to Other Civilians | Philippines | March 2022
- Restoring Relationships Through Communal Dialogue in Ngoja | South Sudan | February 2022
- Engaging local youth in peaceful conflict resolution | Iraq | December 2021 | English | Arabic
- Dreaming and Acting Together: Building Real Community Safety in Minneapolis | United States | October 2021
- Increasing The Safety and Security of Civilians in Bentiu Cattle Camps | South Sudan | July 2021
- The Brooklyn Liberation March: Youth and Gender-Based Unarmed Civilian Protection in New York City | United States | June 2021
- Case Studies & Success Stories | South Sudan | April - June 2021
- A Pathway to Peaceful Coexistence: Joint Efforts of the Inter-Community Peace Committee Initiative | Juba, South Sudan | April 2021
- Sustainable Peace, Social Cohesion and Women's Participation: The Success of the East Mudri Peace Forum | South Sudan | January 2021
- Case Studies & Success Stories | South Sudan | January - March 2021
- Mahad's Women Umbrella Group Taking Initiative Against GBV | Juba, South Sudan | December 2020
- Promoting peaceful coexistence between IDPs and host communities in Juba | Juba, South Sudan | December 2020
- Advocating for Community Safety: Nzara Women's Protection Team Taking Action | Yambio, South Sudan | December 2020
- Youth Protection Teams Preventing Gender Based Violence in Raja Town | Raja, South Sudan | December 2020
- Providing Protection at Polls During the U.S. 2020 Elections | United States | November 2020
- Addressing Protection of Women and Girls with NP’s Outreach Workers | Juba, South Sudan | November 2020
- Women Peace and Security | South Sudan | July - September 2020
- NP Philippines Case Studies: COVID-19 Response and Peacebuilding | Philippines | July - September 2020
- Protecting Civilians from Unexploded Ordinance through Community Engagement and Humanitarian Coordination | Rubkona County, Unity State, South Sudan | July 2020
- Preventing and Responding to Violence in Juba POC | Juba, South Sudan | June 2020
- Engaging with Armed Groups to Promote Social Cohesion and Reduce Violence in Communities | Mundri, South Sudan | June 2020
- Case Studies and Success Stories | South Sudan | October - December 2020
- Case Studies and Success Stories | South Sudan | July - September 2020
- Case Studies and Success Stories | South Sudan | January - March 2020
- Protecting Communities in Flood-Affected Areas | Duk Payuel County, Jonglei State, South Sudan | February 2020
- Strengthening Local Peace and Protection Mechanisms in Greater Ulang | Ulang, South Sudan | February 2020
- Youth Protection Team (YPT) Outreach in New Site to Raise Awareness on Gender-Based Violence and HIV | Wau, South Sudan | January 2020
- Increasing the Safety and Security of Civilians in Bentiu Town through Night Patrols | Bentiu, South Sudan | January 2020
- Increasing Community Awareness and Improving Response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Yeri | Mundri, South Sudan | January 2020
- Preventing Gender-Based Violence through the Protective Presence in Sikasi Area | Bentiu, South Sudan | November 2019
- Fighting Stigma around Gender-Based Violence (GBV): How Women Protection Team Help the GBV Survivors to Recover | Juba, South Sudan | November 2019
- WPT Meeting with Protection Actors Leads to Resumption of Night Patrols | Bentiu, South Sudan | November 2019
- Building Peace and Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Agok through Women Protection Teams | Wau, South Sudan | October 2019
- Women in Mathiang Payam Come Together to Stop the Dispersion of Inter-Clan Fighting | Rumbek, South Sudan | October 2019
- Empowering Women through the Formation of the Women’s Protection Team: WPT Launch in Ganyiel | Ganyiel, South Sudan | September 2019
- Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) and its Application in South Sudan: An Informational Guide | South Sudan | September 2019
- From Gang Fights to Peace Marches: Nurturing Youth Peace Leadership through Engagement and Role-Modeling | Juba, South Sudan | August 2019
- Protection Beyond the POC: Accompanying Women During Firewood Collection | Bentiu, South Sudan | August 2019
- From Protection to Advocacy and Action: Women Protection Teams Respond to Service Reductions | Aburoc, South Sudan | August 2019
- Nyadeep Wagak Puot, "Ambassador of Peace:" Empowering Women Through Unarmed Civilian Protection Training | Bentiu, South Sudan | July 2019
