NOHA Advanced Training on the Protection of Civilians Held in Nairobi

The training was organised as part of the Consortium for Civilian Safety and Security, a collaboration between NOHA, ODI Global and Nonviolent Peaceforce, with the support of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The consortium aims to strengthen the capacity of humanitarian actors to adopt proactive approaches to reducing threats and preventing harm to civilians.

Exploring practical approaches to civilian protection

The training moved beyond traditional approaches to protection to examine how humanitarian actors and other practitioners could take more proactive measures to reduce threats faced by civilians.

Participants explored eight interconnected areas:

• Protection as Safety and Security
• Community-Based Safety and Security Analysis
• Protection by Presence
• Armed Actor Engagement
• Negotiation for Protection
• Mediation for Protection
• Early Warning and Evacuation
• Evaluating Proactive Protection

Through a combination of practical exercises, case studies, role-playing and peer learning, participants examined how these approaches could be applied in different conflict and humanitarian contexts. Approximately 70% of the training was practical and participatory, allowing participants to develop and practise skills relevant to their professional work.

Learning from practice

A particular focus of the training was on understanding protection from the perspective of civilians themselves. Participants considered how communities perceive and respond to threats, how humanitarian actors can engage more effectively with communities and armed actors, and how tools such as protective presence, negotiation, mediation and early warning can contribute to reducing violence and other protection risks.

The training was facilitated by Jérôme Grimaud, a humanitarian practitioner and accredited mediator with extensive experience in protection, humanitarian access, negotiation and mediation.