Norm Fixation

Abstract

Abstract While the normative development of the UN’s focus on protection of civilians is well covered, there is little research on how more than two decades of translating the norm into practice has led to the development of an entire ecosystem of early warning tools across the UN system. Most of these tools have been created at the field level, and UN Member States have neither played a role in pushing for these tools nor in helping to develop them. This article makes two contributions. Empirically, the article maps the ecosystem of early warning tools for protection of civilians in UN peace operations. Second, drawing on practice theory, the article reflects on the origin of these tools and argues that bottom-up norm implementation practices in international organizations amount to norm fixations—collectively describing what a norm is and how it should be implemented in practice.