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	No Respite: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict by Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition   June 2023   Targeting health care in conflict: the need to end impunity. (The Lancet)   On the morning of May 26, a Russian missile destroyed Dnipropetrovsk City Hospital No 14 in Dnipro, Ukraine, killing at least two people and injuring more than 30. Later that same day, the BBC reported that attacks on medical facilities and staff in Sudan might constitute war crimes. As described in a World Report, such attacks continue in Sudan, including most recently the looting and occupation of centres run by Médecins Sans Frontières, denying Sudanese civilians much needed medical care.   From the deliberate targeting of hospitals in Syria and the destruction of the health system in Yemen, to the arrest and abduction of doctors in Myanmar and the persecution of health workers and violations of medical neutrality in Iran, the sanctity of the Red Cross and Red Crescent appears to be at a new low. The uncomfortable truth is that attacks against health facilities and staff in conflicts can be committed largely with legal impunity.   Aside from the direct deaths and injuries, such attacks deprive people of health services when they most need them. Many patients die when prevented from crossing military checkpoints; others might be too fearful to visit health centres because of the threat of violence.   The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols have been the basis for international humanitarian law for 150 years and contain provisions designed to protect health care in conflict zones. They prohibit attacks on hospitals and ambulances, require protection for sick and wounded combatants and civilians, mandate the free passage of medical equipment, and forbid punishment of health workers for providing care. But given the difficulties of enforcement, there seems little prospect of holding perpetrators to account.   Prosecutions in the International Criminal Court (ICC) are slow, on the rare occasions that the accused can be brought before the court at all (a warrant for Vladimir Putin's arrest was issued in March, but the prospect of him appearing at The Hague seems unlikely).   Referrals to the ICC via the UN Security Council are hamstrung by veto powers—China and Russia used their veto to prevent Syria from being referred to the ICC in 2014. Putin might for now be a pariah, but the memories of the international community can be short. President Bashar al-Assad—responsible for numerous attacks on health facilities in Syria—was welcomed at an Arab League summit in Jeddah in May, 12 years after being expelled. UN resolution 2286, adopted unanimously by the Security Council in 2016, condemned attacks on medical personnel and called for renewed respect for international law. Events since have shown such resolutions to be toothless.   Improvements in monitoring mean that the scale of the problem can no longer be denied. In their most recent report published on May 25, the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition and Insecurity Insight document more than 1900 incidents of violence against health care in war and situations of political unrest in 2022, a 45% increase compared with 2021 and the highest number since they began collating data 10 years ago. 704 health facilities were destroyed, 232 health workers were killed, and almost 600 were kidnapped or arrested. WHO's flagship Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care was launched in 2017 to systematically collect evidence of attacks on health care, but weaknesses in its reporting have led to criticisms, particularly over its patchy coverage. Despite reputable documentation of violence against health facilities in the conflict in Tigray, the system contains no record of any incidents in Ethiopia. Such shortcomings from the world's leading health organisation can make it harder to apply political and diplomatic pressure on aggressive parties—for example, through halting arms sales.   What can be done? Practical measures can prevent poor decision making on the ground, such as training the military in the rules of war. But successful criminal prosecutions must be brought against those who commit war crimes, and the status quo is clearly not working. There is hope that the collective outrage over Russia's actions in Ukraine will prompt renewed efforts to deliver justice. France has proposed that the Security Council should refrain from using its veto for mass atrocities, as determined by an independent panel. The Ljubljana-Hague Convention to strengthen international legal cooperation in cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes was adopted on May 26. These are positive steps. Together the global community needs somehow to find more robust ways to enforce international humanitarian law and bring to justice those who direct attacks against health in conflict.   http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)01115-7/fulltext   June 2021   Today, the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition released its eighth annual report, documenting the global incidence of attacks and threats against health workers, facilities, and transport around the world. The report cites 806 incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care in 43 countries and territories in ongoing wars and violent conflicts in 2020, ranging from the bombing of hospitals in Yemen to the abduction of doctors in Nigeria.   