Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 1

GUIDELINES FOR INTERACTION

BETWEEN
MONUC MILITARY
AND
HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 2

The following guidelines were developed by the MONUC CIMIC Unit, OCHA and
MONUC HAS, with the contribution of the UN Country team in the DRC, other civil
components of MONUC, in-country humanitarian donors and INGOs – both Kinshasa
and field based.

This document aims at improving the interaction between the MONUC peacekeeping
force (MONUC military) and the humanitarian organizations.

This document is divided in two parts:

A. GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND DEFINITIONS

B. OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

A. GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND DEFINITIONS

1. MONUC military and humanitarian actor’s mandates

1.1. MONUC military mandate

1.2. Humanitarian organizations mandate

2. Principle of cooperation

3. Principle of distinction

4. Definition of key terms

5. Principles of humanitarian action

5.1. Respect for the fundamental principles

5.2. Operational principles of action

6. Principles of CIMIC operations

7 Roles of OCHA, MONUC HAS and MONUC CIMIC

7.1. OCHA
7.2. MONUC HAS
7.3. MONUC CIMIC
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 3

B. OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

1. Liaison arrangements, lines of communication

2. Coordination

3. Type of information to be exchanged (information sharing)

4. Security of humanitarian personnel

4.1. General principle

4.2. Military/armed protection of humanitarian personnel or premises
4.3. Military escorts
4.4. Joint premises
4.5. Joint relief operations
4.6. Joint assessments
47. MONUC military mandate to ensure protection of humanitarian
agencies/organizations

5. Use by humanitarians of military assets

6. Use by humanitarians and MONUC military of MONUC civilian assets

7. Humanitarian operations carried out by MONUC military

7.1. Generalities
7.2. WHAMS
7.3. Humanitarian operations carried out by military in exceptional circumstances
7.4. Protection of civilians

8. Training

8.1. Training of MONUC military on humanitarian affairs

8.2. Training of humanitarians on military issues
8.3. Joint training sessions or exercises

9. DDR process and reintegration programs for former combatants

10. Implementation of the guidelines

10.1. Regular updating of the guidlines

10.2. Monthly CIMIC meetings
10.3. CIMIC reports
10.4. CIMIC seminars
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 4

A. GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND DEFINITIONS

1. MONUC military and humanitarian actor’s mandates

1.1. MONUC military mandate

MONUC’s mandate is extremely vast. Hereafter are only underlined some aspects
which may specifically cause interaction between MONUC military and humanitarian
organizations. It should be emphasized that UNSC resolutions often confer
attributions to MONUC in general terms, without specifying whether these tasks
should be implemented by its military, its police or its civilians components. The
elements of the mandate mentioned hereafter can be considered as part (but non
exclusively) of MONUC military competences.

a. General duty to establish a secure environment

MONUC has a general mandate to promote the re-establishment of confidence and to

discourage violence1. It must assist in the establishment of a secure environment for
free, transparent and peaceful elections to take place2.

b. Protection of civilians under imminent threat of violence

MONUC has to ensure the protection of civilians under imminent threat of physical
violence3. If the imminent threat of physical violence is caused by armed groups
(foreign or Congolese), it is allowed to use all necessary means to deter these threats4.
It may notably use cordon and search tactics to prevent attacks on civilians and
disrupt the military capability of illegal armed groups to use violence5. Yet, all
necessary means can only be used within MONUC capabilities and in the areas where
its armed units are deployed6.

c. Protection of human rights

MONUC has to assist in the promotion and protection of human rights, with particular
attention to women, children and vulnerable persons, investigate human rights
violations to put an end to impunity, while working closely with the relevant agencies
of the United Nations.

1
RSC 1565
2
RSC 1565
3
RSC 1565
4
RSC 1592
5
RSC 1592
6
RSC 1592
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 5

d. Security of humanitarian assistance, protection of humanitarian personnel,

UN or non UN

MONUC has the mandate to contribute to the improvement of the security conditions
in which humanitarian assistance is provided. It must ensure protection of
humanitarian personnel under imminent threat of physical violence, as well as ensure
protection/security and freedom of movement of United Nations personnel, and
protect UN facilities, installations and equipment.

e. Volontary return of refugees and internally displaced

MONUC has to assist in the voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced
persons7.

f. DDR(RR)

MONUC has to facilitate the demobilization and voluntary repatriation of the

disarmed foreign combatants and their dependants and support operations of FARDC
to disarm these foreign combatants (DDRRR)8. It must as well contribute to the
disarmament portion of the national programme of disarmament, demobilization and
reintegration of Congolese combatants and their dependants (DDR), in monitoring the
process and providing as appropriate security in some sensitive locations.

