The 'protection of civilians' mandate in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations fulfils a critical role in realising broader protection objectives, which have in recent years become an important focus of international relations and international law. The concepts of the 'protection of civilians' constructed by the humanitarian, human rights and peacekeeping communities have evolved somewhat separately, resulting in disparate understandings of the associated normative bases, substance and

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... sponsibilities. If UN peacekeepers are to effectively provide physical * Haidi Willmot writes in her personal capacity and the views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations. The authors have benefited from the helpful comments of others, including Conor Foley and the anonymous peer reviewers. International Review of the Red Cross (2013), 95 (891/892), 517-538. Multinational operations and the law protection to civilians under threat of violence, it is necessary to untangle this conceptual and normative confusion. The practical expectations of the use of force to protect civilians must be clear, and an overarching framework is needed to facilitate the spectrum of actors working in a complementary way towards the common objectives of the broader protection agenda.