Attacks – including killings, kidnappings, and sexual assaults, as well as destruction and damage of health facilities and transports – compounded the threats to health in every country as health systems struggled to prepare for and respond to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.   The findings reveal that, on the fifth anniversary of the UN Security Council’s Resolution 2286 on protection of health care in conflict, acts of violence against health care have not been curbed and impunity for those who commit them has remained a constant.   In an introduction to the report, Coalition Chair Leonard Rubenstein notes, “The reasons for violence are variable and sometimes complex, but the explanation for continuing impunity is not. States have failed to fulfil their commitments to take action – individually or as part of an international effort – to prevent such violence or hold the perpetrators accountable.”   The report, “No Respite: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict,” documents at least 185 health workers killed and 117 kidnapped. Countries sustaining the highest number of attacks included Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Libya, the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), Syria, and Yemen.   Although these figures (806) represent a modest decline compared to the overall number of reports identified by the Coalition in 2019 (1,203), the number of killings showed a 25 percent increase, and kidnappings, a 65 percent increase.   At the same time, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were more than 400 acts of violence against health care.   “Violence against health workers has taken many horrific forms: ambulances shot at, hospitals bombed, and even snipers targeting medics,” said Christina Wille, director of Insecurity Insight, who guided the data collection.   “The true extent of the violence remains unknown, as many countries, health facilities, and organisations do not report their experiences. Yet we need to remember that each incident is a tragedy in its own right and represents the loss of a family member and a colleague.’   The full 2020 data cited in the report can be accessed via Attacks on Health Care in Countries in Conflict on Insecurity Insight’s page on the Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX).   The data and analyses for 17 countries and territories with the highest numbers of incidents is made available as individual datasets on separate factsheets included in the report.   A related interactive map and report issued by Coalition member Insecurity Insight in March 2021 pinpoints an additional 412 incidents of violence against health, such as attacks on testing facilities and the targeting of health workers directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.   During the five years since Security Council Resolution 2286 was adopted, people in 14 conflicts have experienced more than 50 reported incidents of violence against health care, eight conflicts have seen more than 100 such incidents, five more than 200, and four more than 300 incidents.   The report notes that states failed to take actions they agreed to in the resolution and were urged by the UN Secretary-General in his recommendations for implementation. They included:   Ensuring that militaries integrate practical measures for the protection of the wounded and sick and medical services into the planning and conduct of their operations;   Adopting domestic legal frameworks to ensure respect for health care, particularly excluding the act of providing impartial health care from punishment under national counterterrorism laws;   Engaging in the collection of data on the obstruction of, threats against, and physical attacks on health care;   Undertaking “prompt, impartial and effective investigations and accountability processes within states’ jurisdictions with respect to violations of international humanitarian law” in connection with health care;   Referral by the Security Council in cases where there is evidence of war crimes in connection with violence against health care, such as in Syria, to the International Criminal Court;   Listing of states found by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to have engaged in violence against hospitals in the annex to the Secretary-General’s annual report on children in armed conflict; Ceasing the sale of arms that have been used to inflict violence on health care.   In issuing the report, the Coalition called on the UN Secretary-General to report on the actions and inactions of member states with respect to the commitments made five years ago and recommended the appointment of a special rapporteur or special representative to report on countries and themes as a step toward accountability, to ensure that protection of health in conflict is more than hollow words.   “As if the COVID-19 pandemic and other health threats are not enough, every day, health workers face the risk of violent attack,” said Joe Amon, director of Global Health at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health, a Coalition partner.   “We need an emergency response that targets not a virus but our collective failure to protect workers, facilities, and ambulances and ensure that no matter the context, access to health care, and all health workers, is protected from harm.”   "No patient should worry about safety when seeking care or have to live with fear on top of the vulnerability imposed by illness. Health care providers should never have to put their lives on the line while fulfilling their moral obligations. Violations of the right to safe access to health care cannot continue to be the norm, and violators should be held accountable for these crimes," said Houssam al-Nahhas, a medical doctor from Syria who is Middle East and North Africa researcher at Physicians for Human Rights.   International Council of Nurses CEO Howard Catton said, “This report is a clear indictment that the global effort to protect our healthcare workers on the front lines of care in conflict zones is falling far short. The violation of health worker rights is both a health and humanitarian crisis. Our nurses, whether in conflict areas or on the global COVID frontline are particularly at risk of violence.   International humanitarian law must not only be respected but applied on the ground to protect nurses and other health workers at the heart of our healthcare systems.   http://www.safeguardinghealth.org/no-respite-violence-against-health-care-conflict http://www.hhrjournal.org/2021/06/five-years-after-security-councils-resolution-to-protect-health-care-in-conflict-still-at-zero/ http://www.msf.org/attacks-medical-care http://www.msf.org/violence-and-sense-impunity-halts-lifesaving-care-northeastern-drc http://www.msf.org/war-ukraine http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2022/04/26/tigrays-health-system-collapsed http://www.icrc.org/en/document/health-care-providers-patients-suffer-thousands-attacks-health-care-services-past-5-years http://www.who.int/activities/stopping-attacks-on-health-care Visit the related web page
	Report highlights severe deterioration in international efforts to protect the most vulnerable by Global Protection Cluster, UNHCR, agencies   A new report reveals a severe deterioration in international efforts to protect the world’s most vulnerable people, with human rights violations including gender-based violence, trafficking and child recruitment on the rise.   The report released by the Norwegian Refugee Council and the UNHCR, UN Refugee Agency-led Global Protection Cluster (GPC) finds that millions of people internally displaced or affected by conflict could be missing out on humanitarian protection support due to insufficient funding.   GPC data indicates that of the 54 million people targeted for assistance in 26 humanitarian response plans, almost 40 million could be missing out this year.   “The human toll of the pandemic on the world’s vulnerable should not only be measured by the number of lives it has taken, but by the eclipsing number it has shattered. Covid-19 has hardest hit millions of people with absolutely no access to protection services. Children recruited by armies cannot reclaim lost childhoods. Women raped and beaten wear their scars for life,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council.   Gender-based violence has increased dramatically since the onset of Covid-19. Experts projected in April that for every three months lockdown measures continued around the world, an additional 15 million women and girls would be exposed to gender-based violence.   In Mali, over 4,400 cases of gender-based violence were reported between January and September, but only 48 per cent of towns had support services.   In the Central African Republic (CAR), reported incidents of gender-based violence more than doubled, including rape, sexual slavery and forced marriage. CAR was already one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman or girl.   In Niger, reports have been received of women being tortured for engaging in economic activity outside of the home, and not wearing full veil coverings.   Child marriages are also on the rise. Thirteen million more underage marriages could occur over the next 10 years because of the side effects of the pandemic, according to UN estimates.   Trafficking is also a concern, with protection aid workers in 66 per cent of the countries surveyed reporting that people are at increased risk of trafficking due to Covid-19.   An increase in violence and armed conflict has also been recorded, with attacks on civilians increasing by 2.5 per cent since the pandemic began. For example, over 1,800 violent events involving communal armed groups have been registered since the start of the pandemic - a 70 per cent increase - largely across East and West Africa.   “COVID-19 is inflicting an unprecedented human rights crisis for the world’s most vulnerable. Millions of internally displaced and conflict-affected people are in harm’s way or are falling through the gaps,” said UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Gillian Triggs.   “The world cannot afford to be complacent and indifferent to their plight. Millions of lives are at stake. Humanitarians can only do so much. Armed conflict continues to be the main driver of forced displacement, so peace is indispensable to end conflict and suffering.”   According to the report, the gap between protection needs during the pandemic and protection funding is growing wider. This year’s funding for protecting people most in need of assistance in humanitarian crises has received just 25 per cent of what is needed.   Furthermore, historically nearly 70 per cent of funding for protection services comes from just five donors; the European Union, United Kingdom, Germany, the United Nations and the United States.   “As we enter the new year, the aftershocks of 2020 will begin to take hold. As our report shows, more funding is needed not only to save lives and heal wounds, but also to effectively prevent new outrageous abuse and violence from taking place,” warned Jan Egeland.   Facts and figures:   In 2020, 54 million people were targeted for protection assistance in Humanitarian Response Plans, including Covid-19 additional plans, across 26 operations where the Protection Cluster is active. This number does not include countries without a Humanitarian Response Plan, Refugee Response Plan as the data is not yet available for 2020. The real number will be much higher.   Between 2013 and 2019, the protection sector received only 38 per cent of its requirements compared with 61 per cent overall for humanitarian appeals. In 2020, only 24 per cent of requirements had been met by November.   In Mali, 66 per cent of gender-based violence survivors reported since January are girls under 18 years old.   Northern Mozambique is one of the fastest growing protection crises in the world. In November, civilians witnessed massacres by non-state armed groups in several villages, which resulted in beheadings and abductions of women and children.   In Yemen, it is estimated that more than two thirds of girls are married before they reach 18 years of age, compared to 50 per cent before the conflict.   Funding for protection in Cameroon in 2020 has fallen wildly short of what is needed. Only 13 per cent of requirements have been received so far, which is just $3 per person. This has left more than 2 million people without assistance.   According to the UN Population Fund, 48 per cent of Venezuelan women on the move are travelling alone, putting them at serious risk for human trafficking and all forms of gender-based violence.   http://www.nrc.no/news/2020/november/protection-financing/ http://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/breaking-the-glass-ceiling/   COVID-19 Vaccine: Ensuring that people affected by armed conflict are not forgotten. (ICRC)   As vaccines for COVID-19 become available, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hopes to ensure that people affected by conflict and violence who might otherwise be forced to the back of the line or forgotten all-together also have equitable access to the vaccine.   For people living in conflict areas, access to basic health services is often challenging or impossible. These populations are just as vulnerable to COVID-19 and deserve to be protected from this severe health menace. In addition, the ICRC estimates that more than 60 million people live in areas controlled by non-state armed groups who risk not being included in national vaccine distribution frameworks.   Marginalised communities, including internally displaced persons, migrants, asylum seekers and detainees, must also be included in national vaccination programmes and be recognized as people in need of the health protections the vaccine will provide.   "Health workers or someone with a compromised immune system in regions affected by armed conflict endure the double burden of conflict and COVID in often-forgotten and neglected areas. We believe that people there should have the same right and access to the vaccine as others do," said Robert Mardini, ICRC's director-general.   In conflict settings, poor health capacities due to the breakdown or destruction of health services, lack of health personnel, precarious infrastructure and disputed borders might hamper vaccine distribution.   Reaching front-lines and areas controlled by non-state armed groups brings complications such as difficult logistics, the need for travel permissions and reduced availability of electricity and refrigeration. Restrictive measures and sanctions may impede access to these areas.   Together with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the ICRC will support Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies as they have a leading role in carrying out vaccination programs and distributing the COVID vaccine in their respective countries.   The ICRC is ready to support national vaccination campaigns and facilitate access to the COVID-19 vaccine by populations in countries affected by armed conflict and violence. Also, the ICRC is ready to use its privileged position and offer its services as a neutral intermediary to ensure access to the vaccine for people living in conflict zones, in areas not under governmental control and in places of detention. Excluding these populations from a COVID-19 vaccine presents a clear risk since no one will be safe until everyone is safe.   The ICRC asks that: States ensure the inclusion of populations in humanitarian settings in national vaccination frameworks. Parties to conflict give access to the vaccine to populations under their control and facilitate the work of humanitarian organizations and of the health personnel in charge of vaccinations, in accordance with their legal obligations, including under international humanitarian law.   States support Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies, which have a key role in COVID-19 vaccination. States maintain and strengthen routine immunizations and essential health services.   Measles and polio campaigns have been suspended in dozens of countries, and at least 80 million children under age 1 are at risk of diseases with significant mortality such as measles, diphtheria and polio. Whilst a COVID vaccine is urgent, other vaccines are also most needed and must be provided.   