YouSaid · the spoken record

Maurer

lines on the record: 273
first: 1996-08-15
most recent: 2022-01-25
sittings or episodes: 35
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“We are struggling to keep up with our efforts to prevent and respond to their humanitarian impacts. This is experienced most severely by people trapped in urban warfare. We can and must do more for the sake of generations present and future. I ask that Council members refer to my full written statement, which contains a few additional ideas for their consideration.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953 (2022) · source
“Parties to conflict can help prevent food insecurity by respecting international humanitarian law — notably the rules protecting civilian structures, such as markets, warehouses, shops and water installations, and other objects indispensable to the survival of populations from attack. Finally, much more must be done to prevent internal displacement and to enhance protection and assistance for internally displaced people during urban warfare. Ensuring respect for international humanitarian law can help prevent a large number of people from being displaced and enhance protection. All possible measures must be taken in order to provide displaced people with shelter, hygiene, health, safety and nutrition, as well as to ensure that family members are not separated. Wars are changing at a fast pace.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953 (2022) · source
“Members of the Council must ensure that sanctions allow humanitarian actors to prevent the implosion of basic social service systems, and we remind them that in warfare — and even more so in urban fighting — States must facilitate and not hinder the work of neutral and impartial humanitarian actors. Thirdly, there is a need to intensify efforts to mitigate hunger and food insecurity and prevent famine in protracted urban conflicts. Urban warfare creates food insecurity by disrupting the supply chains and markets that urban dwellers depend on to survive. This cannot be addressed through short-term relief alone. It requires early and anticipatory action.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953 (2022) · source
“Given the enormous suffering of civilians, serious questions are raised as to how parties to conflict are interpreting and applying their obligations to ensure the continuity of essential services in urban conflicts. Investment in preventive measures to ensure continuity of essential services provides an additional safeguard for the public health of communities. That is particularly significant now as we confront the double vulnerability of conflict and the pandemic. The ICRC urges States to fully and swiftly implement the landmark resolution 2573 (2021), which recognizes the importance of protecting critical infrastructure, service provider personnel and consumables. That means that a different approach must underpin sanctions policies.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953 (2022) · source
“The ICRC continues to urge Member States to act more decisively to improve their own action and leverage their special relationship with allies and partners in order to enhance respect for international humanitarian law. That includes, for instance, making the export of explosive weapons with a wide-impact area conditional on recipients putting in place limits on the use of such weapons in populated areas. Secondly, there is an urgent need to adopt and implement measures to protect essential services such as electricity, health, education, water and sanitation. When essential services are damaged in conflict, the impacts are severe and cumulative. Diseases spread, hospitals struggle to provide care, schools go dark.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953 (2022) · source
“This week, the ICRC will issue a major report on heavy explosive weapons in populated areas in over a decade of analysis of devastating consequences. It is clear that the use of heavy explosive weapons in populated areas should be avoided and preventive mitigating measures taken. Our report provides practices and recommendations to political authorities and armed forces on a range of such measures. It concretizes the concept of avoidance and can serve as a tool to inform ongoing negotiations on a political declaration on explosive weapons in populated areas. Efforts to protect civilians must also consider that parties to armed conflict rarely act alone. A multiplication of actors provide direct support to belligerents in conflicts, leading to a diffusion of responsibility that can put civilians, the wounded and detainees at risk.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953 (2022) · source
“As the concept note to this meeting (S/2022/23, annex)correctly highlights, urban fighting makes the implementation of international humanitarian law more demanding than in open territory because of the proximity of military objectives to protected persons and objects. That is why respect for international humanitarian law is critical in urban environments. The massive impact of urban warfare calls for good faith interpretation and implementation of the rules governing the conduct of hostilities, notably distinction, proportionality and precaution. The ICRC is particularly concerned about the extensive use of heavy explosive weapons in urban and other populated areas, which is a particular cause of civilian harm in today’s armed conflicts.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953 (2022) · source
“We take our protection responsibility seriously and spare no efforts to support State and non-State armed groups in taking the right decisions. However, the responsibility to comply with international humanitarian law lies with the parties to armed conflict. States must redouble efforts to spare threatened populations from the effects of urban warfare. The humanitarian impacts are not inevitable, as the Secretary-General indicated today. Today I have four recommendations for the Security Council. First, all parties to armed conflict and those that support them must work for improved compliance with international humanitarian law that is adapted to the major trends in warfare today.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953 (2022) · source
“Mr. Maurer: Why are we discussing this issue today? It is for three critical reasons. First, we have mounting evidence of the unacceptable harm to civilians of warfare in urban areas and because repeated calls for action have not translated into major improvements. Secondly, the urbanization of conflict and attacks on interconnected infrastructure is having massively negative impacts on populations in urban areas. Thirdly, the application of international humanitarian law and other normative systems to reduce the impact of war in urban areas is objectively complex and needs more sophisticated guidance in order to increase compliance. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the wider Red Cross and Red Crescent movement are on the front line of the humanitarian response to urban warfare.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953 (2022) · source
“This anniversary serves to encourage us by showing us that respect for the law is both possible and desired by all. It is also a call to do more, to do better and live up to our responsibilities during times of conflict to respect life and dignity.”
