Armed conflicts: humanitarian organizations warn of escalating violence against hospitals

Ten years after the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2286 on the protection of healthcare in armed conflict, the situation has worsened and constitutes a collective “failure,” warn the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), and the international president of Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Noting the continued and even intensified attacks on hospitals, ambulances, and medical personnel, the three organizations denounced in a joint statement published on Monday the “catastrophic” consequences on the ground: destroyed infrastructure, hindered evacuations, healthcare workers and patients killed or injured, sick individuals deprived of life-saving treatment, and women forced to give birth without adequate assistance.

They highlight that insecurity in healthcare is a major sign of the breakdown of rules intended to limit the effects of war and call on states and all parties to conflicts to strictly respect international humanitarian law, particularly the obligation to protect medical structures and personnel.

Drawing on the recommendations of the UN Secretary-General and on the attack documentation mechanisms established since 2012, the ICRC, WHO, and MSF are calling for urgent measures: translating commitments into tangible actions, integrating healthcare protection into military doctrines, strengthening national legislation, allocating sufficient resources, using their influence on conflict parties, swiftly and impartially investigating attacks, ensuring accountability, and transparently monitoring the implementation of the resolution.

“It is not a failure of the law, but a lack of political will,” they emphasize, urging global leaders to act to ensure that healthcare is never a casualty of war.