1.2. Humanitarian organizations mandate

On the definition of humanitarian organization, see below 4c.

Humanitarian organizations and agencies do have a wide array of mandates which

include very diverse activities, such as:

Protection and assistance to children

Protection and assistance to women

Protection and assistance to refugees and/or IDPs

Provision of emergency relief and basic services in health, food and nutrition,
water and sanitation, shelter and non-food items, education etc.

More specifically in DRC, the humanitarian strategy aims at saving lives and at
reducing vulnerabilities. Humanitarian assistance may address needs at the individual,
family or community level.

7
RSC 1565
8
RSC 1565
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 6

2. Principle of cooperation
Cooperation between MONUC military and humanitarian actors is made necessary by
the close interrelation of the respective actor’s role in protection and assistance
activities.

In protection, MONUC military is able to achieve tasks such as as securing or control

of areas, deterrence of violence, removal of threats, escorts to populations or
establishment of buffer zones or protected areas. For their part, humanitarians are
involved in the monitoring of protection risks, in securing returns of displaced or
refugee population, in advocacy and support action to vulnerable groups such as
women or children associated with armed groups and in various other activities such
as mediation.

In assistance, MONUC military task will consist mainly in securing an environment

conducive for assistance to populations. Yet, in view of the huge logistics obstacles,
MONUC military will often be in a position, through its logistics capacities
(helicopters), to be present in areas which cannot be reached easily by humanitarians
(no road access for instance). Besides, military escorts also allow early access in some
cases where security risks are too high. Conversely, early access will also be achieved
by humanitarian actors, thanks to the respect of their fundamental principles of
action, to territories controlled by forces which may consider MONUC military with
suspicion, distrust or even as an enemy.

As a consequence, in protecting and assisting the civilian population, military and

humanitarian actions represent different facets of the overall endeavor.

3. Principle of distinction

However, in reaching these common goals, humanitarian organizations and MONUC

military use different modes of operations. Humanitarian action’s objectives remain
clearly separate from political and peacekeeping operations, whereas MONUC
Mission needs to integrate all these dimensions within a single strategy. Humanitarian
action remains solely based on fundamental principles such as humanity, neutrality,
impartiality and independence. For its part, MONUC Mission also relies, if necessary,
on the use of military force or political pressure to achieve its goals.

Both types of actors have to acknowledge the positive aspects of their

complementarity. MONUC military has to recognize that in many cases neutrality,
impartiality and independence of humanitarian agencies/organizations have been of
great benefit for the overall result of the Mission and its partners. At the same time,
humanitarian agencies/organizations must acknowledge the confirmed effectiveness
of MONUC military in directly protecting the populations or in creating a safer
working environment for humanitarians in certain areas.

Yet, based on these considerations, it should be recognized, at the same time that
there should always be a clear distinction between peacekeeping military and
humanitarian actors. Maintaining this clear distinction will allow each group of
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 7

actors to perform tasks where they have the best experience, knowledge and
capabilities. Therefore, this principle of distinction should not be seen or brought
forward as a disagreement by humanitarians with the Force’s action, but rather as a
way to find any possible avenues to carry out humanitarian activities in emergency
situations, which is also a common goal of MONUC and partners.

In sum, maintaining a clear distinction between the roles and function of humanitarian
actors from that of the MONUC military is therefore the determining factor in
creating an operational environment in which humanitarian organizations can
discharge their responsibilities both effectively and safely.

The principle of cooperation between MONUC military and humanitarian actors

must therefore be limited by the principle of distinction.

