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From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

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FROM POVERTY TO POWERopportunity is missed, the country can slide back in<strong>to</strong> war or the kindof endemic social violence and crime that afflicted Central Americaafter its civil wars came <strong>to</strong> an end in the 1990s. Forty-three per cent ofnegotiated settlements relapse in<strong>to</strong> conflict within five years. 198The post-conflict period is also typically a moment for widerreform: political and social relations have been ruptured by the conflict,and new alliances and political possibilities appear in a moment ofhigh fluidity. Many, perhaps most, major social and political changesoccur during and immediately after conflicts, as discussed in the Annex.Underpinning the UN’s expanded role in peace operations, andthe entire international security system, is the growing body ofinternational law on conflict, known collectively as internationalhumanitarian law (IHL). Best known for the 1949 Geneva Conventions(covering the treatment of non-combatants and prisoners of war), theNuremberg Rules (for the prosecution of war criminals), and the 1948Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, IHL isdesigned <strong>to</strong> limit human suffering and <strong>to</strong> protect civilians in armedconflicts. The rules are <strong>to</strong> be observed not only by governments andtheir armed forces, but also by armed opposition groups and anyother parties <strong>to</strong> a conflict.The basic rules and obligations under international humanitarianlaw can be summarised as:• Distinction: A distinction must be made at all times betweenthe civilian population and those taking part in hostilities.Attacks must be directed only against military objectives.As such, indiscriminate attacks which fail <strong>to</strong> distinguishbetween military objectives and civilians are prohibited.• Precaution: Not only must civilians and their possessionsnot be the object of attack, but also every precaution must betaken when attacking or locating military objectives <strong>to</strong> avoid,and in any event <strong>to</strong> minimise, incidental civilian lossesand damage.• Proportion: Warring parties are obliged <strong>to</strong> weigh carefully thedirect military advantage of any attack against the potential forharming civilians. In no case shall such harm be excessive inrelation <strong>to</strong> the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.396

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