PoC Advocacy Note: Civilian Protection in 2026: The Deadly Convergence of Advanced Technology and Ancient Warfare Practices

This note was developed by the Global Protection Cluster (GPC), with contributions from its inter-agency Advocacy Working Group (AWG). It highlights several pressing trends impacting the Protection of Civilians (PoC) across crisis contexts where Protection Clusters are active. These trends reflect a deadly mix of ancient methods of war considered unlawful under international humanitarian law (IHL), including the use of siege and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), and modern means including advanced technologies, particularly the use of armed drones. How such dynamics are driving expanding levels of harm must be taken into account with a renewed push for increased compliance with IHL, strengthened accountability of duty bearers and protection-centered response, from high-level humanitarian diplomacy to community-based protection on the frontlines. The note aims to complement the Secretary General’s Report on the Protection of Civilians and other PoC-focused products to further inform discussions during the UN Security Council Open Debate on PoC and the Protection of Civilians Week in New York. With grave violations of IHL inflicting increasingly widespread and acute levels of harm on civilians, the opportunity to renew and strengthen actions and accountabilities to protect civilians is urgent.