2019-08-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8596 (2019) · source
“Rapidly developing technologies are creating new front lines in cyberspace, as well as new ways to fight, such as autonomous weapon systems and remote technologies. With these new challenges ahead, we need to constantly reflect on the meaning and development of international humanitarian law to meet the challenges of warfare today and in the future. The ICRC is working with States on the application of basic international humanitarian law concepts in these emerging fields, and we ask that they engage in constructive and open dialogue with us on these important issues. The world cannot afford to miss the opportunity to preserve humanity on these new frontiers. The Geneva Conventions are for all of us. They represent the line of our common humanity and shield us from our own barbarity. We cannot forget that.”
2019-08-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8596 (2019) · source
“States can do more by ratifying all treaties related to international humanitarian law; strengthening military doctrine, the rules of engagement and practice; ensuring that military training socializes the rules and principles of international humanitarian law; developing national legislation that is compatible with international obligations; and training parliamentarians and legal professionals on international humanitarian law. We must ensure that the words of the Geneva Conventions do not remain dormant in legal texts but instead are known, applied and championed. As a living document, the way the law is understood must reflect present day realities. There is no doubt that the modern battlefield is a complex arena. Urbanized warfare, an increasing number of armed groups and partnered warfare are posing new and difficult dilemmas.”
2019-08-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8596 (2019) · source
“Experience tells us that, when it comes to violations of international humanitarian law, it is not only knowledge of the law that counts but the translation of that knowledge into behaviour. The challenge is to ensure that the law is not only integrated into formal doctrine and military procedures, but that it also becomes an ethical standard of behaviour among forces and individuals - that fighters facing a choice to act in violation of the law know to say, "This is wrong; this is not who I am". On this anniversary, we call on States to be vigilant, to keep watch over their legal responsibilities and continue to take practical steps for ambitious interpretation and thorough implementation of the law.”
2019-08-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8596 (2019) · source
“When international humanitarian law is respected, the entire collapse of towns and cities can be avoided, meaning fewer people are displaced and schools, hospitals and markets remain open. While the Geneva Conventions are universally ratified, it is clear by the obvious terrible suffering in today's conflicts that they are not universally respected. Too often, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sees the impact on people when international humanitarian law is violated - indiscriminate killing, torture, rape, cities destroyed and psychological trauma inflicted. But continued violations of the law do not mean the law is inadequate, but rather that efforts to ensure respect are inadequate. We can and must do more. The Council can do more.”
2019-08-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8596 (2019) · source
“The impact of international humanitarian law is visible in the events that take place - when the wounded and sick are evacuated to safety, when people detained are treated with dignity, when the fate of missing people is finally clarified and when humanitarian assistance is delivered across lines. Its impact can also be seen through acts of restraint - when horrors are not inflicted, when civilian areas are spared from direct shelling or when medical workers are able to freely operate without threat or targeting. When respected, international humanitarian law reduces the risk of physical and social damage to communities over the long term. In this era of protracted conflict, people are living through war and violence for years or even decades, and some semblance of day-to-day life must continue.”
2019-08-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8596 (2019) · source
“Today international humanitarian law remains a key tool for States to deal with contemporary challenges of conflict, including counter-terrorism operations in armed conflict. International humanitarian law strikes a balance between military necessity and humanity. Every single day, international humanitarian law is at work saving lives and protecting women, men and children in conflicts around the world. We rightly hear about the violations because the consequences are tragic and visible, but we must also recognize the protective power and positive impact of international humanitarian law when it is respected.”
