The IICRR organised a one day conference on “Protection of Civilians: Challenges for peacekeeping and humanitarian organisations” on 26th January 2017. The conference was hosted by Kimmage Development Studies Centre and included talks from a diverse range of speakers such as Lt Col Robert Corbet, United Nations Training School Ireland; Prof Siobhán Wills, Ulster University; and Dr Walt Kilroy, IICRR. It discussed the underlying issues, as well as case studies which have sadly become topical due to recent events in South Sudan, where three million people (a quarter of the population) have fled their homes due to violence.
This event was part of a project coordinated by Dr Kilroy and funded by the Irish Research Council’s New Horizons scheme. It included his field work in January in South Sudan, which involved visits to some of the sites for Protection of Civilians which currently provide shelter for more than 200,000 people. A briefing for humanitarian agencies on the issue of protection is being produced as part of the project.
