Armed conflicts: humanitarian organizations warn of intensification of 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 is 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 Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

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

They emphasize that insecurity in healthcare is a major signal of the breakdown of rules designed to limit the effects of war and call on states and all parties to conflicts to strictly respect international humanitarian law, including the obligation to protect medical facilities and personnel.

Drawing on the recommendations of the UN Secretary-General and the mechanisms for documenting attacks established since 2012, the ICRC, WHO, and MSF call for urgent measures: translating commitments into concrete actions, integrating healthcare protection into military doctrines, strengthening national legislation, allocating sufficient resources, using their influence on parties to conflicts, investigating attacks quickly and impartially, ensuring accountability, and ensuring transparent monitoring of the resolution’s implementation.

“This is not a failure of law, but a lack of political will,” they insist, urging global leaders to act so that healthcare is never a victim of war.

Context: The article discusses the worsening situation regarding the protection of healthcare in armed conflict and the calls for urgent action from key international organizations.

Fact Check: UN Security Council Resolution 2286 was indeed adopted unanimously in 2016 to address the protection of healthcare in conflict situations.