AHRC has partnered with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to support arts and humanities research addressing urgent humanitarian issues.
A partnership between UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the FCDO is exploring new ways of protecting people affected by conflict.
It will examine six themes of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) through operational case studies.
Jointly funded by FCDO and AHRC, the 13 projects form the Collaborative Humanitarian Protection Research Programme.
The programme is developing policies for humanitarian agencies and donors to protect those living in fragile and conflict areas.
Solving international problems
Academic practitioners and researchers will partner across more than 27 countries and regions, including:
- the Middle East
- Africa
- Afghanistan
- Myanmar
- the Philippines.
By working together these international collaborations aim to better understand the drivers of humanitarian protection and contribute to the evidence base that will ultimately improve protection efforts in conflict areas.
Projects started in mid to late 2020 and will run for up to 24 months.
Research with impact
At the end of the awards, projects will produce research findings and evidence reports to better inform programming and humanitarian protection policymaking.
The 13 projects are looking at one or more of the following six themes of IHL:
- the impact of international humanitarian law violations
- the impact of protection programming
- the impact of restraint from violence
- the impact of local community protection
- the impact of legal recognition on protection
- how personal characteristics may lead to targeting.
Professor Christopher Smith, AHRC Executive Chair and UKRI Champion, said:
The millions of people living amidst conflict are among the most vulnerable in the world.
426 million children live in conflict areas according to Save the Children, and by 2030, The World Bank Group estimates that up to two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor could live in fragile, conflict and violence settings. Conflicts also drive 80% of all humanitarian needs.
Our understanding of humanitarian protection is vital to support the better protection of those affected. At a time of acute pressure on overseas funding, AHRC is proud to work with FCDO to support this essential research.
The partnership with FCDO provides a critical opportunity to inform future humanitarian policies, and to work for and with those suffering from conflict over decades to come.
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