Civil-military coordination

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Civil-military coordination is efforts to coordinate activities in peacekeeping or humanitarian assistance missions during United Nations (UN) operations. Civil-military cooperation seeks to gain unity of effort among military forces, police agencies and civilian organizations engaged in such operations.

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Official definitions

The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations defines civil-military cooperation for peacekeeping operations as:

"[T]he system of interaction, involving exchange of information, negotiation, de-confliction, mutual support, and planning at all levels between military elements and humanitarian organizations, development organizations, or the local civilian population, to achieve respective objectives." [1]

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs defines civil-military cooperation for humanitarian operations as:

"The essential dialogue and interaction between civilian and military actors in humanitarian emergencies that is necessary to protect and promote humanitarian principles, avoid competition, minimize inconsistency, and when appropriate pursue common goals. Basic strategies range from coexistence to cooperation. Coordination is a shared responsibility facilitated by liaison and common training." [2]

Related Research Articles

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Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare.

A civilian is a person not a member of an armed force nor a person engaged in hostilities.

The United Nations has authorized 71 peacekeeping operations as of April 2018. These do not include interventions authorized by the UN like the Korean War and the Gulf War. The 1990s saw the most UN peacekeeping operations to date. Peacekeeping operations are overseen by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and share some common characteristics, namely the inclusion of a military or police component, often with an authorization for use of force under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. Peacekeeping operations are distinct from special political missions (SPMs), which are overseen by the Department of Political Affairs (DPA). SPMs are not included in the table below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan</span> Ongoing UN peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is a UN Special Political Mission tasked with assisting the people of Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bureau of International Organization Affairs</span> U.S. State Department division

The Bureau of International Organization Affairs (IO) is a bureau in the United States Department of State that creates and executes U.S. policy in the United Nations and other international organizations. It is headed by the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. The IO is charged with developing and implementing the policies of the U.S. government with respect to the United Nations and its affiliated agencies, as well as within certain other international organizations. The Bureau of International Organization Affairs was created in order to strengthen the United States involvement in important international relations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs</span> United Nations body managing response to complex emergencies

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is a United Nations (UN) body established in December 1991 by the General Assembly to strengthen the international response to complex emergencies and natural disasters. It is the successor to the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator (UNDRO).

Civil Affairs (CA) is a term used by both the United Nations and by military institutions, but for different purposes in each case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Mission in Liberia</span>

The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was a United Nations peacekeeping operation established in September 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement in Liberia following the resignation of President Charles Taylor and the conclusion of the Second Liberian Civil War (1999–2003). At its peak it consisted of up to 15,000 UN military personnel and 1,115 police officers, along with civilian political advisors and aid workers.

The United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) was a peacekeeping mission established by the United Nations Security Council in December 1994 and extended on several occasions until its mandate expired in May 2000. Its purpose was to monitor peace agreements during and after the Tajikistan Civil War. The observers were first deployed in the wake of the ceasefire, in 1994, between the ruling government of Tajikistan, led by Emomali Rahmonov, and the United Tajik Opposition. After the UN-sponsored armistice ended the war in 1997, the UN expanded the mission's original mandate to monitor the peace and demobilization. The mission was headquartered in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The Iceland Crisis Response Unit is an Icelandic para-military unit with a capacity roster of up to 200 people, of whom about 30 are active at any given time. It is operated by the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is primarily designated for peacekeeping operations and was established in the 1990s to participate in operations and peacekeeping projects, including in support of NATO peacekeeping operations. That role later evolved into providing an appropriate forum for deploying personnel within other organizations such as with OSCE field missions as well as with UN DPKO, and organizations such as UNIFEM, UNRWA and UNICEF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Department of Peace Operations</span> Department of the United Nations

The Department of Peace Operations (DPO) is a department of the United Nations charged with the planning, preparation, management and direction of UN peacekeeping operations. Previously known as the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), it was created in March 1992, as part of a restructuring of the UN's peace and security apparatus. The DPO retains the core functions and responsibilities of its predecessor, with a greater emphasis on cohesion, integrating different resources and knowledge, and promoting human rights.

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The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) was formed on 14 August 2003 by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1500 at the request of the Iraqi government to support national development efforts.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">CANADEM</span>

CANADEM is an Ottawa based non-profit, government-related organization established in 1996 with funding from Global Affairs Canada. Its main purpose is to bolster peace, order, and good governance efforts through connecting international agencies to civilian experts. Originally designed as Canada's national roster of civilian experts, CANADEM is now the largest roster of screened international civilian experts in the world. This non-profit Roster of International Experts enables international agencies, governments, and other non-profit organizations to rapidly connect with qualified professionals. The U.S. State Department's Office for Reconstruction and Stabilization lists CANADEM as one of its International Partners in peacebuilding.

United Nations Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict a cross-UN initiative that unites the work of 24 United Nations entities with the goal of ending sexual violence in conflict. The inter-agency network is composed of 24 UN entities from a spectrum sectors including peacekeeping, political affairs, justice, human rights, humanitarian, health, gender equality and women's empowerment. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General Pramila Patten chairs the network which represents a concerted effort by the United Nations to improve coordination and accountability, amplify programming and advocacy, and support national efforts to prevent sexual violence and respond effectively to the needs of survivors. The UN Action Secretariat is based in the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil-military operations center</span>

A Civil Military Operations Center or CMOC is a center usually established by a military force for coordinating civil-military operations in an area of operations. This center usually serves as a meeting place for military and non-military entities involved in governance, stabilization, humanitarian relief and reconstruction activities or for interaction between the entities involved in these activities and the civilian population. Often, it also serves as a central location for information on civilian related activities in the area or maintains the status of the infrastructure or institutions. During combat operations, a CMOC is usually in a secure compound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina–Moldova National Guard Partnership</span>

The North Carolina–Moldova National Guard Partnership is one of 25 European partnerships that make up the U.S. European Command State Partnership Program and one of 88 worldwide partnerships that make up the National Guard State Partnership Program. The Partnership was formalized on April 22, 1999. It has since evolved into a partnership that includes the efforts of many more organizations and individuals such as private firms, civic organizations and non-profit agencies. The partnership is a bi-lateral association with planning committees in both North Carolina and the Republic of Moldova who work together in a cooperative effort to improve and enrich the lives of everyone it touches.

The United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) is a platform for the different United Nations (UN) evaluation offices to discuss evaluation issues and to share evaluation knowledge. It suggests norms and standards for all evaluation offices in the UN and delivers thematic reports concerning monitoring and evaluation. It has 45 members and 3 observers listed below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict</span>

The Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (OSRSG-SVC) is an office of the United Nations Secretariat tasked with serving the United Nations' spokesperson and political advocate on conflict-related sexual violence, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (SRSG-SVC). The Special Representative holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and chairs the UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict. The mandate of the SRSG-SVC was established by Security Council Resolution 1888, introduced by Hillary Clinton, and the first Special Representative, Margot Wallström, took office in 2010. The current Special Representative is Pramila Patten of Mauritius, who was appointed by United Nations Secretary General António Guterres in April 2017. The work of the SRSG-SVC is supported by the United Nations Team of Experts on the Rule of Law/Sexual Violence in Conflict, co-led by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPO), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), also established under Security Council Resolution 1888.

References

  1. UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). "Civil-Military Coordination Policy", September 9, 2002, 3-4. (see DPKO Office of the Military Advisor webpage)
  2. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the European Commission Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid. Civil-Military Coordination Officer Field Handbook, Version E 1.0. Brussels: March 10, 2008, 16.