Impact case study database

AGEMI (February 2017-July 2019) is a project originally funded by the European Commission (DG Justice and Consumers) under their Rights, Equality and Citizenship programme. It was explicitly funded as an Action Project which would draw on extant research to develop an initiative which could impact gender inequalities in the media. The AGEMI consortium comprised three university partners (Newcastle as Lead, Padova and Gothenburg) and two media unions: European Federation of Journalists and COPEAM (Permanent Conference of Mediterranean Audiovisual Operators) since our primary intention was to develop resources which would not only enhance awareness of gender inequalities amongst journalism students (and thus encourage a more gender-sensitive approach to their practice), but would also be a useful resource for media professionals.

AGEMI has four major elements: a) Resources Bank of Good Practices; b) set of learning units; c) student-practitioner encounters; d) app. AGEMI has been presented at numerous academic and practitioner conferences since 2018, and had its official launch in February 2018 at the Press Club in Brussels, attended by journalists, NGOs, MEPs and European Commission staff. All the resources are free to download and repurpose. As at 31 December 2020, the site has had 205,599 page views, plus another 14,000 views and 86,000 page impressions on the AGEMI YouTube Channel. In their end-of-project review, the European Commission’s letter attests that the project has been impactful and will continue to have further impacts over time. “The activities of this project were successfully implemented and are very impactful. The project was fruitful in increasing awareness on gender inequality in the media and pushed students to engage in a professional practice that embedded gender sensitivity, diversity and intersectionality.” (SOURCE 1)

We are claiming two categories of impact:

A Impacts on understanding, learning and participation, primarily, an increased understanding and awareness of gender roles through the education and training of students and other young people, civil society and media professionals (journalists), with three sub-claims, that AGEMI has: A1 Influenced the design and delivery of curriculum and syllabi in HEIs; A2 Influenced the design and delivery of curriculum and syllabi in non-vocational courses; and A3 Influenced the design and delivery of curriculum and syllabi for members of civil society; and B Impacts on practitioners through influencing the continuing personal and professional training of journalists. We discuss and evidence each of these impacts in turn below.

A1 - Impacts on HE journalism students taking formal courses

AGEMI was required to commission an independent evaluation of the project from the very beginning and the evaluator commented that the project was successful in raising awareness of gender equality issues and encouraging a more gender-inclusive journalism. She said: “Overall, it was clear that for all the students, the major impact in terms of learning was a raised awareness of gender inequalities in the media and a commitment to practice gender-sensitive journalism in their future work. Some respondents said they will now consider gender and age when doing interviews and think about ways to provide and portray a woman’s perspective, having learned from the experiences of others what a ‘gender oriented’ view is, along with tips on how to work toward gaining more equal representation across the industry.” (SOURCE 2)

Members of the AGEMI consortium, including Ross, have run a series of workshops to promote and walk through the AGEMI resources with different audiences, including educators, media professionals and students. In terms of the latter, one typical workshop was held in January 2020 at the University of Malta and the local host (Head of Department) said: “The students really enjoyed your visit, and working through the different aspects of the platform has prompted further explorations of the resources beyond your visit. Putting so many resources together in one place makes your suggestion that it’s a one-stop-shop for raising awareness around gender equality issues in the media completely justified and I expect its impact to be wide-reaching and significant. It’s definitely already raised awareness of the broad issues of gender in/equality amongst the students.”

The AGEMI resources have also been integrated in at least two (that we know of) current University courses, at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), New York and the Institute of Journalism and Communication Science at the University of Vienna. The colleagues who have used the materials have been very positive about their quality and utility in raising awareness of gender in/equality and media issues amongst students. The course leader at RIT said: “I used both the website and the app in …a module focusing on representations of gender and race that commonly appear in Hollywood films. I found that the materials on the AGEMI website provided excellent ancillary resources. In an exercise in class, we searched for newspaper stories covering topics related to Hollywood, and then used the app to code them. The results provided a good foundation for an in-class discussion. I intend to use the website and the app again this academic year, when I teach a course in Gender and Communication.” (SOURCE 3)

Focusing more explicitly on the examples included in the project’s Resources Bank of Good Practices as part of a semester-long action research and learning project around gender mainstreaming, the course leader said that student learning was enhanced and awareness raised about gender inequalities through their engagement with the AGEMI resources: “The analyses of the individual learning journals of the students (n 57) filled out throughout the semester delivered meaningful results about self-identification, engagement and mobilization as a matter of social reflection and responsiveness to inequalities." (course leader, Institute of Journalism and Communication Science at the University of Vienna). AGEMI appears as a good practice project on the website of the (UK) Association of Journalism Education (SOURCE 4). It also features as an exemplar in two academic texts focused on media and journalism education (SOURCE 5).

