Rise in attacks on aid workers sets off alarm bells at the UN

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The increase in the number of attacks against aid workers in different countries was the focus of a special session of the UN Security Council on Friday, July 16, where the member countries pledged to work to increase the protection of humanitarian workers at a time when their work is more necessary than ever.

What is currently happening is an “unprecedented shrinking of humanitarian space,” with “attacks of all kinds multiplying,” denounced French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who led the meeting.

The meeting, one of the main priorities of the French rotating presidency of the Security Council, brought to New York the foreign ministers of several member states, such as Mexico, Kenya, and Tunisia, who underlined their concern for the situation of aid workers in many countries in conflict, just when aid is most needed.

“We have never needed so much international solidarity as now in the face of the proliferation of crises and the upsurge in brutality,” said Le Drian.

In the same vein, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard recalled that the work of humanitarian personnel is vital for the survival of millions of people in conflict zones.

“Their work is not only admirable but necessary, I would say indispensable for the construction of peace. Therefore, ensuring unhindered humanitarian access is fundamental,” Ebrard insisted.

GROWING DANGER

According to the United Nations, security incidents for humanitarian organizations have increased tenfold in the last twenty years, and the situation is currently of particular concern in hotspots such as Afghanistan, Yemen, and the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

The recent murder in Tigray of Spanish aid worker María Hernández and two Ethiopian colleagues who were working for Doctors Without Borders was one of the episodes most frequently mentioned in today’s debate as an example of the risks to which aid work is exposed.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed recalled that this was the latest in a series of attacks that have claimed the lives of 12 aid workers in Tigray since the current conflict began last November.

Mohammed also highlighted the worrying number of attacks on health workers in conflict zones, with 568 incidents recorded this year and 114 deaths of professionals and patients.

Lucile Grosjean, of Action Against Hunger, denounced that “impunity” fueled the attacks and asked the Security Council for more work in this area, ensuring that when national systems do not provide justice, international mechanisms are used to prosecute those responsible.

INTERFERENCE AND MANIPULATION

In addition to suffering attacks, humanitarian organizations are increasingly being affected by interference from governments and armed groups, which seek to use international assistance for their own benefit or to punish civilians in areas controlled by their rivals without it.

According to the UN, these entities report “increasingly frequent attempts to interfere in their selection of beneficiaries or partners” and increased pressure when negotiating with armed groups to ensure the delivery of aid to those in need.

“Some anti-terrorism legislation can even criminalize humanitarian and medical activities,” denounced Mohammed, who stressed that “politicizing humanitarian action” undermines the trust of communities and, in the end, prevents the delivery of needed assistance.

The director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Robert Mardini, defended that “access is more than allowing humanitarians to work,” but involves “ensuring that people and communities affected by conflict can receive what they need in a safe and dignified manner.”

APPLYING THE RULES

No new measures were expected from the meeting, beyond a political commitment by Security Council countries to try to do more in this area, which all members reiterated.

Many speakers stressed that the problem is not the absence of standards, with an obvious International Humanitarian Law, but the lack of implementation.

The UN, for its part, called on governments to work on areas such as training their armed forces to be aware of these provisions, investigating and prosecuting attacks, making it easier for humanitarian organizations to deal with armed groups, including clear provisions in anti-terrorism laws so that their operations are not affected, or using the influence that the Security Council can have to stop attacks on schools and hospitals.

On the other hand, Mohammed noted that the organization plans to create a special advisor post for the protection of space and humanitarian access.