GPC PUBLICATIONS

The GPC is engaged in producing standard setting and policy dissemination publications as well as reference guidance as part of its functions in support of the field.

Global Protection Cluster Publications

 Centrality of Protection in Humanitarian Action GPC 2018 Review

The Global Protection Cluster (GPC) has taken a lead role in 2018 in operationalising the centrality of protection, through improved coordination and the development guidelines, tools, as well as strengthening the role of field protection clusters. In 2016 and 2017, the Global Protection Cluster (GPC) Operations Cell and the Protection Standby Capacity Project (ProCap) carried out a desk review of field and global protection cluster actions to promote the centrality of protection.  To build on this initiative, the GPC again sought to review global and field efforts to reinforce the centrality of protection in humanitarian action.  The 2018 review reveals what can be achieved when Humanitarian Coordinators embrace the protection agenda; by making it a recurrent item in the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT); by tasking protection clusters to provide information and analysis; and by requesting UNHCR Representatives, as cluster leads, to think of solutions to protection issues. Above all, this review demonstrates the value in ensuring that all sectors undertake protection risk assessments and that they mainstream protection throughout their activities. Moreover, a coherent protection strategy from the HCT can make a critical difference in tackling the most difficult protection issues while identifying those actors with a comparative advantage best placed to address them.

The five country studies selected for the 2018 GPC review (Afghanistan, South Sudan, Ukraine, Whole of Syria and Yemen) allow for more context-specific reflection and highlight particular issues around accountability, shrinking humanitarian space, localisation, and the humanitarian-peace-development nexus. They also highlight the need to engage in innovative ways with higher levels and an accelerated pace of forced displacement, new partnerships, coordination, and humanitarian financing. The review also tackles thematic issues like Protection of Civilians and Anti-trafficking among others and highlight good practices in prioritisation and operationalisation of protection activities.  Furthermore, the review outlines GPC achievements in 2018, including its provision of field support missions, trainings, help desk function, community of practice, and communication strategy.

 

 Centrality of Protection in Humanitarian Action GPC 2017 Review

For the second year, the GPC reviewed global and field efforts to reinforce the centrality of protection in humanitarian action. This 2017 review aims to enhance the understanding of the range and diversity of approaches to the centrality of protection, as well as reflect on good practices, insights, challenges and learning opportunities. The four countries selected for the 2017 desk review are Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, and the Whole of Syria response. Additionally, the review contains three thematic articles that are based on the work and reflections of GPC Task Team members. The first one explores the link between hunger and protection; the second examines the severe protection risks associated with explosive remnants of war, and the last one looks at engagement with parties to conflict.The review highlights GPC events, activities and publications that took place in 2017; GPC Help desk dashboard; a map of country operations with Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) protection strategies, and the GPC Community of Practice snapshot

 

Protection Mainstreaming Toolkit – an operational tool for protection and non-protection actors

This comprehensive toolkit, developed through extensive and inclusive consultations with field protection clusters and partners at global level, expands on key roles and responsibilities of Humanitarian Coordinators, Humanitarian Country Teams, Inter-Cluster Coordination Groups, Clusters, as well as donors in mainstreaming protection.It thus promotes stronger collaboration among relevant actors across sectors to mitigate threats, reduce vulnerabilities and enhance capacities in humanitarian action by providing concrete guidance and tools to mainstream protection into organizational programming and throughout the humanitarian programme cycle.

GPC Protection Lab Scoping Project

This document represents the core output for the GPC Protection Lab Scoping Study. The project was undertaken in order to identify whether a Protection-oriented Innovation Lab might enhance the Global Protection Cluster’s capacity to help address key protection challenges, and if so, what potential models such a Lab might take at the Global Protection Cluster.

The Centrality of Protection in Humanitarian Action:
A Review of Field and Global Clusters in 2016

The GPC has reviewed the objectives and progress of six Protection Clusters/sectors worldwide. The overview provides an opportunity to gain an overall picture of national Protection Cluster objectives within a broader humanitarian response plan; understand the priorities within each response and identify what progress has been made during 2016. While each of them has its own, specific, frequently complex, context, each of them, as supported by the GPC, takes a similar approach to understanding the context and, based on this, developed a realistic and appropriate response. In the launch event we will provide examples of best practice and useful ideas for other Protection Clusters which are transferable and adaptable to each context.

GPC Communication Package on Protection

In 2013 the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) made a formal commitment to placing protection at the centre of humanitarian action. Recent studies however have shown that many people involved in protection in humanitarian response do not share a common understanding of protection and often struggle to communicate to others what protection entails. Effective response, coordination and resourcing all suffer as a result.

Following a survey which found strong demand for brief, focused and accessible communication tools, Oxfam – working on behalf of the Global Protection Cluster and with the generous support of the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department – has developed a set of communication materials. The materials help to promote a clear, common understanding of protection with the aim of deciphering what protection entails and clarifying roles and responsibilities in order to improve our support to people in need.

The Communication Package on Protection is available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic here.

Study on Protection Funding in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies “Placing Protection at the Centre of Humanitarian Action”

“The big picture of trends in protection funding is mixed. On the plus side, the total amount of funding to protection has remained fairly steady, despite a decline in overall humanitarian funding since 2010. However, when we examine the extent to which protection is funded in appeals, it is always funded to a lesser extent than sectors perceived to be more life-saving (food, shelter, WASH, health), and characterised more by volatility than by an overall trend line. Our research suggests that this volatility in protection funding is not the result of conscious thematic preferences by donors – it is more likely to be the unintended consequence of the different “weight” of protection in the shifting landscape of emergencies, and of the range of ways in which the term “protection” is used in varied contexts.”

The Global Protection Cluster commissioned an independent consultant to undertake a study of protection funding trends during humanitarian emergencies. An extensive desk review, key stakeholder consultations and visits to four protection cluster countries were completed and the report is now available in English and French.

The Handbook for the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons was formally launched by the Global Protection Cluster in Geneva on 24 June 2010. The Handbook is an inter-agency product epitomizing the idea of “working together for protection”. It was elaborated by key agencies with an interest in how protection imperatives are considered in humanitarian action.

UNHCR coordinated the Handbook drafting process from May 2006 to March 2010 when it was published. During this four year collaborative process, the content of the Handbook benefited from the experience and in-put of some 107 organisations and entities in 18 countries. The Handbook is a living document and will continue to be updated in order to reflect the evolution of policy and thinking on how to be more effective in the provision of protection services in IDP situations.

The target audience is staff of humanitarian, human rights and development agencies working in IDP operations in the field. The Handbook also responds to the need for training and capacity building on IDP protection for staff members of these agencies, especially those on emergency deployments. As a result, the Handbook is purposefully field oriented and designed to close gaps identified by experienced field practitioners. Agencies and other interested actors in country operations and headquarters are, therefore, encouraged to continue sharing their suggestions and inputs by contacting us. The handbook is available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish.

Protection of Conflict-Induced Internally Displaced Persons: Assessment for Action is a framework designated to assess protection needs of internally displaced. It is a product of the collaboration between the Global Protection Cluster (GPC) and the Cluster Working Group on Early Recovery while benefiting from the input of a wide range of international organizations, both working in the humanitarian and development sphere, as well as non-governmental organizations.

The framework is intended to assist States and humanitarian agencies to assess existing protection capacities and identify protection gaps. It is thus designed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and of affected populations, including host communities, returning IDPs, and communities in areas of return, as well as persons at risk of displacement, and to highlight the main risks they face. This analysis should then provide a blueprint for operational planning. The framework is available here.