Letter from the Executive Director
I want you to know how many people are working to lessen suffering in the world. In Syria, brave doctors are helping wounded civilians. In Pakistan, lawyers are getting compensation for conflict victims. In Somalia, journalists courageously tell the story of conflict. War is indeed brutal, but we see the better side of humanity every day.
In this global puzzle to create a better world, our piece is as critical as it is unique.
Whether talking with Afghans in their homes about tragic losses or sitting across from a twostar general to change his mind about tactics that risk lives, we are there to make warring parties more responsible for civilians.
Some of this year’s highlights from that work:
- In and around Syria, we documented the needs of civilians who’d fled, as well as the mindset of the armed opposition on avoiding civilians;
- On drones, we analyzed the limitations of remote drone use in avoiding civilians in the first report of its kind, served on the Council on Foreign Relation’s drone advisory board and became a media go-to;
- With Afghan and Pakistani Parliamentarians, we worked on new legislation to get assistance to civilians suffering conflict losses;
- In Afghanistan, we interviewed over a hundred civilians about their conflict losses, created an extensive framework for tracking civilian harm for Afghan forces, and offered training modules on how to respond to civilian casualties;
- In Somalia, we developed a framework for a new civilian casualty tracking cell for African forces;
- In Libya, we documented ongoing civilian protection risks, particularly the dangers of abandoned ordnance;
- On US policy, we wrote a chapter for the Army handbook on civilian protection, and testified before Secretary Panetta’s Defense Legal Policy Board on the need for permanent civilian harm policies;
- With our policy recommendations in hand, we were consistently invited to brief the White House, NATO, the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union.
This year we also rebranded to become Center for Civilians in Conflict, grew our expert staff, widened our scope to include Syria and the issue of drones, and welcomed a new board—all to ensure that civilians get the recognition, protection, and help they deserve.
Thank you for standing with us to build that better world.
Sincerely,
Sarah Holewinski
Executive Director
Center for Civilians in Conflict
