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Thematic Notes

The thematic notes provide regular updates on recent developments in the humanitarian community. They are published in our newsletter updates on Humanitarian Law and Policy and Leadership and Management of Humanitarian Action. If you are not yet a member, read more about membership in PHAP and apply today.To get notified of new thematic notes, subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.

Improving the evaluation of protection
Boisy Williams
19 February 2015
There are at least three ways in which the evaluation of humanitarian protection programming can be improved. The first is by settling on a focus. Protection cuts across different sectors of humanitarian work, so there is a need to decide whether we want to measure it as a stand-alone element or as...
Counter-terrorism laws in Kenya: Humanitarian action and criminalizing “radicalization”
Francis Onditi
10 February 2015
Just like many other countries in Africa that have embarked on a path to legislate and develop policies in response to increased cases and threats of different forms of terrorism, Kenya’s push for and eventual passage of the Security Laws Amendment Bill of 2014 has challenged the moral...
Interview with Dr Elie Abouaoun – The importance of perception in civil-military relations
Elie Abouaoun
10 February 2015
In settings where parties to a conflict may interpret their behavior as taking sides, how should humanitarian actors approach civil-military relations? It has long been the case that civil-military relations give rise to serious dilemmas for humanitarian actors. However, these dilemmas have been...
Myanmar refugees and IDPs: Is democracy bringing dividends to all sectors of society and all ethnic groups?
Dario Carminati
8 February 2015
The top-down approach to democratization, with a former general as President and a scramble to have a share of the resources, made it doubtful that reformers in Myanmar would have a real say and that civil society would be able to advance a bottom-up approach to reform. In anticipation of the 2015...
Protection of Civilians in UN operations
Lisa Coyle
30 January 2015
The protection of civilians has become prioritized by various actors in the international arena as civilians are increasingly bearing the brunt of the violence in armed conflicts. There is some lack of clarity pertaining to concepts relating to the protection of civilians particularly in UN...