A2 - Impacts on young people taking non-vocational courses

The AGEMI learning units formed the exclusive basis of two online courses delivered by the NGO, Sharing Perspectives, as part of an EU-funded digital learning initiative, Erasmus Virtual Exchange, with a total of 636 learners registered (314 in 2019 and 322 in 2020), some of whom are university students but most are not. The primary impacts on course participants were awareness-raising and changed behaviour, together with some multiplier effects where learners discussed the issues they were accessing with peers and family, thus embedding new learning in their everyday lives.

The Director of Sharing Perspectives said: “It is clear that the course content was very effective in raising awareness of a range of inequality issues in the media which are gendered, with 80% of students saying the content was ‘very’ effective in raising such awareness and 19% saying it was ‘somewhat’ effective.” His letter also includes some direct quotes from participants: “The experience gave me the chance to enhance my knowledge about women in not only in the Arab world but also in the western world. As a woman, before starting this virtual exchange, I had no idea about what women are experiencing in the media industry such as sexual harassment, violence and discrimination but through the discussion and lectures my knowledge deepened and I became more aware.” (woman, Tunisia); “I learnt that gender inequality does exist and I play a role in it. It makes me more conscious of my own decisions and how I should behave as a future female journalist and do not let gender negotiate my career.” (woman, Ireland) ( SOURCE 6)

A3 – Impacts on civil society

The AGEMI resources have also been integrated into a Diploma in Communication, Gender and Human Rights which is jointly delivered by the Argentinian NGO, Asociación Civil Comunicación para la Igualdad (Communication for Equality) and the Inter-American Commission of Women, and is supported by UNESCO. Approximately 35 people have completed the version of the course which includes the AGEMI resources. The President of the CfE said that the resources, “…are extremely useful for advancing/progressing the communication and gender agenda both at a local and global level.”

The media-monitoring app which is the most obviously interactive aspect of the AGEMI project is available to download for both iPhone and Android. As well as being used by RIT students (as above), it was also used in some countries as part of the training for participants in the 2020 iteration of the Global Media Monitoring Project and the coordinator of the GMMP said: “I have also encouraged the coordinators to download the AGEMI app because its simplicity makes it an ideal tool for national team members who are new to media monitoring, especially those working in community rather than in education, as well as constituting a useful ice-breaker for team training more generally.” AGEMI appears as a good practice resource on the European Institute for Gender Equality’s web pages under gender mainstreaming. (SOURCE 7).

B - Impacts on journalism practice

One of the project partners is the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) who suggest that journalists have had their awareness-raised about gender equality, particularly in relation to understanding more about positive responses to challenging same, through their exposure to the AGEMI resources during professional development activities and practitioner conference workshops which have taken place over the period 2018-2020. AGEMI is a permanent feature on the EFJ’s Equality and Diversity pages: implicit endorsement of the AGEMI project gives confidence to journalists that the resources are meaningful. The EFJ General Secretary said: “…we have encouraged journalist trainers to integrate AGEMI resources into their local and national training activities, particularly the filmed interviews with women journalists and the learning units which focus specifically on employment issues around newsroom cultures and anecdotal feedback suggests that such resources have had an impact in raising awareness around gender equality, not least because they are research and evidence-based with a lot of concrete, real-life examples, which I hope will, in turn, lead to a more gender-sensitive professional practice. That is my hope anyway!” (SOURCE 8)

The Permanent Conference of Mediterranean Audiovisual Operators (COPEAM), which is the broadcasting union for media practitioners working in the Mediterranean region, has been awarded funding from the Council of Europe to organise training for journalists and NGOs based on the AGEMI materials (SOURCE 9).