Community members, Red Cross/Red Crescent volunteers and religious and community leaders should be invited to help design and implement vaccine mobilisation plans. Engaging communities and providing them with accurate information will be critical for the success of COVID-19 vaccination programs and the safety of health personnel.   "Together with our Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners, the ICRC is ready to contribute to the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, especially in areas affected by conflict and 'last-mile' areas along the frontlines, as well as in places of detention," said Mr. Mardini. "We will also prioritize routine vaccinations and work to provide reliable information about vaccines."   http://www.icrc.org/en/document/covid-19-vaccine-ensuring-people-affected-armed-conflict-are-not-forgotten   Apr. 2020   COVID-19 response in conflict zones hinges on respect for international humanitarian law, by Cordula Droege for the International Committee of the Red Cross.   We are living through a shared, global crisis. COVID-19 does not heed borders or pay deference to people of power or wealth. However, while the virus does not discriminate in its reach, the effects of the pandemic are by no means equally distributed.   It is the men, women and children caught in the crossfire of armed conflict - displaced by violence, living in countries which have been structurally shattered by years of fighting, destruction, erosion of basic services - who are the most vulnerable to the current pandemic.   Nearly 168 million people around the world now depend on humanitarian relief because of conflict, violence and disasters. As terrifying as the health, social, psychological and economic impacts have shown to be, the coronavirus is not one, but rather one more, calamity that befalls them.   Why are conflict zones viewed as powder kegs lying in wait for the spark of COVID-19? Of course, much of the problem lies with armed conflict itself; beyond immediate death and injury, impoverishment, displacement, and lack of access to essential services are the common consequences of armed conflict, and in particular of protracted armed conflicts.   Even in situations where the rules are observed, the conduct of war can cause enormous damage and have important long-term humanitarian consequences, such as protracted displacement, the loss of access to basic services and the erosion of individual and community coping mechanisms.   However, while the root causes of the erosion of essential services, and especially healthcare, in a conflict situation are complex and manifold, the ICRC has repeatedly emphasized that respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) would go a long way towards reducing the suffering of populations and the humanitarian consequences of conflicts.   Ensuring the protection of essential services, in the short- and the long-term, begins first and foremost with better respect for existing rules of international humanitarian law by parties to armed conflicts.   It is a root cause of the problem, and it cannot be overstated: the extreme vulnerability of people in conflict zones to COVID-19, the culmination of degraded or collapsed essential services such as water, sanitation, and health care, is in significant part the result of a disregard over many years of States and other belligerents obligations as set out in international humanitarian law and international human rights law towards populations under their control.   Now we are here, at a new crossroads, but one with familiar signposts. In the long term, a public health response to a pandemic and respect for fundamental legal protections go hand in hand.   To illustrate this, the ICRC Legal Division has produced a basic reminder of the key provisions of international humanitarian law, relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic in conflict situations, that we must all keep close at hand when a pandemic hits countries at war.   Hospital Medical personnel, facilities and transport   Common Art 3 GC I-IV; Arts 19, 23-26 and 35 GC I; Art 36 GC II; Arts 14(1), 15, 18, 20-21 and 56 GC IV; Arts 12, 15-16 and 21 AP I; Arts 10 and 11 AP II; Rules 25, 26, 28, 29 and 35 ICRC Customary IHL (CIHL) Study.   Adequately staffed and well-equipped medical facilities are necessary for the provision of medical care on a large scale, as demonstrated by the outbreak of COVID-19 and the needs it has generated. Under international humanitarian law, medical personnel, units and transports exclusively assigned to medical purposes must be respected and protected in all circumstances. In occupied territories, the occupying power must also ensure and maintain medical and hospital establishments and services, public health and hygiene. In addition, international humanitarian law provides for the possibility of setting up hospital zones that may be dedicated to addressing the current crisis.   Water   Arts 54(2) and 57(1) AP I; Arts 13(1) and 14 AP II; Rules 15 and 54 ICRC CIHL Study.   Water supply facilities are of critical importance during the current crisis. In armed conflict situations, many of these installations have been destroyed by fighting over the years. Any disruption to their functioning means thousands of civilians would no longer be able to implement the basic prevention measures, such as frequent hand-washing, which can lead to further spread of the virus.   