4. Definition of key terms

a. Civil-military coordination

This is the essential dialogue and interaction between civilian and military actors in
humanitarian emergencies that is necessary to protect and promote humanitarian
principles, avoid competition, minimize inconsistency and, when appropriate, pursue
common goals.

b. Complex emergency

A complex emergency, as defined by the Inter Agency Standing Committee, is a

“humanitarian crisis in a country, region or society where there is total or considerable
breakdown of authority resulting from internal or external conflict and which requires
an international response that goes beyond the mandate or capacity of any single
and/or ongoing UN country programme.

c. Humanitarian organizations

Humanitarian organizations are civilians, whether national or international, UN or

non-UN, governmental or non-governmental, which have a commitment to
humanitarian principles and are engaged in humanitarian and protection activities.

5. Principles of humanitarian action

5.1. Respect for the fundamental principles

Humanitarian action is guided by many principles. The most important are the three
following: humanity, neutrality and impartiality.

a. Humanity: human suffering must be addressed wherever it is found, with

particular attention to the most vulnerable in the population, such as children, women
and the elderly. The dignity and rights of all victims must be respected and protected.
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 8

b. Neutrality: humanitarian assistance must be provided without engaging in

hostilities or taking sides in controversies of a political, religious or ideological
nature.

c. Impartiality: humanitarian assistance must be provided without discriminating

as to ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political opinions, race or religion. Relief of
the suffering must be guided solely by needs and priority must be given to the most
urgent cases of distress.

5.2. Operational principles of action

a. Independent and free access to all vulnerable populations

The principle of humanity requires that suffering must be addressed wherever it is

encountered. Humanitarian organizations must maintain their ability to obtain access
to all vulnerable populations in all parts of the country and to negotiate such access
directly with all parties to the conflict.

b. Sustainability

All humanitarian actions should be tailored to local circumstances and aim to

enhance, not supplant, locally available resources and mechanisms. Strengthening
local capacities to prevent future crises and emergencies is an integral part of the
humanitarian objectives9.

c. Targeted assistance

Humanitarian assistance must be provided on the basis of needs o those affected by

the particular complex emergency, taking into account the local capacity already in
place to meet those needs. The assessment of such needs must be independent.

d. Accountability

Those who implement humanitarian action must be held accountable to the victims
they are seeking to assist. They must ensure that assistance has an appropriate impact.

e. Respect for international legal instruments, domestic law and regulations

Humanitarian actors must respect international humanitarian law as well as other

international norms and regulations, including human rights instruments. Besides, in
the planning and the implementation of their activities, humanitarian actors must
comply with the relevant national laws and regulations.

f. Transparency

Humanitarian action should be undertaken in the respect of the rules of good

governance. The humanitarian community should cultivate and promote affordable
access to services to legitimate beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance.

9
Practcally, very few actors can presently have direct access to FDLR.
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 9

6. Principles of CIMIC operations

CIMIC operations in MONUC will meet the following key principles.

a. Interdependence

No single component or unit within the mission, no single agency or organization can
achieve the mandate on its own. The success of each component is a factor of the
contribution it makes to the achievement of the overall mission objective. In this
context, CIMIC is the process that ensures than individual units or organizations are
connected to a larger system of which they are part.

b. Duplication

Without meaningful coordination, CIMIC operations will experience overlap,

duplication and an overall uneconomic and inefficient application of resources. The
more meaningful the coordination, the more efficient the overall effort will be.

c. Leverage

Together, military and other players can achieve more than each component would
have been able to achieve on its own.

Leverage is achieved through the exchange of information, joint planning, mutual

support and ongoing coordination and feedback.

7 Roles of OCHA, MONUC HAS and MONUC CIMIC

7.1. OCHA

OCHA’s mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian

action in partnership with national and international actors, in order to:

Alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies

Advocate for the rights of people in need

Promote preparedness and prevention

Facilitate sustainable solutions

7.2. MONUC HAS

HAS operational goal consists in mobilizing MONUC extensive resources and

directing them for the improvement of humanitarian conditions in the DRC, in an
effort to ensure the return to normalcy, creating the enabling conditions that facilitate
the sustainability of the peace process and the political transition.
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 10

HAS facilitates the delivery of humanitarian assistance and supports humanitarian

organizations to reach the three following objectives.

Increased safe access to displaced and destitute populations

Increase humanitarian assistance and coverage in favor of vulnerable
populations living in formerly inaccessible areas.

Decrease in the number of Congolese IDPs and refugees in the neighboring
countries.