Dementia & Imagination (D&I) had impacts on a wide range of individuals (participants with dementia, carers, artists & the public who have encountered the project) and organisations (care homes, Arts Council England, Equal Arts and Age Watch). This societal impact can be divided into several categories:

Impact of D&I on participants with dementia and their carers/family members

Analysis of the impact of D&I on the participants and their carers/family members is based on data gathered during the project: semi-structured interviews with 33 participants with dementia (79 interviews across all sites) and 31 family members or carers (76 interviews across all sites) as well as open text survey responses from 128 family members or carers. Analysis of the interviews showed that the impacts of the activities were wide ranging. For example, increased enjoyment, improved relationships and pride in achievements, which contributed to QoL and general wellbeing. (IMP 1)

For example, one participant who was lonely stated: ‘I thought it was good and I thought how good love, care and attention they paid us. You see, I’m on my own, I feel as if I don’t belong anywhere; you made me feel I belonged. And the people were nice; you were very nice. Well, for a certain part of the day, when I went there, I wasn’t.’

The director of a participating care home in Sunderland, noted that people living with dementia were able to effectively communicate in the arts enrichment sessions even if they had lost verbal language. She stated: ‘It really did feel quite different to me all of the activities were bringing everybody together, I had a greater interaction with that I’d ever had before. She was dancing with me and singing, […]. She was really connecting with other people as well in the group as well. Her body language seemed to be different.’ (IMP 2)

The main community partner in NE England was Equal Arts ( https://www.equalarts.org.uk/ a creative ageing charity). Despite having extensive experience of working with older people with dementia, their involvement in D&I further enhanced their existing approaches. The Creative Age Programme Manager for Equal Arts stated that as a result of taking part in D&I, Equal Arts is ‘now in a position to share best practice and support the professional development of the sector whilst critically improving the lives of older people living with dementia in an inclusive way’. (IMP 7) This indicates the longevity of the impact of the project.

The main national community partner was Age Watch ( https://www.agewatch.net/ whose aim is to enable older people to live longer in better health). Being involved in D&I has had ‘a lasting impact’ on the work of Age Watch. As a result of their experiences: they have become more involved in research and carried out their own research work; they have become more proactive in policy engagement, including providing written evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Intergenerational Fairness and Provision; they have also made greater use of visual arts in their communication strategy. (IMP 8)

Impact upon wider cultural sector

In 2015 Arts Council England (ACE) were unsure if their arts and older peoples work should continue as an area of work or be absorbed into a broader policy around arts and health. The then Arts Council England’s Director of Engagement attended a seminar we were running sharing the work of D&I and afterwards stated ‘You had been working with a group of older people as an advisory panel and they were there as delegates. I remember one woman getting quite emotional and saying, ‘I don’t want it to be about health – I want to live’, I have quoted this numerous times. The session helped me to move away from a medical outcomes driven approach – at least when it comes to prioritising ACE funding. Interestingly we are now speaking to Public Health England and again this standpoint is helping us negotiate those conversations’. He also states that it helped shape their policy work in this area and the shape their future.

As part of the D&I impact strategy an arts practitioner handbook was produced. It is a set of useful ideas and recommendations setting out some foundations for developing visual arts projects with and for, people affected by dementia. 9000 copies have been downloaded since June 2018 and it has been translated into Dutch. Newman presented the findings from D&I at a regional event organised by Arts 4 Dementia (24 July 2020), aimed at driving forward social prescribing as a pre-diagnostic practice. At the event, the Founder and Director of Research of Arts 4 Dementia advocated the value of the handbook and, in a subsequent letter of support, stated that ‘The information in the Cultural Trends paper and the protocol papers also helped to inform and move forward [the Social Prescribing] programme, which we have rolled out across the country’. (IMP 10)

Other outputs from the project have had an impact on organisations working in the arts & wellbeing sector. The CEO of Creative Dementia Arts Network commented that one of the project publications (not listed in Section 3) helped ‘to shape up [their] Mentorship scheme for arts and dementia projects’. (IMP 11)

An AHRC-funded Follow-on project, The Imagination Café (value GBP99,000), trained approximately 100 artists in the techniques developed by the project. 53 participants completed the project evaluations from training events in London and Edinburgh. Of these, 41 responses indicated that they had learnt something from the training. These responses were coded hierarchically as indicating: consolidation of existing knowledge (1); general learning of something new (18); learning new practices (11); learning new practices with an explicit intention to implement them in future work (11). As an example of the latter, a participant at the Edinburgh event wrote, ‘I am about to begin a project with later stage dementia groups; I have learned ways to introduce an activity and stimulate responses will be very useful as my previous experience is with earlier stage dementia’. (IMP 12)

The Dementia and Imagination project has enriched the lives of older people living dementia, both those directly involved and those who have encountered the partner organisations and artists involved. In doing so the work has helped to address a major current societal challenge.

