United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will brief the Security Council on his annual report on the protection of civilians during a virtual open debate on 27 May. In his report, he denounces the practice of bombing populated areas and the disastrous consequences for civilians, and supports the current diplomatic effort to develop a political declaration […]
The 2020 Protection of Civilians Week will take place next week, from May 27th to June 1st, starting with the UN Security Council Open Debate. 22 civil society actors are calling the UN Security Council, Member States, and the UN System to take urgent steps to protect civilians living in armed conflict.
HI has published key comments and recommendations on the draft political declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from Humanitarian Harm arising from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas, shared by the Government of Ireland on 17 March 2020.
Yemen has endured 5 years of devastating conflict leaving the country highly vulnerable to the risk of COVID-19 among other risks. Less than 50% of health facilities are functioning in Yemen while 19.7 million people are in need of healthcare.
In Syria, Yemen and many other places populations affected by conflicts live under the constant threat of bombing & shelling. They live in the fear of being killed, injured or losing their loved ones, unable to access basic services while vital civilian infrastructure have been reduced to rubbles and humanitarian access is not guaranteed.
As almost 1 million people – mainly women and children – have been forced to flee fighting and bombing in Idlib, northwest Syria, HI urges States to fully commit to the international diplomatic process aimed to better protect civilians from the use of explosive weapon in populated areas.
On 15 February, strikes on Al Jawf governorate in northern Yemen killed 31 civilians, and injured dozens. 11 aid organisations in Yemen are sharing a joint statement to express their concern.
On Monday, 18 November, at the United Nations in Geneva, States’ delegations, militaries, UN agencies and civil society will gather to start negotiations on a political declaration against the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
For the eight year in a row, international campaigners from all over the world and engaged to promote disarmament convened for a two days meeting bound to share experience, lessons learnt and practices but also to join efforts and face together common challenges.