7.3. MONUC CIMIC

The role of CIMIC is to enhance and support military operations by achieving

sustained humanitarian relief through coordination, liaison, facilitation, information
sharing and mutual support between the military component of MONUC, MONUC
HAS, OCHA and the local authorities. In particular, CIMIC operations in MONUC
support the DDR(RR) process and the electoral process.
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 11

B. OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

1. Liaison arrangements, lines of communication

 Everywhere possible, humanitarian agencies/organizations should establish clear
lines of communication with MONUC military and vice-versa.

 The exchange of information between humanitarian and military authorities will

take place at the v arious following levels:

o At HQ Kinshasa level (general headquarter and Western Division

headquarters)
o At HQ Kisangani level (Eastern Division headquarters of MONUC)
o At province level (brigade or sector levels of MONUC)
o At local level (battalion or lower level of MONUC)

 At HQ or province level, humanitarian agencies/organizations should in principle

contact the CIMIC officer through HAS. The CIMIC officer is notably in charge of
compiling all information collected by MILOB officers. On the
agency/organization side, the link should be established through the official focal
point, and by default through the Head of Agency or His/her Deputy.

 At local level, if MILOBs are present in the area, humanitarian

agencies/organizations and MILOBs should directly exchange information. This
could be facilitated by HAS. MILOBs standard reporting topics include many
elements of interest for the humanitarian agencies/organizations, such as
displacement of population and contacts with local leaders.

2. Coordination
CIMIC Officers, or if not present any designated MONUC officer, should attend the
periodical meetings organized by OCHA and HAS. They should also take part in the
meetings of the provincial protection coordination mechanism, if necessary with the
officer more specifically in charge of the protection of civilians (see hereafter under
7.4.

On security issues, Military and agencies/humanitarian will coordinate in the

framework of the weekly Integrated Senior Management Team (ISMT). Yet, CIMIC
officers – or any other designated officer - will be in charge of briefing the
humanitarian community about security issues when attending periodical meetings
referred to in previous paragraph.
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 12

3. Type of information to be exchanged (information sharing)

The exchange of information should be as wide as possible, under the following
general restrictions:

 MONUC military might not share some confidential information relating to

certain military operations, notably details about planned operations. Yet, for security
reasons, MONUC military will communicate to humanitarian agencies/organizations,
shortly before the start of the operations, the estimated military operating theatre as
well as the estimated time for the start of MONUC military operations, especially
when they are of a nature to put humanitarian agency/organization staff at risk. For
their part, humanitarian agencies/organizations, in areas where military operations are
happening or are about to take place, will notify the movement of their personnel and
vehicles and, where necessary, request authorization to do so. In areas of protracted
military operations, MONUC military and humanitarian agencies/organizations
should as much as possible reach special local agreements on security procedures for
movements in the field.

 Humanitarian agencies and organizations might not share:

o information of a nature to compromise, when transmitted, their
independence, neutrality, impartiality or their security in the field (for
instance certain information relating to political or military positions of
armed groups or other entities).
o information relating to some victims or individuals assisted or
protected, when they deem that transmitting such information might be
detrimental to the security of these victims or individuals or to the
security of other victims or individuals (for instance for risks of
reprisals). Identities of victims or individuals assisted or protected
should in principle not be shared unless necessary.

 Under these restrictions, MONUC military and humanitarian

agencies/organizations should in principle exchange freely their assessments of a pure
humanitarian character. This will notably include:
o Security information: information relevant to the security situation in
the area, both for RDC’s population and for humanitarian
agencies/organizations
o Humanitarian affairs in general
o Humanitarian locations: for security reasons, coordinates of
humanitarian facilities should be communicated to the MONUC
military, especially if they are included in a possible military operating
theatre.
o Humanitarian activities: plans of action, routes and timing of
humanitarian convoys and airlifts, in order to coordinate planned
operations and avoid accidental strikes on humanitarian convoys
o Mine-action activities
o Population movements
o Post-strike information: information on strike locations and explosive
munitions used during military campaigns
o Customs and airport clearances: to facilitate the movement of
personnel and humanitarian goods across borders
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 13

4. Security of humanitarian personnel

4.1. General principle

Security of humanitarian personnel is a responsibility of the humanitarian agencies.