- Raising Awareness, Mobilizing Change: Focusing Community Attention on Gender Based Violence | Northern Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan | June 2019
- Waging Peace One Dispute at a Time: Resolving Conflict with Nonviolent Peacforce’s Early Warning/Early Response Council | Mundri, South Sudan | May 2019
- Empowering Women, Protecting Communities: Mentoring Rumbek’s Women to Protect their Communities | Rumbek, South Sudan | April 2019
- From WPT to Member of Parliament: The Story of Mama Achol | Rumbek, South Sudan | February 2019
- "Empowering Community Council of Elders as Advocates on Gender Based Violence Prevention and Response": A Case Study of Adam Uchalla Ungom | South Sudan | October 2017
- Women Intervening to Prevent Intercommunal Violence: An Update on the Kook Women's Peacekeeping Team | South Sudan | April 2017
- "Women's Peacekeeping Team from Wau Shilluk to Aburoc": A Case Study from Josephina Edward Sedwa | South Sudan | August 2017
- Case Studies of Unarmed Civilian Protection | March 2016
Evaluations & Research
- "Community engagement with armed actors in South Sudan: reducing violence and protection risks," (Gemma Davies and Leigh Mayhew with The Bridge Network; HPG Working Paper) - February 2024
- "'Peace' in the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus: Good Practices and Recommendations," Civil Society Dialogue Network (CSDN) Discussion Paper - October 2023
- "Protection Needs and Capacities of Youth: A Preliminary Report Exploring Youth Protection in Myanmar" - July 2018
- "Promoting Women’s Role in Peace Building and Gender Based Violence Prevention in South Sudan": Midterm Evaluation Report - October 2017
- "Implementing Civilian Protection in the United States: Lessons Learned from the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock, North Dakota" - December 2016 – March 2017
- "Civilians Protecting Civilians through Ceasefire Monitoring:" Civilian Ceasefire Monitoring in Myanmar 2012-2016 -- October 2016
- "Final Evaluation Report: Civilian Ceasefire Monitoring Project" by Swisspeace - January 2016
- Nonviolent Peaceforce South Sudan - One Year of Civil War (2013-2014)
- Mediateur Report, Canan Gündüz and Raul Torralba - Evaluation of the Nonviolent Peaceforce Project with the Civilian Protection Component of the International Monitoring Team in Mindanao, Philippines - Final Report. 6 May 2014
- Nine Years of Nonviolent Peaceforce in Sri Lanka. Lessons Learned in Implementing Unarmed Civilian Peacekeeping - By Christine Schweitzer, September 2012
- NP Evaluation in the Philippines, October 2011 - February 2012
- Nonviolent Peaceforce Evaluation of NP’s Project in Mindanao, Philippines REPORT by Dr. Cordula Reimann (2010)
UCP Shifting the narrative
A new story of security
The world needs to be able to tell a different story if it is to survive – a story of interdependence, purpose, and sufficiency, a person- and planet-oriented civilisation. We believe it is time for a similar shift in the field of security; a field that relies so heavily on walls and technology, designed to isolate, or eliminate threats, and allow the privileged few to enjoy their safety in separation from a dehumanised other.
We believe that UCP can contribute to such a shift. UCP presents a new story of security, a story in which security can be experienced through greater connectivity.
Mariam,
the Sahel
“This course allowed me to demystify the protection of civilians because I thought it was the prerogative of armed actors only. Understanding that this protection must be done by civilians reinforces my desire to contribute to it."
Richelle,
Mindanao, Philippines
"As a peacebuilder, I believe that my voice can be a tool in helping my co-youth and community towards peace and development ... I’m now confident in my capacity to lead and act in my community."
A young man,
IDP Camp, Iraq
“We learned that we can prevent problems if we control our feeling when we feel angry and this will reduce or prevent violence as well as controlling ourselves helps us maintain the relationship among each other.”
Aurora,
Minnesota, U.S.
“The work that Nonviolent Peaceforce is doing is not only needed and helpful, but volunteering with NP also gives me a place where I am able to create community, which is incredibly important.”
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