Protection of Civilians

The protection of civilians is a highly topical issue at the forefront of international discourse, and has taken a prominent role in many international deployments. It has been at the center of debates on the NATO intervention in Libya, UN deployments in Darfur, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and on the failures of the international community in Sri Lanka and Syria. Variously described as a moral responsibility, a legal obligation, a mandated peacekeeping task, and the culmination of humanitarian activity, it has become a high-profile concern of governments, international organizations, and civil society, and a central issue in international peace and security.

This book offers a multidisciplinary treatment of this important topic, harnessing perspectives from international law and international relations, traversing academia and practice. Moving from the historical and philosophical development of the civilian protection concept, through relevant bodies of international law and normative underpinnings, and on to politics and practice, the volume presents coherent cross-cutting analysis of the realities of conflict and diplomacy. In doing so, it engages a series of current debates, including on the role of politics in what has often been characterized as a humanitarian endeavor, and the challenges and impacts of the use of force.

The work brings together a wide array of eminent academics and respected practitioners, incorporating contributions from legal scholars and ethicists, political commentators, diplomats, UN officials, military commanders, development experts and humanitarian aid workers. As the most comprehensive publication on the subject, this will be a first port of call for anyone studying or working towards a better protection of civilians in conflict.

Marc Weller, Professor of International Law and International Constitutional Studies, at the University of Cambridge, and the Director of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law,Haidi Willmot,United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations,Ralph Mamiya, Formerly Protections of CiviliansPolicy Adviser at the United Nations,Scott Sheeran, Senior Lecturer, Director of the LLMs and MAs in International Human Rights, School of Law and Human Rights Centre, University of Essex

Dr. Marc Weller is Professor of International Law and International Constitutional Studies in the University of Cambridge and the Director of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law. Professor Weller has extensive experience in international high-level, high-stakes negotiations. He is a fully qualified and accredited mediator and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. In addition to assignments in Somalia, the Balkans, and other countries, he has served as a mediator and mediation expert with the UN Department of Political Affairs on the transitions in Cote d'Ivoire and Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Syria. Professor Weller is also the author, editor or co-editor of some 25 books and a large number of academic journal articles and book chapters.


Ms. Haidi Willmot serves in the Office of the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations / Department of Field Support. She has held a number of positions in the United Nations Secretariat, was instrumental in the establishment of the United Nations Operations and Crisis Centre, and has spent time in the field with UN missions in South Sudan and Somalia. Prior to joining the Secretariat, Ms. Willmot was the Peacekeeping Policy Officer at the Australian Mission to the United Nations, and worked as an analyst with the New Zealand Government. She previously worked in Vanuatu with the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid) and in legal practice in Australia and throughout the island nations of the Pacific. Ms Willmot holds a BA/LLB (hons) from the Australian National University and a MPhil in International Relations from the University of Cambridge.

Mr. Ralph Mamiya has worked for more than seven years with the United Nations, most recently on the Protection of Civilians Team for the UN Department Peacekeeping Operations/ Department of Field Support. He has spent most of his career working on conflict issues in Africa, including tours with the UN peacekeeping missions in Sudan and South Sudan. He is an Adjunct Professor with the Human Rights Program at the Public Policy Institute of Hunter College in New York. Mr. Mamiya holds a Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School.


Mr. Scott Sheeran is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Law and Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex. He is Director of the LLMs and MAs in International Human Rights at Essex, and Director of the Human Rights in Iran Unit, which provides support to the UN Special Rapporteur for Iran. He previously worked as a New Zealand diplomat and legal adviser, including in New York and Geneva, and is on the advisory council of several human rights NGOs. He holds an LLM (International Law) from the University of Cambridge and has published extensively on international human rights law, public international law, and law of the United Nations.