Humanitarian protection — the effort to protect the fundamental well-being of individuals caught up in certain conflicts or “man-made” emergencies — has moved from the periphery of world affairs to centre stage over the past few decades.This is both good and bad. It is good in the sense that the welfare of persons in dire straits because of war and forced displacement is receiving more attention from various actors. It is bad in the sense that many millions of persons each year continue to wind up in dire straits from these and similar emergencies.