19 August 2024—Health professionals from over 76 countries and territories have signed WHPA’s call to protect health care facilities and personnel in conflict zones as required by international humanitarian law. Today, on World Humanitarian Day, we join with humanitarians around the world to express unwavering condemnation of the escalating violence targeting healthcare facilities and personnel.
WHPA’s Open Letter was published in March this year and within a short space of time garnered signatures from two thirds of the countries where WHPA members are represented. Leaders of national health professions’ associations, senior staff at health facilities, leading academics and researchers, and senior representatives of ministries of health, regulatory bodies and international health NGOs are among the signatories. But the bulk of support comes from practicing health professionals, administrators and students, demonstrating a huge groundswell of outrage and solidarity which puts pressure on all parties to protect health professionals in conflicts.
This is also the message of World Humanitarian Day this year, which rejects the normalization of attacks on humanitarian workers and health personnel, calling for an end to the impunity which allows perpetrators to continue their heinous attacks. Drawing on her powerful statement in a press release issued to mark the day, WHPA Chair and CEO of FIP Dr. Catherine Duggan said, “Health professionals in conflicts provide care regardless of political, religious or ethnic affiliation, and often risk their own lives in doing so. The WHPA calls on leaders to uphold existing laws which protect health professionals in conflicts and hold those who violate these laws to account.”
As violence against health professionals in conflicts continues—in July 2024 alone there were 44 attacks on health care in 7 countries, causing 19 deaths and 120 injuries—WHPA continues to condemn such attacks. The call for signatures remains open: add your support here.