Protection of Civilians (POC) is a major humanitarian activity in PSO. It gained prominence in the 1990s when PSO began to have POC mandates. With the increase in civilian casualties in contemporary conflicts, POC was brought to the limelight most especially as a response to the genocide in Rwanda and the mass atrocities committed in Bosnia.

These emanating issues led the AU to identify POC as closely being linked to the legitimacy of any PSO. It is in light of this that the need for training and capacity development of the military, police and civilian components of PSO became apparent. As an international institution for PSO, the NDC through the Centre for Strategic Research and Studies (CSRS), with funding support from the Government of Japan in collaboration with UNDP, is conducting a Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Course. It is scheduled to hold from 12 – 16 October, 2020, at the CSRS, NDC Nigeria to prepare “participants to acquire knowledge, skills and understanding of Protection of Civilians in contemporary PSOs”.