2020 Annual RBP Briefing Paper and Webinar – Embracing the Protection Outcome Mindset: We All Have a Role to Play

Reducing the risk experienced by people in situations of armed conflict is both possible and essential. Still, it will require some changes in mindset and ways of working in the humanitarian community. The most foundationally important change in mindset needed is to recognize protection as the outcome we seek. From this flows the analytical framework, strategies to achieve results leading to outcomes, and skills for practical problem-solving.

Through InterAction’s work on Results-Based Protection, we have deepened our understanding of what it takes to make those shifts in practical terms and observed how a diversity of humanitarian actors has a role to play in reducing risk. Every humanitarian actor—from frontline staff to donors—has relevant skills to contribute and a responsibility to do so.

This paper shares InterAction’s recent observations putting results-based protection into practice and recommends areas for greater investment by humanitarian actors. We examine the challenges of generating useful protection analysis for effective decision-making and how to engage the necessary breadth of stakeholders. We then look at how to link the different levels involved in humanitarian response and opportunities to pursue protection outcomes through formal inter-agency humanitarian architecture. Finally, we explore opportunities for measuring risk reduction and take a particular look at the role that each of us plays in this endeavor.