2019-08-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8596 (2019) · source
“The Conventions show us what is possible when States take collective and individual action to uphold the law and humanitarian principles. International humanitarian law does not ask the impossible. States were not carried away by lofty ideals when they negotiated the treaties. They knew the realities of war and set out inherently pragmatic rules to protect and respect human life and dignity. Through the four Geneva Conventions, protections are given for wounded and sick soldiers on land and at sea, prisoners of war and civilians. In addition, a major achievement in 1949 was the inclusion of article 3, common to all four Conventions, which provides protections in conflicts involving non-State armed groups.”
2019-08-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8596 (2019) · source
“Mr. Maurer: I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this meeting and for the opportunity to brief the Security Council today. This year marks an important milestone - 70 years since States convened to adopt the historic 1949 Geneva Conventions in the aftermath of the Second World War. In doing so they made a critical declaration that even in armed conflict, even between fierce enemies, there must be limits on the suffering that we can inflict upon each other. The Geneva Conventions symbolize our enduring and common humanity. Rooted in ideas that have existed in all civilizations, they limit the devastating effects of warfare. Today the universally ratified Geneva Conventions represent one of the greatest achievements of inter-State cooperation.”
2019-08-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8596 (2019) · source
“Through its technical experts and institutions, the United Nations can join efforts with the ICRC and local and international organizations to support the creation of a global community of practice and universally recognized technical standards and recommendations. We urgently need stronger political will and commitment on the part of all actors to implement their obligations on the missing. We ask States to live up to their responsibilities and to take the steps necessary to address this profound yet overlooked humanitarian challenge.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“Without early action, the work to account for missing people only redoubles, as do the suffering of families and the future support required to address their needs. Obligations do not start after hostilities come to an end. Thirdly, the issue of the missing must be first and foremost humanitarian and not part of political agendas and accountability processes. States must address cases of missing persons without discrimination. Too often, we see political manipulation ofthis issue or families of former enemies stigmatized or blocked from services. Fourthly, States must support professional, neutral, impartial humanitarian action on the issue of the missing.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“I urge Member States, in implementing today's resolution and beyond, to adopt these four steps: First, States and parties to armed conflicts must respect and ensure that international humanitarian law is respected in their operations. They must uphold families' right to know; ensure that civilians are protected; ensure that no one disappears in armed conflict as result ofhostilities or after arrest; and ensure the systematic and dignified management of the dead. In particular, we call on parties to conflict to enable the ICRC to access detention facilities and facilitate family contact. This important step would go a long way in preventing those detained from going missing. Secondly, States must put in place preventative measures.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“The ICRC is building a community of practice and, through the Missing Persons Project, it is reaching out to experts and practitioners, international and non-governmental organizations, State institutions and families to identify best practices, develop technical recommendations and coordinate our efforts. It is clear to us that the way in which the issue of missing persons is addressed during and after conflict can determine the scale ofthe problem, its repercussions on communities and future relations between parties to the conflict. Crucially, cases of missing persons need to be handled without discrimination; missing persons and their families are not bargaining chips.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“These breakthroughs offer enormous hope to families that have waited decades for answers. Today's wars pose new challenges but also new opportunities to search for missing persons. While the issue remains complex, there is now a wealth of new sources of information that can facilitate the search. As the ICRC Central Tracing Agency prepares to mark 150 years of service next year, we are modernizing our approaches, including by investing in improved search technologies, such as facial recognition. Additionally, there is a growing body of expertise and experience, including in forensic science, to improve prevention and response tactics.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“What is needed is stronger political will and cooperation. This is crystal clear to the ICRC, as the custodian of international humanitarian law and from decades of experience working with parties to conflicts to resolve cases of missing persons. The ICRC'S work extends from chairing coordination mechanisms, advising on national laws and policies, to registering detainees, supporting with families and offering technical forensic expertise. We have seen what can be achieved through political will and cooperation. The agreement on identifying the remains of unidentified soldiers involved in the Falkland/Malvinas Islands conflict is a striking example. We also note, too, the joint efforts of the Gulf War Tripartite Commission on the recovery of remains in southern Iraq in just the past few weeks.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“Every minute, the ICRC, together with national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, helps a family separated by conflict to restore contact. Yet so much more can be done. prarties to conflict fulfil their obligations to search for missing persons and if they manage the dead systematically and with respect, missing persons can be found, remains can be identified and answers can be given. We have the legal framework. International humanitarian law sets out obligations on preventing persons from going missing in armed conflict and clarifying of the fate and whereabouts of those who do. And we have practical experience. Preventing family separation - for instance, during evacuations - registering all persons deprived of their liberty or issuing identity disks to armed forces are all concrete steps that can be taken today.