Saudi Arabia welcomes trilateral border treaty between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan    Trump prepares to unveil sweeping new US tariffs on 'Liberation Day'    At least 22 civilians killed in Israeli strike on UNRWA clinic in Gaza    UK says it won't jump into US trade war as Starmer urges calm response to tariffs    Russia, Ukraine trade fresh accusations of violating US-brokered energy ceasefire deal    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Tools to protect civilians in conflict exist, but not the will to apply them: Lowcock
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 26 - 05 - 2021

The international legal framework and tools are all there to protect civilians caught up in conflict, and now it's time for governments and armed groups to apply them, the UN relief chief told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock was briefing ambassadors on the secretary-general's recommendations for keeping more civilians safe from harm, noting that despite the UN chief's call for a global ceasefire during the COVID-19 pandemic, deadly fighting had continued, and worsened in some areas.
Last year, conflicts contributed to a rise in those forcibly displaced, to 80 million by the middle of 2020. Those able to return home also decreased, while insecurity, sanctions, counter-terrorism measures and red tape, "hindered humanitarian operations."
The pandemic made it harder with flight suspensions, borders closed, quarantine measures and lockdowns. Lowcock highlighted five key areas where improvements are most needed.
Conflict and hunger
The interplay between conflict and hunger saw the threat of famine emerge again, in northeast Nigeria, parts of the Sahel, South Sudan and Yemen, said Lowcock, creating a year-on-year increase of 77 million people facing "crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity as a result of conflict."
In Nigeria, 110 farmers died in a single attack on a rice farm. In Ethiopia, crops have been destroyed and looted, while relief was blocked following the political crisis in Tigray. The relief chief said he had written to ambassadors earlier in the day about what needs to be done there.
He called for "more effective action" by governments to address the problem overall, noting that conflicts disrupt food systems and markets, while food is destroyed and prices rise — a vicious cycle of hunger.
Urban warfare
Second, he noted 90 percent of people killed by explosive weapons, live in cities and towns, compared to just 20 percent when they're deployed in the countryside.
"These weapons also inflict a devastating toll on essential civilian infrastructure," said the relief chief. "Fighting parties must change their choice of weapons and tactics.
He also highlighted the impact of conflict on the environment, citing airstrikes in Iraq, which destroyed field through wildfires, threatening biodiversity and endangered species. Oil spills in Syria had polluted farm water, endangering health and hygiene.
"The origin of many of many conflicts is found partly in environmental issues, especially those related to water," he said, predicting that Council business would see many more consequences of this, in the years ahead.
Medics under fire
"When medical care stops, lives are lost," said Lowcock, bluntly assessing the impact of how attacks on healthcare personnel and facilities caused yet more death, on top of conflict.
Attacks on healthcare across 22 conflict-affected countries killed 182 health workers last year, and in Myanmar alone, following the military coup, 109 incidents of violence against staff were documented in a two-month period "accelerating the collapse in the public healthcare system when many people have needed it most", he said.
"The consequences on healthcare are catastrophic, depriving millions of people of lifesaving care, and severely reducing the treatment of diseases like cholera, measles and COVID," he added.
Some states have taken practical steps to protect medical staff, most importantly by ensuring military rules of engagement respect international humanitarian law.
Changing behavior
Finally, Lowcock warned ambassadors that in his four years on the job, he had seen a "significant deterioration" in compliance with humanitarian law, on the part of belligerents.
"It is possible to make progress," he said, calling for states to improve training, modernize policies to avoid civilian harm, adopt better tracking of casualties, investigate incidents, and hold those guilty of violations to account.
He added that the behavior of non-state armed groups to comply with international law could also improve, "though it is important to recognize the very real challenges in this area, especially in respect of those groups who refute international humanitarian law and the role of humanitarian agencies, as part of their twisted ideologies."
"We all — member states and humanitarian agencies in particular — need a more effective approach to tackling this. Many current efforts are counter-productive and exacerbate harm to civilians.
'What is not punished, is encouraged'
Accountability is crucial, he concluded, telling the Council that "if war crimes go unpunished, things will get worse. Accountability for violations must be systematic and universal. What is not punished, is encouraged.
"This takes political will...to investigate and prosecute allegations of serious violations whenever they occur. We have the laws and the tools to protect civilians from harm in armed conflicts. It is time that all states and parties to conflicts, apply them." — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.