The Creating Safer Space project “Civilian (Self-) Protection from Violent Conflict in Papua: Exploring Local Infrastructures and Initiatives” has published a series of 12 podcasts, focusing on unarmed civilian protection in Papua and related topics.

The story of a researcher researching conflict in Papua, Myanmar, and Thailand
Speaker: Arfiansyah

Diversity in Papua
Speaker: Askin Alimda

Papua: Poor Education and Immigrant-Dominated Governance: Is there still hope in Papua?
Speaker: Arfiansyah

A pastor shows a strategy to protect civilians in Papua
Speaker: Pastor Diben Elaby

The Problem of Special Autonomy in Papua and Aceh and the Contribution of Civil Society
Speaker: Dr. Laus D.C Rumayon

Papua in the eyes of a Humanitarian Worker: From Regional Security, Education to Tolerance
Speaker: Lutfi Firdaus

Protecting Civilians without Weapons in South Sudan: Can it be applied to Papua?
Speaker: Hermanto

The story of a Papuan IDP who is reluctant to return home due to armed conflict
Speaker: Lamberti Faan (an IDP woman)

Rarely discussed situations in Papua
Speaker: Marcelus Fernandes Titit

Papuan Student Discusses the Richness of Papua’s Nature and Culture
Speaker: Nelson Sani

The Ups and Downs of Being a Humanitarian Worker in Papua
Speaker: Intanus Gwijangge

Knowing Customs, Culture, and the Potential for Investment in Papua
Speaker: Dr. M. Adli Abdullah

The Creating Safer Space Exhibition was on show at the Temple of Peace and Health in Cardiff, UK, from 24-28 March. It was co-organised with Academi Heddwch Cymru and the Welsh Centre for International Affairs.

We were delighted to receive a visit from the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, who is the leader of the Welsh Government. We provided her with a tour of the exhibition, and a copy of our new Creating Safer Space brochure.

In conjunction with the Exhibition, we also co-hosted a Lunch & Learn policy event on Civilians and Nonviolence in Crisis Preparedness and Management. Speakers included Prof. Berit Bliesemann de Guevara (Creating Safer Space Principal Investigator), Prof. em. Colin McInnes (Academi Heddwch) and David Warren (Head of International Relations at Welsh Government). Discussion centred on how community-led civilian protection initiatives can be supported by Welsh politics and civil society, and how lessons from other contexts can enrich Welsh initiatives and policies, such as Academi Heddwch’s ‘Wales as a Nation of Peace’ report.

A new Creating Safer Space policy brief was also published for the occasion, Nonviolent Community Strategies Make Civilians Safer (available in English and Welsh).

The Creating Safer Space project ‘Understanding Community-level Spontaneous Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP): A Comparative Study of Initiatives in South Sudan, Myanmar and Colombia’ has published a policy brief, Unarmed Civilian Protection: Comparative Insights from Colombia, Myanmar, and South Sudan. This comparative policy brief explores how local communities engage in UCP and what lessons learned from existing UCP activities may, and may not, be transferable across conflict contexts. It focuses on the activities of local community actors in Nariño, Colombia; Central Myanmar, Kachin and Chin State in Myanmar; and Juba (Central Equatoria) and Rumbek (Lakes State) in South Sudan.

The Creating Safer Space project ‘Exploring Community Perceptions and Coping Strategies on Violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar’ has published an article, ‘Agency during Armed Conflict: Everyday Life under Competing Authorities in Myanmar’s Rakhine State’, in the Journal of Global Security Studies. It is authored by Florian Weigand, Riyad Anwar, Tony Neil and Abellia Anggi Wardani.

The paper draws upon fieldwork in Myanmar’s Rakhine State to analyse the relationship between ordinary people and competing authorities during armed conflict. In particular, the paper investigates the sources of agency that enable civilians to engage with armed actors, for instance, to ensure their own protection. It is openly accessible here.

The Creating Safer Space project ‘Community strategies for Unarmed Civilian Protection in South-West Colombia: local experiences and lessons learned’ has created a short film, Safe in Our Home. The documentary explores the potential of local semilleros (seedbeds) in facilitating community-based research on strategies for the protection of unarmed civilians and wider issues of (in)security. It was created by two students at Universidad Autónoma de Occidente (UAO) in Colombia, Santiago Hernandez and Manuela Romero, who presented it as their final year project under the supervision of Dr Natalia Campo (Co-Investigator on the project).

The Creating Safer Space project ‘Civilian (Self-) Protection from Violent Conflict in Papua: Exploring Local Infrastructures and Initiatives’ has published a new policy brief, Building Peace Amidst the Papua Conflict: Supporting Grassroots Protection and Peacebuilding Agents. The policy brief is written by Arfiansyah, Reza Idria and Delsy Ronnie, and draws upon interviews, focus group discussions and arts-based research methods in Papua. It explores the causes of the conflict in Papua, and how civilians protect themselves and others from violence.

A new Creating Safer Space Working Paper has been published, titled Community self-protection and Unarmed Civilian Protection/Accompaniment (UCP/A): a way to decolonize peace. The working paper is written by Catarina Bezerra, Laura Jiménez and Victória Barros, and is available in English and Spanish.

The working paper provides insights into the effectiveness and challenges associated with nonviolent strategies, highlighting the importance of self-protection, dialogue, and community-based relationship building as catalysts for sustainable solutions in conflict-ridden scenarios. It explores decoloniality as a foundation for self-protection initiatives, and examines three case studies of civilian self-protection in South Sudan, Burundi and Colombia.

A new Creating Safer Space Working Paper has been published, titled The Diffusion of Protection Norms and Practices in Kachin and Northern Shan, Myanmar. The working paper is written by Nang Seng Raw, Arfiansyah and Mang Pi, and draws on research by the Creating Safer Space project Understanding Changing Strategy and Practice of Civilian Protection Under a Military Junta: The case of Kachin and Northern Shan, Myanmar.

This working paper discusses the diffusion of protection norms in Kachin and Northern Shan, two among many conflict areas of Myanmar. Nonviolent Peaceforce has worked with local civil society organisations in Myanmar for several years, and have accompanied them in developing protection mechanisms. This working paper explores how protection norms were localised and diffused, and how they were transformed following the military coup of 2021.

The Creating Safer Space network has published a new brochure.

The brochure provides information about our activities and achievements over the last five years. It also features a summary of our key research findings, and an outline of the Creating Safer Space model of carrying out research with and for (not “on”) self-protecting communities and UCP practitioners.

The brochure also dedicates two pages to each of our 26 commissioned projects, highlighting the diversity of research approaches and research findings within our network.

March 2025

Factsheet by the Creating Safer Space project “Exploring unarmed civilian self-protection in Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict”.

Authors/Auteurs: Gordon Crawford, Nancy Annan, James Kiven Kewir, Atim Evenye Niger-Thomas, Bernard Nsaidzedze Sakah, Zonziwoh Mbondgulo-Wondieh.

Available in English and French.