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“I thank Kuwait for its stewardship in bringing forward this debate. The ICRC welcomes the adoption of resolution 2474 (2019) as the first Security Council resolution fully dedicated to the issue missing persons in conflict and commends the Council's commitment to the issue. Every time someone goes missing, families wait for answers. Ricocheting between hope and despair, they mark anniversaries: one year, two years, ten years. The trauma of ambiguous loss is one of the deepest wounds of war. The pain infects whole communities, lasting decades and preventing societies from reconciling. The ICRC is a daily witness to this suffering. Our teams are frequently approached with pleas for help - mothers searching for sons, husbands searching for their wives. And sometimes there are answers.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“Mr. Maurer: Some of the most horrific consequences ofwar are those that we cannot see. When traumas are invisible, they are overlooked, ignored or deprioritized. This is perhaps most starkly evident when it comes to the critical issue of missing persons. Every day, people go missing because of conflict, violence, disaster or during migration. Today, as we focus on the issue of missing persons in armed conflict, I have to report that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has observed an alarming increase in cases recent years. In 2018 alone, over 45,000 new cases were registered by the ICRC Central Tracing Agency - the neutral entity mandated by the Geneva Conventions. We know that this figure is the tip of the iceberg and does not convey the true extent of the problem or do justice to the suffering of each and every family.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“The recent resolution 2462 (2019) is a case in point. Its implementation at the domestic level will be a crucial step towards preserving a humanitarian space in domestic counter-terrorism regulations. But our license to operate should not be up for debate. It has already been guaranteed. The mission to protect and aid civilians during times of armed conflict was universally agreed 70 years ago, in the Geneva Conventions. We call on States to step forward and reaffirm this mission, not only in words but through urgent and concrete actions.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“We ask all parties to an armed conflict to refrain from using explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas owing to the significant likelihood of indiscriminate effects. To support these efforts of leadership on international humanitarian law, the ICRC is preparing an international humanitarian law road map, to be adopted at the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in November. We are looking forward to working with States and national societies on pledges for the respect and implementation of international humanitarian law. The noose is tightening on humanitarian action. We have seen some positive steps, including consistent increases in humanitarian funding levels and the recognition that counter-terrorism measures must be compliant with international humanitarian law obligations.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“With regard to the proliferation of arms, we urge that States ensure that safeguards and precautions are in place and that no weapon is transferred if there is a clear risk that it would be used to violate international humanitarian law. We ask that hostilities be conducted in a manner that protects civilians and with respect for the basic principles of distinction, precaution and proportionality and that their operational guidance and those of their partners concretize these principles for combat operations. Of particular concern is the use of explosive weapons. The ICRC sees the enormous civilian cost of bombing and shelling, including death and physical injury, but also long-term damage to critical civilian infrastructure.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“Individually or in partnered military operations, this means using their positive influence to ensure the proper application of the rules on the conduct of hostilities, the protection of civilians and medical facilities, and the humane treatment of detainees. We ask that States train and instruct their own troops and the troops of their partners so that they know the law and how to respect it, that they vet and oversee with appropriate structures, processes and mechanisms the combat operations in which they and their partners are involved, and that they put in place accountability mechanisms that ensure respect for the law.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“While neutral and impartial organizations, such as the ICRC, in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, have the right to propose humanitarian action to States, States have an obligation to facilitate such action unless constrained by valid security concerns. We ask that States fight the double standards that delegitimize law and weaken its protective force. Politics is about the different priorities of States, and we well understand how difficult it is in today's international arena to harmonize their positions. The humanitarian space is about respecting the law to which they have already agreed consensually, not about abusing the law to make a political point. We ask, therefore, that States lead by example and steadfastly respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“Through the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation, the ICRC has been building systematic knowledge and networks of professional negotiators to develop more adaptive strategies and practices in field operations today. It is the task of the international community to fiercely defend and protect principled humanitarian action. We ask that States take the following very practical steps, that is, that they fight any attempt to instrumentalize, manipulate or politicize principled humanitarian action. Humanitarian access must not be unlawfully denied or withheld, especially when people's basic needs are going unmet.