Significant national impact from the research can be organised into 2 main areas. In the first, the research has directly influenced and informed the design and creation of a credit union backed digital credit platform ( Just Borrow). In the second, the research has directly led to changes in debt advice education for a range of national debt advice organisations.

a) Impact on increasing the availability of affordable credit to low-income borrowers across the UK.

Ash worked with representatives from the Financial Inclusion Centre, GRE Consulting, London Mutual Credit Union, and Lewisham Plus Credit Union on the launch of a new digital credit platform ( Just Borrow) that specifically targets low-income borrowers and allows them to borrow quickly and easily without the costs associated with HCSTC. This involved: 1. Co-delivery of a workshop with stakeholders to identify ways in which the research could be used to improve the usability and functionality of Just Borrow; 2. Collaborative user testing of the platform between the research team at Newcastle University and stakeholders; and 3. Production of a final recommendations report. This made explicit reference to original empirical material, especially interviews with HCSTC users and UI and UX designers (PUB 3, 4). Impact was delivered by addressing a specific problem experienced by Just Borrow stakeholders, outlined in their words in a letter of support: ‘One of the problems we encountered was how to design a digital platform that could compete with high-cost lenders and appeal to consumers as a viable alternative. This is where your research has had the most impact for us… [enabling] us to make evidence-based changes that have improved the look, feel and functionality of the platform’ (SOURCE 1). This led to direct improvements of the platform, including real-time calculation of total loan cost on the loan slider, repositioning of buttons to gain prominence and clarity, improved tone of voice, clearer application form presentation, and live application form guidance to improve consumer understanding. The evidence provided by the research helped the Just Borrow team ‘ to recruit new credit unions […] support[ing] the extension of its reach, increas[ing] credit union membership and benefit[ting] more consumers with affordable credit.’ (SOURCE 1). Just Borrow is now live with 12 UK credit unions. It is estimated that Just Borrow will save borrowers between GBP386 and GBP515 in interest alone on an average loan of GBP600 over a 6-month term (SOURCE 1). In its first year, Just Borrow has lent over GBP250,000 to customers, saving borrowers GBP000s in interest, compared to high-cost alternatives and its credit union partnerships means it now covers 31% of the UK population (SOURCE 2). Borrowers using the platform have stated: ‘ I’d used payday loans in the past and got into increasing debt. A Just Borrow loan has helped me break the cycle and I am now looking forward to be debt free’. Furthermore, 100% of those who used and reviewed Just Borrow would recommend it to family and friends (SOURCE 3). As a result, the Just Borrow platform has been accredited as an ethical finance product by the charity Fairlife, and such a reputation will ensure its continuing utility in the future (SOURCE 2).

b) Impact on national debt advice giving

The research has directly improved debt advisers’ understanding of consumer borrowing decisions and helped them to better understand how digital access to credit can increase instances of impulse borrowing, especially for vulnerable consumers, which has transformed how they give advice and support.

Specifically:

1. Ash co-designed and co-delivered an online training webinar for Wiseradviser, the national training arm of the Money Advice Trust. Wiseradviser provides training and support to debt advisers in the UK and is accredited by the Money Advice Service Quality Framework. The webinar was based entirely on the research findings and is available as a CPD resource (worth one CPD point) for money advisers to access. 72 advisers have accessed the webinar in 2019 and Wiseradviser estimated another 70 accessed the webinar in 2020. 92% of advisers who completed feedback rated the webinar as Good or Excellent. The great majority (92%) of advisers said that the webinar improved or refreshed their knowledge and ‘made them think differently’ about online lending and its impact on borrowers (SOURCE 4).

2. The research directly led to the reframing of a National Institute of Money Advisers course for money advisers. The previously titled Sub Prime Lending course has been renamed to High Cost Credit to reflect the changing landscape of UK credit services (SOURCE 5). The evidence-based findings were incorporated into the training, focusing in particular on who borrows high-cost credit and the reasons why people borrow. Feedback from the course writer said that the research findings made them rethink the reach of the high-cost credit market in terms of people affected (not just those in poverty but also those in work) and the significance of digital credit access (its ease, availability, and speed). To date, 46 money advisers have attended the updated High Cost Credit course and feedback has been extremely positive, with the IMA stating the research ensured ‘training is up-to-date and evidence-based’ (SOURCE 6).

