Aid workers under fire. Civilians in trouble. Attacks on essential infrastructure such as hospitals. International Humanitarian Law is under pressure and it is strongly affecting humanitarian organisations. Not in the least because 2024 was the deadliest year for aid workers; there was a big uprise in critical incidents. Targeting of aid workers is becoming a military strategy, raising significant ethical, social and legal challenges.
In different manners humanitarian organisations are making effort to strengthen IHL in a context of it being under threat. Initiatives are aimed at strengthening the protection of civilians and aid workers, ensuring greater accountability for violations, and reinforce the critical role of IHL as a framework to reduce suffering. This session aims to contribute to some of those inititiatives being amplified across the Dutch humanitarian field. It builds on the session that was hosted during the annual conference in June.
Some specific entrypoints for initiatives will be addressed: Public awareness and understanding of IHL in the Netherlands; IHL on the political agenda; media-attention; national capacity for strengthening IHL.
Send an email to kuno@kuno-platform.nl to sign up.
