The article is devoted primarily to the question of how the international community can succeed in developing effective mechanisms for breaking the vicious circle of conflicts. To put it briefly: how can a violent conflict be transformed sustainably so as to avoid preprogramming the next violent clashes during the period following the initial conflict?

This paper discusses obstacles to civil-military cooperation in the context of multinational and interagency operations, with a special focus on assessment functions and processes. As such, the paper seeks to contribute to the ongoing process of developing a framework for assessment of operations within the context of MNE5. The rationale behind this study is to strengthen the basis for and the effectiveness of Effects-Based Assessment (EBA) of performances, effects, and end-states in multinational and interagency operations. The first section starts by

International humanitarian law is a set of rules which, in time of war, protects those who are not, or no longer, taking an active part in hostilities, and limits the choice of means and methods of warfare. It applies both in situations of international and non-international armed conflict. The main instruments of international humanitarian law are the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 for the protection of war victims. These treaties, which are universally accepted, protect the wounded, the sick, the shipwrecked, prisoners of war and civilians.

This report documents human rights issues of concern to Amnesty International during 2006. A key message is that powerful governments and armed groups are deliberately fomenting fear to erode human rights and to create an increasingly polarized and dangerous world.

Over the past 15 years global bodies have increasingly been called upon to intervene in situations of armed conflict: mediating, enforcing and keeping the peace, and stabilizing and rebuilding countries after periods of war. Arguably it is the recourse to multilateral involvement that has led to a significant drop in overall civilian deaths in war situations. However, the increasing number of missions undertaken by the UN in response to armed conflict translates into a continuous and significant increase in demand on the UN as a whole.

This demand is particularly felt in

UNICEF has evolved over the past six decades from an organization responding to emergencies to a beacon for children in emergency and non-emergency situations alike. Today, UNICEF works to protect children's rights, while focusing squarely on results.

As thus report details , UNICEF - through integrated programmes, strong partnerships and determined leadership - is more accountable, more data-driven and more results-oriented than ever before.

During this reporting period, we convened a meeting of all UNICEF representatives in sub-Saharan Africa to evaluate

Understanding the significance of remittances in pre-crisis livelihoods, and how they are affected by disasters, should be an important part of needs assessments, but is often still neglected. This report examines the potential role of humanitarian actors in supporting the re-establishment of remittance flows following disasters, for example by investing more in family tracing, and assisting in restoring communications systems. It argues that this could be an important contribution to processes of survival and recovery.

Chapter 2 examines basic conceptual

Prepared by the IASC Task Team on the Cluster Approach, this guidance note offers a Q & A on sector/cluster leads in major new emergencies.

This Annual Report offers an overview of a truly momentous year for human rights. The highlight was the historic inauguration, in June, of the Human Rights Council, the new intergovernmental body created to replace the Commission on Human Rights. Since its inception, the Council has been engaged in institution-building while tackling some of the human rights crises that erupted or intensified over the second part of 2006. It also moved swiftly to adopt the draft Convention on Enforced Disappearances and the draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,