According to its mandate, MONUC military has the duty to ensure protection of
humanitarian agencies/organizations. Yet, this is obviously insofar as
agencies/organizations agree to get MONUC protection.

4.2. Military/armed protection of humanitarian personnel or premises

The use of military or armed protection for humanitarian premises or personnel is an

extreme precautionary measure that should be taken only in exceptional
circumstances, on a case-by-case basis and on request of the agency/organization.
This should be a last resort option when other staff security mechanisms are
unavailable, inadequate or inappropriate.

4.3. Military escorts

We refer to the general principle of distinction between humanitarian and MONUC

military activities mentioned under part A par. 3 here above. It follows from this
principle that the use of military escorts will not be possible for most humanitarian
agencies/organizations in normal circumstances. It could compromise the security of
humanitarian personnel and could reduce their capacity to provide assistance in a
neutral, impartial and effective manner. For instance, in areas where robust action is
being taken on the basis of Chapter 7, cooperation of humanitarians with MONUC
military could lead local military actors to associate humanitarian organizations with
the military objectives of that force.

For humanitarian agencies/organizations, access to vulnerable populations should in

principle be done through negotiations with the authority (ies) exercising effective
power and control over the concerned territory and with the involvement of key
community members.

The use of armed escort must therefore be resorted to only in exceptional

circumstances, as a last resort and on request of the humanitarian agency/organization,
as set out in the “non-binding guidelines on the use of military or armed escort for
humanitarian convoys, of 14 September 2001” (accessible through
http://www.ochaonline.un.org/mcdu/guidelines).

4.4. Joint premises

It flows from the general principle of distinction between humanitarian and MONUC
military activities mentioned under part A par. 3 here above that humanitarian should
not, as a matter of principle, share common premises with MONUC military.

4.5. Joint relief operations

Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 14

It flows from the same general principle of distinction between humanitarian and
MONUC military activities that humanitarian should not, as a matter of principle,
carry out joint relief operations with MONUC military. However, it may happen that
joint operations be the only way to respond to urgent humanitarian needs. In that case,
these joint relief operations must respect the principles outlined below under guideline
5 on the use of military assets by humanitarians. The joint civil-military cooperation
should be determined by a thorough assessment of the actual needs on the ground and
a review of civilian humanitarian capacities to respond to them in a timely manner.

4.6. Joint assessments

In accordance to the same principle of distinction mentioned under guideline 1, joint

humanitarian assessment should remain the option of last resort. Humanitarians
should conduct their own independent humanitarian assessments and use their own
evaluation and monitoring capacities.

Yet, humanitarian agencies/organizations are encouraged to exchange information on

the humanitarian situation resulting from separate missions. Notably, humanitarian
assessments made by military may serve as a good first basis for their own evaluation.

4.7. MONUC’s military mandate to ensure protection of humanitarian

agencies/organizations

According to several resolutions of the Security Council, MONUC military has the
mandate to protect (…) humanitarian workers under imminent threat of physical
violence; MONUC military should also contribute to the improvement of the security
conditions in which humanitarian assistance is provided.

MONUC military and humanitarian agencies/organizations should discuss about the

exact scope of this obligation. As much as possible, they should agree on MONUC’s
possible contributions to the “improvement of the security conditions in which
humanitarian assistance is provided”, especially in view of possible limitations to
MONUC’s capabilities to do so.

Humanitarians are the experts in the field of providing assistance and MONUC
military are in charge of ensuring protection. Dialogue is obviously necessary on the
best ways to reach these common objectives (area domination, temporary or
permanent presence in the field, opening and securing of humanitarian corridors,
establishment of a protected zone, if necessary military escorts or joint civil-military
operations etc…).

5. Use by humanitarians of military assets

For MONUC military, military assets10 must be used for military actions first, as these
means might be limited. These means are therefore only available for use by
humanitarian actors within these limits.

10
Definition: in simple terms, a military asset is any equipment that is owned by a contingent. For
example, a Sout Kivu Brigade truck for carrying troops is a military asset, as well as a North Kivu
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 15

For the humanitarian agencies/organizations, generally speaking, the military assets

must be used in accordance with the guidelines on “The Use of Military and Civil
Defense Assets to Support UN Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies”
issued in March 2003 (MCDA Guidelines, forore details see
http://ochaoinline.un.orgg/mcdu/guidelines) .