3. Co-development and co-delivery of financial wellbeing sessions for money advice practitioners in partnership with Clean Slate Financial Wellbeing Services CIC. To date, a total of 20 people have attended these sessions. Our specific contribution drew explicitly from the research and included: a. how digital access to credit is changing where and when people apply for and use credit and their experiences of indebtedness; b. how high-cost credit changes people's relationship with money, credit, and debt; c. real-life experiences of people who use high-cost credit and its consequences; d. how high-cost credit providers deliberately use design techniques to shape consumer decision-making. During sessions, we also facilitated interactive exercises involving the Indebted Life app. Some of the practitioners we trained have taken on the role of ‘Financial Wellbeing Champions’ in their community setting, implementing their learning to help people they come into contact with who may be facing money and debt issues. We also demonstrated how Indebted Life could be used in one-to-one and group settings. All practitioners said that they would use the app in their work, with feedback highlighting the app was an ‘informative…experience to show how easy a split second decision can effect other people’ (SOURCE 7).

4. The Indebted Life app, and the activities the research team designed, have been used in other settings, including by Money Advice Scotland in secondary school outreach work. Feedback from those using the Indebted Life app included : ‘It really [made me] think about the consequences of making rash decisions without any actual risk’, ‘It [helped me] to understand payday loans better’. When asked if the app had changed the way users thought about money management and use of HCSTC, one person said ‘[It made me think about how to] budget finances and to work out if taking out the loan is affordable every month’ (SOURCE 7).

5. Citizens Advice Newcastle said the research revealed how much pressure their clients are under (and the lived experiences of borrowing HCSTC). The research has benefitted the organisation because staff are now ‘better able to understand our clients’ debt problems’ and, as a result, staff ‘have been better able to articulate our clients’ problems’. This has made them even more determined to challenge poor practice by lenders as an organisation with a campaigning arm (SOURCE 7). Quaker Social Action said the research gave the organisation ‘a better understanding of how people use these services…’, especially in terms of using HCSTC as a source of monthly income, and the impact technology has on consumer decision making. When asked what changes have taken place in the organisation as a result of the research, respondents stated that the research has directly influenced the design of a new course that links digital and financial skills (SOURCE 8).

As a result of these impacts, the research has significantly altered understandings of both HCSTC in particular and the problems associated with digital credit more generally. This impact has been national and influenced and shaped a range of actors and practices, from informing the design of new affordable credit platforms, to creating new accredited educational content and releasing innovative educational apps that benefit vulnerable and low-income borrowers. The collaborative nature of these changes, and how they have been embedded into organisations, ensures that the impact from the research will continue to have an effect and ‘inform future research and campaigns work’ (SOURCE 8) as the debt advice sector responds to the growing digital credit marketplace.

Stone’s research has had a wide national and international impact and its significance is seen nationally, in the MoD establishing a new CPP Unit as a direct result of Stone’s article [PUB5] and in its impact on the UK passing new national legislation and ratifying existing international law; and internationally, through influencing and changing policy, practice, and behaviour in UNESCO, the Blue Shield, UN Peacekeeping deployments, the ICRC, UN Human Rights, [text removed for publication], and NATO.

National impact

Stone’s early underpinning research [e.g.PUBS1-4] led him to be asked to co-author the 2012 UK National Commission for UNESCO Policy Brief on why the UK should ratify the 1954 HC, which was a key background document used for briefing Ministers, Members of both Houses of Parliament, and civil servants during the 2016-17 debates on the ratification of the 1954 HC.

Following his 2008 evidence to the DCMS Select Committee, Stone was asked for advice by civil servants, Ministers, and Members of both Houses of Parliament during the passing of the Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill in 2016-17 and subsequent ratification of the 1954 HC & Protocols. He was personally thanked by numerous speakers during these debates [IMP1] and, in one private meeting was referred to by a Minister as the " mother of the Bill" [IMP2].