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“For example, agreements have been brokered with regard to those who have gone missing during war, bringing news to traumatized families on each side, or exchanging the remains of the dead. Such agreements, facilitated throughout a neutral and independent space, can be the first steps in building trust and in forming other arrangements to lessen people's suffering, such as the exchange of detainees, family contacts across front lines and others. With political actors increasingly occupying the humanitarian space, humanitarians must find practical ways to fulfil our mission in today's more complex environment. Front-line humanitarian negotiators are rapidly becoming more critical in building support for humanitarian action.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“Today we are also witnessing a shift in the perception of international humanitarian law and protection work. International humanitarian law does not rely on reciprocity. It applies even if an opponent fails to comply. It relies on a consensual understanding among belligerents that there are limits to war and that there must be a neutral and impartial humanitarian space in which those not participating in hostilities are protected. Those who deny the space deny the very essence of the law. The Geneva Conventions are not up for negotiation. They reflect, in normative language, the tested practice of societies over time. They are customary law and must guide practical action. They are a tool and a reliable basis on which to facilitate trust and dialogue, allowing for consensus-building among belligerents.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“Moreover, neutral and impartial humanitarian action is hindered by complex sanctions regimes and counter-terrorism measures. Humanitarian organizations are increasingly placed under pressure as both States and non-State armed groups hold civilian populations and humanitarian actors to ransom in order to achieve their goals. But humanitarian organizations do not exist to endorse, to legitimize or to help the authorities further their political objectives. The ICRC works to help States live up to the obligations to which they have signed up, not to help them circumnavigate them. When the principles of impartiality are breached and humanitarian action is curtailed, families such as the ones I meet go hungry, fall sick and are left vulnerable to abuse. It is no wonder that they are asking why.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“Throughout the operations of the International Committee ofthe Red Cross (ICRC), we see that neutral, independent and impartial humanitarian action has the best chance of reaching those most in need. It is also a tried and tested formula to prevent humanitarian action being appropriated for larger and more controversial political agendas. Yet in many places across the world, the space for impartial humanitarian action is under threat. Human dignity is disregarded, the applicability of the law is questioned, and humanitarian aid is politicized and deliberately hijacked for political gain or the control of populations. Terrorist attacks, indiscriminate by nature, are destroying the very notion of proportionality, precaution and distinction, which are at the core of behaviour in combat.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“Wars often involve partners and allies, leading to a dilution of responsibility, the fragmentation of command chains and an unchecked flow of weapons. That only increases the climate of impunity and, ultimately, causes yet more suffering. With the absence of political solutions, wars are increasingly protracted, with year after year of violence and turmoil, embedding resentments and deepening fragility. When I speak with families who are living through the realities of war and violence today, they often asked why this has happened and how this has been allowed to happen. Humanitarian action is often desperately needed in such miserable situations.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“Mr. Maurer: I am grateful for the opportunity to address the Security Council today. The shape of conflict has undergone rapid transformation in recent years and the result is a heavy price being paid by tens of millions of women, men and children around the world. They suffer the immediate impact, namely, death, injury and displacement, and often the invisible harms, such as psychological trauma, sexual violence and the loss of missing family members. In today's wars, a vast array of armed forces, special forces, armed groups, terrorist groups and criminal gangs now fight directly or by proxy and openly or secretly. Conflicts and protagonists cross State borders. Battles are fought in populated areas, risking thousands of civilian lives and destroying critical infrastructure.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“It is important, therefore, that, while united around the table today, we also understand and respect our roles and responsibilities as political and humanitarian actors. One hundred and forty-nine days ago, the Council took historic measures and your presence here today, Sir, attests to your commitment to the protection of patients and health-care workers everywhere. But meanwhile, men and women, girls and boys, doctors and nurses, continue to run to the basements when they hear planes and rockets approaching. They continue to pull their loved ones out from the rubble of destroyed hospitals. They continue to fear armed men stopping their ambulances. Much stronger engagement is needed to turn our commitment into a reality on the ground, to make a real difference for people suffering in wars. I urge the Council to continue to push.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“That may eventually help to re-establish trust among belligerents that the law is not only applicable because of the sanctions and accountability processes attached to it, but as a useful and necessary tool in the interest of all. In that regard, let me make the following comment. I do understand and respect the role of the Council to offer political positions and guidelines with regard to international peace and security. In dealing with the issue of international humanitarian law and its implementation, the Council must still factor into its reflections the importance of trust, confidence and consensus among belligerents that can best be promoted through mutual, impartial and independent intermediaries able to maintain the confidence of the parties to the conflict, as stated in the Geneva Conventions.