Fighters in Afghanistan and international humanitarian law

(Kabul, 19 August 2018): On World Humanitarian Day, citizens across the globe come together to rally support for people living in countries at war and to pay tribute to the first responders and aid workers who help them. Fighting and conflict in Afghanistan continue to take a brutal toll on people and aid workers. In the first six months of this year, 1,692 civilians were killed by conflict, the highest number in the past decade. This year, more than 130 schools were attacked and two health facilities were completely destroyed. Incidents against aid workers increased by 20 per cent, with 23 aid workers killed, 37 injured and 74 abducted.

“There are rules of war. Every time those rules are broken, the suffering of girls, boys, women and men intensifies,” said Toby Lanzer, Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan. “We renew our collective calls on all parties to the conflict to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law. This means not targeting civilians. And protecting civilian infrastructure such as health facilities and schools.”

Afghanistan is in the top three of danger spots for aid workers, together with South Sudan and Syria. Medical workers and health facilities in Afghanistan have been struck by increasingly direct and deliberate violence. Doctors, nurses, midwifes and other medical professionals are being harassed, detained, kidnapped or, in the worst case, killed. In 2017, armed groups closed more than 140 health facilities, denying two million people access to health care. This worrisome trend continues in 2018: In July and August, more than 300,000 people were temporarily deprived of access to health care in Zabul Province as a direct result of closure of health facilities.

“Leaders on all sides of the political spectrum are accountable for ensuring the safe and unimpeded access of aid workers and supplies to communities in need,” said Toby Lanzer. “This World Humanitarian Day marks a moment of impetus to a campaign so that civilians and are no longer targeted. In Afghanistan, leaders can embrace it or not. I count on them to make the right choice.”

About: Every year on 19 August, World Humanitarian Day (WHD) brings citizens of the world together to rally support for people living in humanitarian crises and to pay tribute to the aid workers who help them. This year’s WHD marks the fifteenth anniversary since the attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 people, including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. In 2008, the General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day.
More here: https://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/en

For further information, please contact:
Philippe Kropf, Public Information Officer (kropf@un.org, +963 793 001 110)