2022 – PAX Protection of Civilians Conference

Many concepts attempt to include the voice and agency of the people most affected by conflict in decision making and programming. Human security, bottom-up approaches, community-based security, civilian harm mitigation and people-centered approaches all have conceptual similarities and differences. Rather than theorizing over definitions, this event convened global experts to discuss lessons learned from both research and practice about how to meaningfully engage with civilians living in conflict to improve protection and security.

The conference was an informal exchange between a curated group of experts from the worlds of policy, academia, the security sector and civil society. Participants exchanged views on what people-centered approaches mean to different communities, what we as a field have learned from applications in practice and how security interventions can be made more relevant, accountable and sustainable.

This event provided a learning exchange between partners and provide practical recommendations for policy developments in the Netherlands. PAX engaged the Dutch ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense to coordinate the program and enhance relevance for the Dutch context.

For more details on what was discussed, please see the PoCCon 2022 Summary Report.