The World Humanitarian Summit Regional Consultation for the Middle East and North Africa concludes with calls for increased protection of civilians and accountability for violations [EN/AR]

Dead Sea, Jordan, 6 March 2015. The World Humanitarian Summit regional consultation for the Middle East and North Africa was held at the Dead Sea, Jordan, from 3-5 March 2015. It was hosted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and co-chaired by the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

His Excellency, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs for Jordan, Nasser Judeh, and the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, opened the consultation with senior representatives from the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Mr. Judeh stressed that lack of political solution is behind the deterioration of humanitarian situation in Syria. He also affirmed the importance of the Palestinian cause as a central cause that requires a comprehensive solution to achieve stability in the region.

Ms. Amos highlighted the unprecedented strain on the global humanitarian system, which is struggling to cope with the dramatic increase in needs in the region. She underscored the necessity of better protecting civilians, who have been disproportionally affected by multiple crises in the Middle East and North Africa.

Addressing participants at the end of the first day, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, stressed the need for the international community to share the burden of hosting refugees and those displaced by conflicts in the region. He noted the tragic levels of displacement generated by conflict, underscoring that numbers have risen to the highest they have been since 1945.

Speaking at the closing ceremony today, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, said there was a need to “adapt humanitarian efforts to the evolving reality of conflict and find principled but pragmatic and contextual solutions to assist and protect people in need.” The Chief of the World Humanitarian Summit secretariat, Dr Jemilah Mahmood, called on humanitarian actors to use the consultations and the World Humanitarian Summit to “reshape the international humanitarian system”, stating this is “the chance for all of us to explore how we can work differently and more effectively in the future to save lives and reduce suffering.”

The consultation is the fifth in a series of eight regional consultations ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit, which will take place in Istanbul in May 2016. It took place in the context of a region experiencing intolerable human suffering and unprecedented levels of vulnerability. The Middle East and North Africa region have witnessed a substantial rise in humanitarian crises, as countries experience significant political, economic and social upheaval as well as the effects of natural disasters and rapid urbanization. The protracted nature of these crises has undermined development gains and challenged the ability of governments and communities to cope with shocks and address the impact of ongoing conflicts.

Against this backdrop, the consultation brought together 180 participants from 17 countries representing governments and regional organizations, civil society, people affected by humanitarian crises, national and international non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the private sector and academia. The meeting was preceded by extensive preparatory stakeholder consultations across the region.

The participants strongly called for political actors to address the root causes of the ongoing crises in the region and the protection of civilians, citing in particular the need to end impunity for violations of international law. Participants also called for lifting restrictions to humanitarian access and highlighted the necessity of addressing the needs of communities hosting refugees and displaced persons, calling for greater burden sharing by the international community. There were also calls to address financial gaps as humanitarian needs continue to grow and outpace available resources. Participants further noted the importance of localizing responses to crises and strengthening national emergency preparedness capacities.

For further information, please call: Iyad Nasr, OCHA ROMENA, mobile + 20(0)1095558662 More details of the findings can be found on www.worldhumanitariansummit.org/whs_mena