This week marked the 75th day since Russia invaded Ukraine. As the humanitarian disaster unfolds, those carrying out Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) say additional government funding could make their work more effective.

UCP teams aim to resolve conflict and assist local citizens in a war-torn region by deploying strategies centered around nonviolent practices. They are seen as an alternative to armed United Nations peacekeepers.

The group Nonviolent Peaceforce has its U.S. offices in Minnesota.

Felicity Gray, advocacy lead for the group who is currently working with a team in Ukraine, said while they recently saw funding victories in Congress, they are still held back from ramping up efforts.

"We're having to go to all kinds of different donors and explain what we do," Gray explained. "A dedicated fund would enable that rollout to happen a lot more quickly and to respond to civilian need in a much more urgent manner, which is really what's required in places like Ukraine right now."

Through the most-recent appropriations bill, Congress directed the Secretary of State to provide funds for UCP, but Gray said they would like to see a dedicated funding stream of $25 million in the next fiscal year. Many groups and agencies are appealing to Congress with specific funding requests before proposed budgets are revealed in the coming weeks.

Marna Anderson, USA lead for the group, said there are about 50 known groups, plus many similar community efforts, doing this type of work around the world. She hopes Nonviolent Peaceforce and others can make a more permanent funding source the accepted approach in such situations.

"We have some examples from our work in South Sudan and Myanmar and other places where we are," Anderson pointed out. "But, you know, a lot of times people just don't believe that it's possible because we are so ingrained to believe that we get what we want through force and try to force particularly when it comes to violent conflict."

She argued their approach can help reduce trauma for those trying to escape a conflict. Many images and stories of brave citizens mobilizing in Ukraine have been widely shared. Gray added having expanded resources can make evacuations less dangerous.

"To have the trauma kits they need, to have the security training that they need," Gray outlined. "And for women and children who are moving out of those areas to be accompanied by dedicated protection officers that are able to identify risks such as trafficking."

Protests have heightened in New York as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joins the United Nations General Assembly today.

Sonya Meyerson-Knox, communications director for Jewish Voice for Peace, said it is important for protesters to not limit their objection to Netanyahu's far-right government, but also to what she calls "the apartheid."

"There is no place for the way that the Israeli state has been behaving," Meyerson-Knox asserted. "This is not how we want to see Palestinians treated, this is not how we want to see anyone treated. It's not one bad apple, it is not merely Netanyahu. It's this entire system of apartheid. Supremacy anywhere is a threat to everyone. And so, the way that the Israeli state has been enacting Jewish supremacy is, therefore, a problem."

Protests are ongoing in New York surrounding the U.N. General Assembly. There are also several protests in Israel.

Rabbi Josh Weinberg, vice president for Israel and Reform Zionism for the Union for Reform Judaism, said he has other reasons for protesting. He pointed out Israel's hard-right judicial overhaul has caused high-tech firms to pull their investments from the country. Weinberg added it has caused senior officers and pilots to question their commitment to be reserve officers because they do not trust the government.

"It's weakening Israel standing around the world, caused great instability," Weinberg contended. "And those who are in, for instance, the Boycott Divestment Sanctions Movement are seeing this as open fodder for them on Israel. Those who are accusing Israel of being an apartheid state, which I strongly contradict, will be hard to defend if certain members of Netanyahu's government get their way."

Guy Horowitz, an activist with UnXeptable, a pro-democracy American Israeli group opposing Israel's judicial overhaul, started planning the protests around Netanyahu's visit. Horowitz said it is important for the leadership in Israel to become less polarized.

"I'm pretty sure that every Palestinian understands that Israel is more risky and dangerous to the Palestinians well-being when 'haters' are at the helm," Horowitz argued. "There are talks about a potential accord with Saudi Arabia. Does Netanyahu have the mandate to sign, from the right side or from the left side?"

Horowitz is referring to Netanyahu's meeting Wednesday with President Joe Biden, after which they announced efforts to work together to cement diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The Biden administration faces calls to reconsider its latest round of support to Ukraine.

A member of Minnesota's congressional delegation, along with international relief groups, says this is the wrong choice of weapons to use against Russian forces.

Late last week, the Pentagon confirmed it was sending so-called "cluster" munitions to Ukraine to help with its counteroffensive.

Megan Rodgers, U.S. policy and advocacy manager for the group Nonviolent Peaceforce, said these weapons are indiscriminate - when they're dropped over an area, they disperse hundreds of smaller bombs that can cover a city block, leaving civilians in harm's way.

And she said there are long-term concerns, too.

"Oftentimes, they fail to explode within those cities or areas for years to come," said Rodgers, "with the possibility of exploding later, and then causing some really devastating harm to civilians."

Organizations monitoring these weapons say as many as 86,000 civilians have been killed by them since World War Two.

U.S. defense officials acknowledge the risk, but argue there could be greater civilian harm from attacks by Russia if the weapons aren't sent.

Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar - D-Minneapolis - is co-sponsoring a proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to thwart these types of transfers.

Omar echoes other concerns about the potential harm. Meanwhile, Rodgers noted that through a treaty, dozens of countries have taken steps to prohibit the use of cluster munitions.

"There's a 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions and over 123 signatories," said Rodgers. "So, individual countries have signed this, and it completely bans the use, production, and transfer and stockpiling of those weapons."

Rodgers said nearly two dozen of the signatories are NATO members, potentially complicating U.S. relations with those countries.

She added that still making use of these devices runs counter to a federal law prohibiting the transfer of weapons that have a failure rate beyond 1%.

Defense officials counter that Ukrainian forces will be using these devices in their home country, so will be motivated to do so in a way that minimize the risks.

Minnesotans and the rest of the U.S. population sometimes feel the ripple effects of instability in other parts of the world, and humanitarian groups hope a new federal plan to curb atrocities will help people abroad and at home.

This spring, the Biden administration laid out specific strategies under the Global Fragility Act, approved in 2019 with bipartisan support. It focuses on preventing some of the underlying drivers of conflict, like genocide or ethnic violence.

Felicity Gray, global head of policy and advocacy for the group Nonviolent Peaceforce, said people are well-informed about the direct effects of the war in Ukraine but other conflicts have their reach, too.

"Whether it's on the security front, or whether it's how much you're paying to fill up your car," Gray outlined. "By being really proactive about stabilization and conflict prevention, we can hopefully actually save a lot of money and a lot of heartache for communities around the world as well."

After consulting with partner countries like Haiti, the U.S. government will deploy 10-year commitments in vulnerable areas. Foreign policy experts said it should allow the U.S. to be less reactive, with fewer costly military interventions.

For Americans wondering about how to measure the progress of this initiative, Gray stressed patience will be key.

"And so, it's really more of a slow burn than we've usually seen in our engagement in other countries," Gray explained.

Gray noted in the future, people in affected regions will hopefully see more long-lasting stability. In the U.S., an eventual measuring stick might involve less panic over factors like inflation as it relates to foreign policy.

She added as the strategy is implemented, it is important for the federal government to maintain proper support, in terms of funding and training.