In a nutshell, the seven following standards are guiding the use of military assets:

a. Requests for military assets must be made by the

DSRSG/Humanitarian/Resident Coordinator on the ground, not political authorities,
and based solely on humanitarian criteria. Authorization of the MONUC Force
Commander of his designated is necessary.

b. MCDA should be employed by humanitarian agencies as a last resort, i.e.

only in the absence of any other available civilian alternative to support urgent
humanitarian needs in the time required.

c. A humanitarian operation using military assets must retain its civilian nature
and character. While military assets will remain under military control, the operation
as a whole must remain under the overall authority and control of the responsible
humanitarian organization. This does not infer any civilian command and control
status over military assets.

d. Humanitarian work should be performed by humanitarian organizations.

Insofar as military organizations have a role to play in supporting humanitarian work,
it should, to the extent possible, not encompass direct assistance11, in order to retain a
clear distinction between the normal functions and roles of humanitarian and military
stakeholders.

e. Any use of MCDA should be, as its onset, clearly limited in time and scale
and present an exit strategy element that defines clearly how the function it undertakes
could, in the future, be undertaken by civilian personnel.

f. Countries providing military personnel to support humanitarian operations

should ensure that they respect the UN Codes of Conduct and the humanitarian
principles.

g. Military assets that have been placed under the control of the humanitarian
agencies and deployed on a full-time basis purely for humanitarian purposes must be
visibly identified in a manner that clearly differentiates them from military assets
being used for military purposes.

attack helicopter. However, a MONUC chartered white helicopter piloted by civilians is not a military
asset and does not require the approval of the HC.
11
Direct assistance is the face-to-face distribution of goods and services. Indirect assistance is at least
one step removed from the population and involves such activities as transporting relief goods or relief
personnel. Infrastructure support involves providing general services, such as road repair, airspace
management and power generation that facilitate relief, but are not necessarily visible to or solely for
the benefit of the affected population.
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 16

6. Use by humanitarians and MONUC military of MONUC civilian

assets

Both humanitarian agencies/organizations and MONUC military are using MONUC

civilian assets such as aircrafts. There is presently a request, on the humanitarian
agencies/organizations part, to better organize rules of access to these civilian assets.

7. Humanitarian operations carried out by MONUC military

7.1. Generalities

The principle of distinction which forms the base of the civilian-military relationship,
is clearly expressed under guideline 1 here above. There is an overarching need to
avoid confusion between peacekeeping military and humanitarian
agencies/organizations. This is within this framework that humanitarian activities can
be carried out by MONC military.

7.2. WHAM

WHAM are Winning Hearts and Minds Activities. Theses activities can be organized
by each unit, up to battalion level, and are funded by the own means or resources of
this unit. They intend to create a positive relationship between the different deployed
units and their host community.

WHAM can be carried out under the following conditions:

a. They should in principle not be activities of direct relief or assistance, but

rather be activities of indirect relief such as rehabilitation of infrastructure. Typical
examples of humanitarian relief and direct support are food distribution and medical
assistance.
b. They should not be undertaken in situations where there are ongoing hostilities
with one or more factions.

c. WHAMS are best suited to the post-conflict or peace building phase when all
hostilities have come to an end.

WHAMS could be, for instance, developed in the following fields of action:

1. Infrastructure:
 Rehabilitation of buildings (churchs, schools, clinics)
 Reconstruction or maintenance of roads and bridges

2.. Public services

 Rehabilitation of water and sanitation services
 Rehabilitation and maintenance of electricity supply.

3. Social services
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 17

 Training of medical personnel

 Provision of teachers, for example, in English

4. Economic activities
 Rehabilitation of market
 Training or other support in specific fields.

5. Socio-cultural and sport activities

 Support for cultural activities like traditional ceremonies
 Support for sport activities
 Support for environmental initiatives

d. When planning and implementing WHAMS, it is recommended that these

activities be coordinated by the MONUC military with the humanitarian
organizations present in the area.

