Protection Standby Capacity Project (ProCap)
The Inter-Agency Protection Standby Capacity Project (ProCap) is managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Established in 2005, the project seeks to strengthen inter-agency capacity and leadership to deliver on global commitments to ensure that protection is central to humanitarian action.
As an independent, inter-agency tool, ProCap provides Humanitarian Coordinators (HCs) and Humanitarian Country Teams (HCTs) with dedicated strategic and technical expertise. ProCap contributes to reaching a common conceptual understanding of centrality of protection in humanitarian action. Supporting humanitarian leadership, influencing programming and empowering local networks, the project focuses on capacity development and advocacy, targeting field practitioners. This work is supplemented by project engagement in policy-level discussions and the sharing of practices and lessons learned, bringing the practitioner’s perspective to global forums, inter-agency panels and thematic learning events.
Our Work
Strategic Advice and Technical Support: ProCap deploys Senior Protection Advisers to strengthen country-based humanitarian leadership and integrate protection priorities into planning and resource tools. ProCap deployments guide Humanitarian Country Teams to support the Humanitarian Coordinators under the IASC CoP Benchmarks.
Capacity Strengthening: ProCap conducts trainings and shares resources to build a protection community of practice and equip responders and decision-makers with essential advocacy skills.
Policy Engagement and Sharing Practice: ProCap connects global policies with field practices through partnerships and IASC engagement. The Project provides clear protection concepts and promotes unified protection activities and advocacy.
Leadership
ProCap supports humanitarian decision makers to the critical protection risks faced by affected populations are reduced and addressed. Working in an inter-agency capacity, a ProCap deployment will support HCT members to ensure protection informs strategic decision making. This process allows HCT’s to mobilise collective action in a credible, accountable, and authoritative manner.
Central to the success of ProCap deployments, is firmly anchoring the project advisors at the field leadership level. In consultation with the HCT, protection mandated agencies and other influential stakeholders, Advisors will collaborate with the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), clusters leads and agencies, and respective heads of offices.
ProCap Senior Advisors tailor their approach to the context to which they are deployed. Some examples of kinds of support offered are:
- Facilitating HCT protection strategies
- Contextual and robust analysis of critical protection risks
- Capacity building at all levels of the response – national to operational
- Technical guidance and support to the HCT, OCHA and clusters on the Humanitarian Response Plan process
- Catalyzing relationships to reduce protection risks across all sectors of a response and also with non-humanitarian stakeholders.
- Technical support on assessment design
- Advisory to the HC and HCT on emerging protection risks
- Collaboration with the IASC and GPC on the implementation of the 2016 Policy on Protection Guidance on protection advocacy
Localization
Engaging the capacities, knowledge and skills of affected communities and national organizations is essential for the feasibility and sustainability of protection responses. As a result, ProCap advisors advocate for community-based protection approaches and strategies for including affected populations and national organizations.
ProCap advisors can provide tailored support to incorporating protection into localization initiatives. Some examples of ProCap advisors work while deployed in this regard include:
- Mapping national and civil society organizations related to their role in addressing protection issues.
- Supporting national organizations in HCT level decision making
- Advising on protection in Localization frameworks
- Contributing to analysis and understanding of the capacities of national organizations and/or affected populations.
- Capacity building of operational stall on protection and community-based approaches
- Catalyzing interagency collaboration on localization.