The team of the project “Community strategies for Unarmed Civilian Protection in South-West Colombia: local experiences and lessons learned“ has published a Volume 2 of its Participaroty Action Research Semillero (Seedbed) titled,

• “Buenaventura: Thinking-feeling methodologies of resistance and re-existence” (English version)
• “Buenaventura: Metodologías sentipensantes de resistencia y re-existencia” (Spanish version)

The brochure discusses four PAR methodologies that build on the cultural richness of the Colombian Pacific region and are an expression of the collective cultural, spiritual and artistic values of the Afro-Pacific region, where the production of knowledge bears the emotional and intellectual imprint of knowledge produced through dialogue.

It is accompanied by four videos about the community-based methodologies discussed – the comadreo (informal chat), the tertulia poética (poetic gathering), the sociodrama (sociodrama), and the teatro por la vida (theatre for life) – in which community members talk about their experiences and learnings.

Team members Clinton Gwako and Selline Korir of the project Strengthening Local Capacities for Unarmed Civilian Protection in Uasin Gishu, Kenya have published a new REPORT on their project findings.

The report summarises the research approach and the project’s most important findings regarding civilian protection mechanisms and related challenges in Usain Gishu, and reflects on the contributions to knowledge the project has been able to make.

Team members of the project Art that Protects, phase 2: Networks as strategies for self-protection in the context of urban conflict in the city of Medellín, 2023 have published a new article (in Spanish), under the title “El papel del arte en el conflicto armado urbano en Medellín. David contra Goliat: redes vivas y autoprotección“. It is authored by Beatriz E. Arias López, Laura Jiménez Ospina, and Sandra Benítez Diosa.

The article analyses the scope and dynamics of networking among artistic and cultural initiatives for self-protection in the city of Medellín. It finds that the studied organisations form a non-hierarchical network structure based on political and aesthetic affinities, oriented towards an alternative popular artistic movement. Their links are strengthened through the exchange of knowledge between established and emerging organisations, intergenerational relationships, and collective activities. The authors conclude that these ‘networks of joy’ represent a living movement and symbolise the metaphor of David against Goliath, in which nearly sixty collectives face 380 criminal groups in territories with little state presence. In adverse conditions, these organisations seek to create a cultural, ethical and political alternative for community protection and a cultural counter-offer, especially for the city’s youth.

The open access article can be downloaded HERE.

The team of the project “Visualising early warning and preparedness in civilian protection“, Chas Morrisson, Haji Elias Hillary, and Diria Vicky Thomas, have published a new article titled “Cultures and practices of local civilian self-protection in South Sudan” in the journal Peacebuilding.

The article explores South Sudanese cultural practices used for civilian self-protection, early warning and conflict preparedness, and their psychological implications. The authors find that cultural practices to avoid, postpone, or negotiate conflict show some ethnic distinctions, tend to be traditional and rely on spiritual or customary authority. While there are secular dimensions, a key aspect of these practices relates to esoteric protection, using defensive curses and sanctifying objects and places. The articles argues that community self-protection practices emerge as a core aspect of cultural life and group identity, with resonance beyond immediate protection and responding to insecurity.

Download the open access article HERE.

The Creating Safer Space project “Civilian (Self-) Protection from Violent Conflict in Papua” has published the article “Violence and Civilian Strategy for Protection in West Papua, Indonesia“ in the Journal of Peacebuilding & Development. It is authored by Arfiansyah.

The article discusses findings of the project’s qualitative research in Jayapura, Sorong, and Wamena in November 2022 and June 2023. Building on the concept of agency and Joshua Barter’s classification of strategy for civilian protection, it finds that violence and strategies for civilian protection in West Papua are contextualized by local development, geopolitics, and demographic composition between transmigrants and indigenous Papuans, which also determine the agents’ capacity to respond to violence and to build protection strategies. The research contributes the concept of nonpartisan peace voice as a protection strategy. It highlights that a common feature of the protection strategy that the Papuans in the research locations share is the mobilization of both international and local networks.

The Creating Safer Space project “Using multimedia approaches to increase visibility of and preference for Unarmed Civilian Protection approaches” has published a report, UCP in Action: Using peaceful and unarmed responses to conflict management. It contains six short articles that show how people in different parts of Kenya are using unarmed civilian protection to protect themselves and others in different contexts of violence.

On 19 May 2025, Creating Safer Space co-investigator Nerve Macaspac participated in an event on “Civilian-Centred Approaches and POC in a Changing World: Moving from Policy to Practice”. This side event of the United Nations’ Protection of Civilians (POC) week in New York was co-organised by Nonviolent Peaceforce, CIVIC, PAX, Creating Safer Space, HPG/ODI, UNHCR, the Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union to the UN and the Permanent Missions of the Netherlands, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Panama, and Austria.

As the final report of the event summarises (p. 1): “The presentations and reflections shared during the event underscored the growing urgency (and potential) of civilian-centred approaches to protection in today’s evolving conflict contexts. In light of shrinking humanitarian space, overstretched multilateral operations and the withdrawal of key international actors from high-risk areas, panellists and participants highlighted how civilians themselves are not only responding to immediate threats but also shaping the longer-term architecture of protection. The discussion explored how UN peace operations, regional organisations and Member States can more meaningfully partner with civil society actors who are actively building early warning systems, engaging with armed actors and influencing protection policies. Drawing on diverse experiences from Yemen, DRC and Iraq, the conversation moved beyond policy recognition of the need to protect towards considering what concrete shifts – financial, political and structural – are needed to embed community-led protection in operational practice.”

Dr Macaspac joined speakers from the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands, Nonviolent Peaceforce, PAX, and CIVIC. Synthesising the discussion, and drawing on findings from the CSS projects, he noted that while ‘protection of civilians’ is a frequent topic in global forums, those most directly engaged in self-protection are often excluded from the conversation. He highlighted the consistent thread across diverse contexts: civilians are already leading protection work within their communities, using creative and effective strategies grounded in trust, legitimacy and local knowledge. He therefore urged a reconceptualisation of what counts as ‘protection work’, recognising its multifaceted nature and the value of flexibility, community-specific tools, and ongoing engagement with CSOs. His concluding point was clear: community-led POC is not a complement to existing frameworks; it should be the standard, precisely because it works, and because it is already happening.

For a full summary of the session, see this final report written by Nonviolent Peaceforce.

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. Episodes include:

• The story of a researcher researching conflict in Papua, Myanmar, and Thailand
• Diversity in Papua
• Poor Education and Immigrant-Dominated Governance: Is there still hope in Papua?
• A pastor shows a strategy to protect civilians in Papua
• The Problem of Special Autonomy in Papua and Aceh and the Contribution of Civil Society
• Papua in the eyes of a Humanitarian Worker: From Regional Security, Education to Tolerance
• Protecting Civilians without Weapons in South Sudan: Can it be applied to Papua?
• The story of a Papuan IDP who is reluctant to return home due to armed conflict
• Rarely discussed situations in Papua
• Papuan Student Discusses the Richness of Papua’s Nature and Culture
• The Ups and Downs of Being a Humanitarian Worker in Papua
• Knowing Customs, Culture, and the Potential for Investment in Papua

NB: The podcasts can be translated from Indonesian to other languages by enabling subtitles and auto-translation in the YouTube settings.

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.