7.3. Humanitarian operations carried out by military in exceptional

circumstances

As mentioned in the precedent paragraph, MONUC military should in principle not be

involved in direct humanitarian assistance, which consists in the core activities of
humanitarian agencies/organizations (food/nutrition, medical, water-sanitation, etc.).
They could only be involved in such activities on an exceptional basis, under the
following conditions:

 It should be only in exceptional circumstances and as a last resort measure

 There should not be any comparable civilian alternative to the military

activities. This could be the case for instance when MONUC military are the only
actors on the ground or when the humanitarians lack the capacity and/or resources to
respond to critical and life threatening needs of the civilian population.

 These operations should be necessary to meet urgent and critical needs of the
civilian population.

 The planning and implementation of these operations should take place in

close coordination with OCHA and HAS (except when immediate action is required
to save lives)

 The military must stop its humanitarian operations and hand-over to the
humanitarian actors as the latter are able to return.

7.4. Protection of civilians

Protection of the civilian population is an overarching objective of the Mission and its
partners. Resolutions from the Security Council expressly call for a joint effort by
MONUC military and its humanitarian partners in this field. We refer on this topic to
what is mentioned under part A, par. 1 and 2. on MONUC’s mandate.
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 18

As humanitarian and human rights players are also involved in protection activities, of
a different kind, close coordination is necessary in order to achieve consolidated
results. To achieve this aim, special coordination mechanisms (Joint protection
working groups or J-PROT) have being established at the provincial level (in the
East). Since the beginning of 2006, these groups are called Provincial protection
clusters (PPCs) at the provincial level and National protection cluster (NPC) at the
Kinshasa level. MONUC military is fully member of the groups which are chaired by
UNHCR and co-chaired by MONUC civilians. Terms of reference of the protection
clusters have been established and can be provided by UNHCR on request.

8. Training

8.1. Training of MONUC military on humanitarian affairs

Every new contingent or troops to the mission should be, upon arrival to the mission,
clearly briefed about the civilian component of MONUC as well as about the roles,
activities and principle of action of humanitarian agencies and organizations. The
same briefing should take place, in details, upon arrival at the place of duty. If
necessary, MONUC military should call on its civilian partners to help them in this
training.

8.2. Training of humanitarians on military issues

Good coordination requires mutual understanding of objectives, roles, activities and

principles of action. Therefore MONUC military should organize, at field level,
special training sessions for humanitarians on the basic principles of MONUC
military action, in order to help them better understand and accept its modus operandi
and procedures.

8.3. Joint training sessions or exercises

Joint training sessions at field level should enable mutual understanding and allow in
a common sessions to reach objectives mentioned under 8.1 and 8.2 above. It could
also involve discussions on practical cases. See also hereafter 10. under
implementation.

9 DDR process and reintegration programs for former

combatants
As a matter of principle, humanitarian agencies/organizations will not be involved in
the DD part of the DDR or DDRRR process. They will be involved in the RR part of
the process if programmes and projects do benefit to the whole community of return,
including refugees and IDPs, and are not exclusively aimed at the reintegration of
former combatants.
Civil-military guidelines DRC 080606 in civil-military 19

10. Implementation of the guidelines

10.1. Regular updating of the guidelines

The present guidelines, in particular the operational part, should be updated on a

regular basis, with regards to the operational necessities on the ground, and the
adapted versions should be sent to the field.

10.2. Regular CIMIC meetings

Regular CIMIC meeting should be held in Kinshasa (MONUC HQ), Kisangani

MONUC Division), Ituri, North and South Kivu, chaired by the Head of CIMIC in the
respective areas and co-chaired by MONUC HAS, in order to discuss about
coordination issues linked to the implementation of the present guidelines. Yet, this
meeting should not duplicate the discussions and decisions taken within the
framework of the protection clusters, chaired by UNHCR and co-chaired by MONUC,
where protection of civilians issues are debated.

10.3. CIMIC reports

Regular CIMIC reports should be sent by MONUC military offices, if necessary with
the input of MONUC-CAS.

10.4. CIMIC seminars

Annual seminar

Annually, a CIMIC seminar should be held in order to review success and difficulties
in implementation of the present guidelines. If deemed useful, personel of the NGO
ACCORD should also be invited to the seminar.

Training seminars

Twice a year, training seminars on the implementation of the present guidelines

should be organized at the Kinshasa and Kisangani levels.

Kinshasa, 08 June 2006