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“Such plans would be adopted in anticipation of situations that could jeopardize the organization and provision of assistance to the sick and the wounded and to develop practical measures for armed forces to minimize disruptions to health-care services during the planning and conduct of military operations and incorporate them into orders, rules of engagement, training and standard operating procedures and other relevant documents. I would like to renew ICRC's offer today to build a more constructive relationship of deep operational engagement, feedback, dialogue and corrective measures with all parties to conflicts on the conduct of hostilities.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“Thirdly, on accountability, I ask the Council to ensure that acts of violence against the delivery of health care that amounts to grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions are penalized as such in domestic legal orders. We would like to see the strengthening of capacities to enable full, prompt, impartial, independent and effective investigations, ensuring enhanced accountability and addressing the grievances of victims. Lastly, on preparedness and prevention, we ask States and other relevant actors to adopt contingency plans.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“They must ensure that national laws recognize the role of first responders, often staff and volunteers from national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. States must do everything in their power to enforce existing legal sanctions so that they act as a deterrent. Secondly, on data collection, we encourage States and other relevant actors to set up national and international systems to collect and analyse data on the occurrence of violence against health care personnel, facilities, medical transports and patients and convene multi-stakeholder meetings to regularly share challenges and good practices on preventing and addressing acts of violence against the delivery of health care.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“The ICRC notes with appreciation the letter of the Secretary-General addressed to the States Members of the United Nations (S/2016/722, annex), as a follow- up to resolution 2286 (2016) and delineating a clear road map for implementation. We appreciate having been consulted on the content of the letter and for the opportunity to provide input. From our perspective, being close to the victims when negotiating humanitarian access with weapons- bearers on all sides and from the information collected through the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's Health care in Danger initiative, we believe that there are four areas where concrete measures must be taken. First, on legislation, States must strengthen domestic legislation protecting access to health care as is their obligation under international law.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“We must remain confident and demonstrate through our actions that, even in the most trying circumstances, international humanitarian law remains relevant and can make a difference for people bearing the brunt of war. Secondly, specific recommendations and measures for the protection of health care in conflict are now integrated in official resolutions. At the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the resolution to protect health care in armed conflict was unanimously adopted. The Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2286 (2016). Eighty- five countries supported it and we now have a solid foundation from which to promote such measures. But it is clear that more concrete action is necessary.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“The behaviour of actors on the battlefield has not changed over the past couple of months, nor have belligerents been seen to factor humanitarian consequences more prominently into their military decision-making. Health systems continue to disintegrate under the cumulative impact of violence, leaving millions of people in highly fragile conditions. Although we have not seen progress on the battlefield, at least here at the United Nations the community of States has resolved to work on this issue. First, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pleased to see the leadership of the Council reaffirming the continued validity of international humanitarian law as the universally agreed framework for the protection of the wounded and sick and the delivery of medical care in armed conflict.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“All across the country, many hospitals are no longer functional, leaving injured people with little hope of getting life-saving medical assistance. The violence, the disruption of the electricity and water supplies, and the lack ofmedicines have severely jeopardized access to health care. In Yemen, one-quarter of all health services have reportedly either been destroyed or shut down at a time when there are more injured people than ever. Just over a month ago, a Medecins Sans Frontieres supported hospital in Hajjah governorate, Yemen, was hit and 90 people were killed - and that is just a tip ofthe iceberg. The list continues - Afghanistan, South Sudan, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya and so on. Unfortunately, the trend described previously continues unabatedly.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“Mr. Maurer: We met in New York exactly 149 days ago for the adoption of resolution 2286 (2016), which many of us appreciated for its clarity in language, commitment to international humanitarian law and design of concrete follow-up. In the five months that have passed since then, however, attacks on health care personnel facilities and vehicles have certainly not ceased. The situation in many countries remains deeply alarming. In Syria, for instance, on all sides of the front lines, health facilities and personnel regularly come under fire or are forced to close due to heavy clashes. Just a few hours ago, the two largest hospitals in Aleppo were reportedly attacked. Patients were killed and medical staff were injured.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“The Council can scale up peacekeepers' presence where necessary, so as to effectively deter violence and adequately train, equip and resource peacekeepers so they can do their job; develop model operating procedures for mixed peacekeeping missions; ensure the highest standards of behaviour; and lastly, as stated in the Geneva Conventions, respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law, at all times, including neutral, independent and impartial humanitarian action.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source