Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Local elderly residents take shelter in the basement of an undisclosed church on October 12, 2020 in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh. Boxes and blankets are placed in piles on the floor and there are a few chairs and benches on which people sit. A person walks past the camera using a walking cane.

Power Politics Obstructs Protection of Civilians in — and After — the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Five measures that Azerbaijan and Armenia, along with Russia, Turkey, and the international community must take now to improve conditions.

Feb. 2, 2021 Beatrice Godefroy and Julien Théron

Female Israeli and Palestinian members of the "Parents Circle Families Forum" association, an organisation made up of more than 600 families who have seen a family member die in the conflict, destroy a symbolic wall representing the Israeli security barrier that runs through the occupied West Bank, in Beit Jala near the biblical town of Bethlehem, on March 10, 2017.

New Aid for Israeli-Palestinian Peacebuilding Aims at Issues Underlying Security

The Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act provides an unprecedented $250 million over five years for economic and people-to-people projects.

Jan. 29, 2021 David Harary

Left: Hakeem stands near his tent in the settlement for displaced families, where he lives and works with Oxfam and Right: A’eshah with her family having their lunch.

USAID Has Suspended Aid to 80 Percent of Yemenis: An Appalling Abuse of Humanitarian Principles

USAID has suspended most aid for Yemenis living in territory controlled by the Houthi authorities in Sana’a. The suspension blocks $73 million in ongoing assistance and any additional…

Jul. 22, 2020 Scott Paul

Smoke billowing out of buidlings following a coalition air strike in the western al-Daraiya neighbourhood of the embattled northern Syrian city of Raqa on September 5, 2017.

Toward a Consistent and Coherent Ex Gratia Policy for Civilian Casualties

The summer of 2017 was an extended nightmare for the Badrans. Over the course of several weeks, 39 members of Rasha Badran’s family, most of them women and children, were killed…

Jul. 10, 2020 Daphne Eviatar

National Guard Soldiers stand in a line blocking a side street along a Black Lives Matter rally in Boston, MA on June 3, 2020.

National Guard Risks and Recommendations in Public Order Management

Since the tragic murder of George Floyd by police on May 25, more than 20 states have activated National Guard units to support local law enforcement in response to protests…

Jun. 25, 2020 Emilia Pierce and Elizabeth Fray

A team member of MINUSMA stands across from a helicopter in Sobane Da, in the Mopti region in central Mali.

As UN Renews Peacekeeping in Mali, Civilian Protection Requires Ongoing Push for Air Assets

The mission is missing critical military helicopters it needs in several locations to carry out its recently expanded mandate.

Jun. 24, 2020 Seán Smith

Two U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors fly above Syria in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, Feb. 2, 2018.

The Fatal Flaw in DOD’s Latest Civilian Casualties Report

Lawmakers and even the Trump administration have increasingly expressed concern about the United States waging an “endless war,” and among those concerns is the impact on civilians…

May 14, 2020 Daphne Eviatar

Afghan men gather near the road as a military convoy by soldiers from the 1st Platoon, 1-64 Armoured Batallion, US Army - operating under NATO - roll-past security patrols at Morghan-Kecha village in Daman district, Kandahar on September 6, 2012.

Here’s What the New DoD Policy on Civilian Harm Should Include

It should standardize good practice and set the bar where it belongs: safeguarding civilian life from the effects of U.S. military operations.

May 8, 2020 Annie Shiel and Archibald Henry

US Army from NATO and Afghan commando forces at a checkpoint during a patrol against Islamic State militants at the Deh Bala district in the eastern province of Nangarhar Province. There are multiple vehicles around the checkpoint.

Grading DOD’s Annual Civilian Casualties Report: “Incomplete”

The new information demonstrates how much progress the department has made and yet how much of a paradigm shift is still needed for full accountability.

May 7, 2020 Daniel R. Mahanty and Rita Siemion

Syrian Army defector "Caesar," (in a blue hooded jacket) who has smuggled out of Syria more than 50,000 photographs that document the torture and execution of more than 10,000 dissidents, listens to an interpreter during a briefing before House Foreign Affairs Committee July 31, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Balancing Syria Advocacy and Witness Safety: Have We Lost Sight?

Groups documenting war crimes and other violations must revisit their methods of evidence collection and improve compliance with “do no harm” principles.

Mar. 10, 2020 Deyaa Alrwishdi

Afghan civil society activists attend a candlelight vigil for the nine civilians killed in Afghan army shelling, in Kabul on December 6, 2015.

Reduction of Civilian Harm in Afghanistan: A Way Forward

As all sides have jockeyed for leverage in Afghanistan, civilians have paid the price with over 10,000 civilian casualties in 2019.

Feb. 25, 2020 Sahr Muhammedally and Marc Garlasco

The damaged interior of the hospital in which the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) medical charity operated is seen on October 13, 2015 following an air strike in the northern city of Kunduz.

Why the US Military Needs to Rethink How It Investigates Civilian Harm

A new report analyzed a total of 228 investigations into reported civilian harm in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria between 2002 and 2015.

Feb. 13, 2020 Priyanka Motaparthy