Engaging local communities, including women, in discussions on protection req...

Engaging local communities, including women, in discussions on protection requirements is key both in the planning stages and while peacekeeping missions are deployed in the field. Engaging the community builds trust and lines of communication; it assists in ensuring consistency with efforts which communities already have under way, and can help manage expectations about what peacekeeping missions are able to do, which can assist in preserving their credibility. The development of community alert networks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a good example of local engagement that allows isolated communities to contact local authorities and bases of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo when under threat.