The Commanding Officer of the UK’s new Cultural Property Protection Unit wrote: “ *In 2017 Parliament ratified the Hague Convention… as a result of which [*the Ministry of ] Defence established the Cultural Property Protection Unit (CPPU) in 2018, to ensure that UK Armed Forces respect and protect cultural property during the conduct of military operations. Having sat through the Parliamentary debates as the Convention made its way through Parliament, I am very much aware of the influence that Prof Stone had on that process” [IMP3], Stone’s 2013 ‘4 Tier Approach’ article [PUB5], “… prompted me to write the military paper which has, post-ratification, resulted in the development of the policy, doctrine, geospatial data, education, training and the CPPU in Defence, with much of this work to put the structure in place to deliver CPP taking place now” [IMP3]. Not since the Second World War has CPP been so comprehensively integrated in the UK’s armed forces. Given the Newcastle’s UNESCO team’s profile, Fox and Cunliffe were asked to write the UK Blue Shield’s Position Paper on the UK Implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention [IMP5a].

International Impact

Stone’s research brought him to the attention of UNESCO and enabled Newcastle University to successfully apply to establish a UNESCO Chair in CPP and Peace, the only such Chair in the world ( https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/list-unesco-chairs.pdf), predicated on the development of research, policy, and practical delivery of better CPP. “ In light of the good results achieved… [and]… confirmed by the positive evaluation of its activities”, the Chair was renewed from January 2020 for a further four years (letter from UNESCO 9 May 2019).

Stone’s impact on the Blue Shield (advisory body to UNESCO on CPP) has been “… immense…” [IMP4]. In particular his 2011 Ethics… book [PUB3], 2013 ‘4 Tier Approach’ article [PUB5], and his 2016 ‘Challenge’ article [PUB6] “… provide much of the philosophy of and framework within which the Blue Shield Board and all Blue Shield national committees work, and which form a central part of the military training materials produced by the Blue Shield” [IMP4]. The two articles [PUB5, PUB6] have both (the latter with minor modifications) been formally adopted as Blue Shield policy [IMP5b]. His research has given Blue Shield “… the credibility to be currently developing a formal MoU with UNESCO and, unthinkable until Stone laid the foundations, the ICRC” [IMP4].

Stone’s research and role as UNESCO Chair led to the development of a closer relationship between the Blue Shield and ICRC which led to the signing of a MoU in February 2020 [IMP7]. This is an unprecedented development within the Humanitarian response to CPP.

Stone’s 2012 “Human Rights and CPP in Times of Conflict” article [PUB4] was part of his research that attracted the attention of the UN Special Rapporteur for Cultural Rights. Stone supported the Special Rapporteur in her preparation of her first (2016) report to the UN General Assembly, that set-out a human rights approach regarding the intentional destruction of cultural heritage (IMP8a), by attending specialist international meetings [e.g.IMP8b], providing reference material and contacts, and organising, through the UK national committee of the Blue Shield, a London workshop during which she tested her ideas. Stone’s 2016 Museum International article (PUB6) was cited in the Report (IMP8a). Never before had this issue been addressed as a human rights issue at this level at the UN (IMP8b).

Newcastle’s UNESCO team, led by Paul Fox, has stimulated “ a significant raising of awareness of the importance of CPP within [ NATO]” leading to the signing of a Letter of Intent in June 2020 [IMP9]. This followed an unprecedented level of activity (2017-2020) including:

• “Working on NATO exercises in particular Trident Jaguar (2018) and Trident Jackal (2019);

• Commenting and supporting the writing of a Direction and Guidance Document for NATO Command Structure on CPP (CPP Directive);

• Working with the NATO Rapid Reaction Corps in the UK and Greece;

• Supporting the development of a better geo-spatial data base for the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict;

• NATO asking the UNESCO Chair team to write the CPP briefing document for the 2018 NATO Summit, which was a great success;

• Dr Stone in particular being invited to speak at the NATO CPP Conference in Brussels in April 2019” [IMP9].

The CPP Directive is a particularly significant impact as it is the first step towards NATO developing a CPP Policy that will require all 29 Member States, and quite probably most of its 40 Partners, to formally implement CPP into their education, training, and operational standards. Stone was invited (9 December 2020) to join a restricted NATO High-Level Event on Human Security (26 February 2021), that will lay the groundwork for the development of principles and guidelines for CPP, and then a working group that will support the development and drafting of a policy for the NATO Council for anticipated approval by mid-2021. The geospatial standards developed by the UNESCO team are being included in The Multilateral Interoperability Programme (MIP), a military standardization body comprising 24 member nations, the European Defence Agency, and NATO, https://www.mimworld.org/portal/projects/welcome/wiki/Welcome.

