NATO and UN Protection of Civilians (PoC) Course
- louisebiermanski1
- Oct 11, 2025
- 1 min read
Between 17 and 29 August 2025, Walter De Cauwer attended FINCENT’s “NATO and UN Protection of Civilians (PoC) Course” with the objective of qualifying as a Mentor for future iterations of the course.
The Approaches to Protection of Civilians in NATO and UN Operations (NATO–UN POC) Course aims to enhance understanding of the military’s role—alongside other protection actors—when civilians, societies, and populations come under direct attack in modern conflicts, including so-called “non-shooting” wars. The military contribution to protecting and ensuring human security against deliberate targeting remains insufficiently understood across organizations. Therefore, the course brings together military and civilian participants to examine and clarify both the potential and limitations of military force in protection and human security efforts—whether in UN peace operations, civil wars, or large-scale combat involving state-based threats.
