Rwanda  (© UNHCR / P.Martensen)

Domestic civil society represents the most basic source of protection, especially when all other layers of protection fail. 

Civil society in this context refers not only to local non-governmental organizations and human rights groups, but also to religious congregations, charities, universities, trade unions, legal associations, independent activists and human rights defenders, families, clans and others. Displaced communities are not passive. They create their own strategies for addressing their needs by exchanging limited resources, services, information and shelter. Their involvement in identifying needs, and in other decisions that affect their lives, and in implementing aid programmes is therefore essential. Moreover, they can help to salvage what remains of society by encouraging the restoration of communal links or supporting the reintegration of permanently displaced persons into new communities. They hold the knowledge and ability to reunify families and create support structures for unaccompanied children and elderly people. The United Nations must continue to reach out and build partnerships with these actors, and employ their knowledge of the local context, their skill at operating in conflict zones, and their sensitivity to the needs of local populations and to local cultural norms.

International assistance to these actors is therefore an important investment. In particular, partnerships between international and domestic civil society must be strengthened in negotiating access, monitoring abuses, especially where international monitoring is not possible, and facilitating dialogue with political actors on the ground. Finally, domestic civil society actors are often best equipped to promote awareness of and respect for international law within the conflict zone.