[text removed for publication] As with other impact noted here, this contributes to ensuring the sustainability of the research and impact activities associated with CPP.

Stone also advised the NATO Civilian/Military Centre of Excellence on its 2015 publication CPP Makes Sense for which he was awarded a special commendation plaque as “ a token of appreciation for his contribution”. The publication integrates Stone’s ‘4 Tier Approach’ into suggested good practice. The Newcastle team was asked to comment, and did so, on NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps’ Note: CIMIC & Human Security in Corps Warfighting, that is to be incorporated into standard practice. The UNESCO team was thanked for the “ very helpful and positive response” (email from Allied Rapid Reaction Force, 2 June 2020) and have had further input into the redrafting of this document.

Most of the training and education delivered by the team relates to CPP in armed conflict. However, the team has also developed a specialist focus on CPP for Peacekeeping deployments, training staff of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), and the Directorate General of Antiquities three times, as well as the Fijian Army (2018) and Irish Defence Forces (IDF) (2019). As a result, the IDF is in the process of getting CPP approved as an official course within its training system (IMP6a). The UNIFIL and Fijian training was carried out in cooperation with the relevant UNESCO Regional Offices (see below) and the UNIFIL training led to an MoU between the Blue Shield, UNIFIL, and others in October 2020 and to a partnership between Blue Shield, UNIFIL, and LAF to help secure and stabilise buildings in Beirut following the devastating 4 August 2020 explosion (IMP10).

Four brief examples illustrate how highly Newcastle’s UNESCO team is regarded internationally for its impact on training and education related to CPP (IMP6):

UNESCO Regional Office Beirut (regarding UNIFIL training): “ In all of his work Professor Stone brings a depth of knowledge about how and why CPP is important not only to the military, but also, more importantly, to the individuals and communities whose lives are interrupted and frequently destroyed by armed conflict. He has been a great friend and colleague to this regional office, but I am also aware he works on a very wide international stage. The Newcastle Chair in CPP&P has been very influential on raising the profile of CPP&P internationally” (IMP6b).

UNESCO Regional Office in the Pacific (regarding Fijian Army training and wider CPP activity): “ Prof Stone… has actively engaged in building capacity in CPP and promoting the 1954 Convention in the Pacific island states”. He has “…facilitated CPP work in the Pacific by supporting the institutional development of Blue Shield Pasifika (BSP), helping its participation in the General Assembly of the Blue Shield (Vienna 2017) as well as the Australia Blue Shield Symposium (Canberra 2018). He further assisted the Fijian authorities to invite a [Blue Shield] resource person … to … help deliver… the Training of Trainers for the Integration of CPP in Military Training (Fiji, 2018). His strong support has resulted in the formal recognition of BSP as a regional committee of the BS in early 2019” (IMP6c).

US Air Force Culture & Language Center (AFCLC): The UNESCO Chair in CPP&P “ is a team which conducts research of the highest calibre and then applies and integrates those insights with a diverse range of partners to make the protection of cultural property a reality. Our relationship with the Newcastle team is vital as AFCLC continues to develop exercise support standards and scenario templates to challenge decision-making regarding cultural heritage/property and broader sociocultural dynamics in such command-level, joint, multi-national and multi-domain exercise and war gaming environments” (IMP6d).

Antalya Bilim University, Turkey: “ Professor Stone has been helping us plan a new undergraduate degree in Heritage Management which will be the first of its kind in Turkey… [his] overall contribution has been extremely helpful and the degree will be significantly stronger and more relevant because of his thoughtful contributions - many based on his personal experience throughout his long career. His insights and understanding regarding the importance of cultural heritage to communities, to cultural property protection in the event of armed conflict, and to the interpretation of the past and how heritage might be used as a means of promoting peace and understanding, have been particularly helpful. All will be integrated into the new course” (IMP6e).

Taken together the underpinning research has had a major impact on the national and international acceptance of the importance of CPP by supporting new legislation, ratification of international humanitarian law, establishment of a new military unit and influencing and supporting change in international military, heritage, and humanitarian organisations. As indicated above, the work continues and future impact will establish the importance and long-term legacy of the research.