International humanitarian law expressly prohibits attacking, destroying, removing, or rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, including drinking water installations and supplies. Moreover, in the conduct of military operations, constant care must be taken to spare civilian objects, including water supply network and installations.   Humanitarian relief   Common Arts 3 and 9/9/9/10 GC I-IV; Arts 70 and 71 AP I; Art 18(2) AP II; Rules 55-56 ICRC CIHL Study.   Humanitarian action in countries affected by armed conflicts is essential in saving lives during the ongoing crisis. Under international humanitarian law, each party to an armed conflict bears the primary responsibility to meet the basic needs of the population under its control.   Impartial humanitarian organizations such as the ICRC have the right to offer their services. Once relief schemes have been agreed to by the parties concerned, the parties to the armed conflict and third States shall allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of the humanitarian relief subject to their right of control (e.g. by adjusting any pandemic-related movement restrictions to allow victims to access humanitarian goods and services).   Persons specifically at risk   Common Art 3 GC I-IV; Arts 12 and 15 GC I; Art 16 GC IV; Art 10 AP I; Art 7 AP II; Rules 109, 110 and 138 ICRC CIHL Study.   Certain groups of people, including older persons, those who have weakened immune systems, or those with pre-existing health conditions, are at particular risk for severe illness if infected by COVID-19.   Others, including persons with disabilities, may face a variety of barriers (e.g. communication, physical) in accessing necessary health-care services or particular difficulties in implementing the required hygienic measures to prevent infection (e.g. social distancing may not be possible for those relying on the support of others for everyday tasks).   International humanitarian law requires parties to a conflict to respect and protect wounded and sick persons as well as to take all possible measures to search for, collect and evacuate them, without adverse distinction, whenever circumstances permit and without delay.   They must receive, to the fullest extent practicable and with the least possible delay, the medical care and attention required by their condition, without distinction other than for medical purposes.   Moreover, IHL provisions afford specific respect and protection to older persons and persons with disabilities who are affected by armed conflict.   Detainees   Arts 22(1), 23(1), 29-31 GC III; Arts 83(1), 85(1), 91-92 GC IV; Arts 5(1)(b) and 5(2)(c) AP II; Rules 118 and 121 ICRC CIHL Study.   Detention facilities which are often overcrowded, have poor hygiene or lack ventilation pose a grave challenge when it comes to preventing and containing infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Under international humanitarian law, detainees health and hygiene must be safeguarded, and sick detainees must receive the medical care and attention required by their condition.   In the current situation, new arrivals should be tested for the virus and hygiene measures should be increased (e.g. by installing hand-washing stations, providing soap and other washing equipment, and creating isolation wards), in order to prevent the spread of disease.   Internally displaced persons, migrants, asylum seekers and refugees   All general rules covering the civilian population; specific rules include Arts 35, 44, 45(4), 49, 70(2), 147 GC IV; Art 73 AP I; Art 17 AP II; Rules 105, 129 and 131 ICRC CIHL Study.   Internally displaced persons, migrants, asylum seekers and refugees are particularly exposed to outbreaks of COVID-19, given their frequently harsh living conditions and limited access to basic services including health care.   Displaced civilians are entitled to shelter, hygiene, health, safety and nutrition. People facing outbreaks of COVID-19 in camps may aim to move to safety, leading local populations and/or authorities to react forcefully to contain them, including by turning the camps into isolated detention centres.   International humanitarian law protects all civilians against the effects of armed hostilities and against arbitrary deprivation of liberty, and provides for their access to health care without discrimination.   Children and education   Arts 13, 24, 50(1), 94, 108 and 142 GC IV; Art 4(3)(a) AP II; Rule 135 ICRC CIHL Study   Many schools have been temporarily closed to prevent further spreading of COVID-19. While an important preventive measure, this places education continuity under additional strain in contexts where education may already have been disrupted by armed conflict.   The disruption of education has long-term effects, and it is important that efforts to ensure its continuity are not an afterthought in times of crisis. International humanitarian law contains rules that require parties to conflict to facilitate access to education, and State practice indicates the inclusion of access to education in the special respect and protection to which children are entitled under customary law.   Measures to ensure that education is not interrupted and that children can learn from home are urgently needed.   Sanctions regimes and other restrictive measures   Common Arts 3 and 9/9/9/10 GC I-IV; Arts 70 and 71 AP I; Art 18(2) AP II; Rules 31, 32, 55-56 and 109-110 ICRC CIHL Study.   The current COVID-19 crisis requires the mobilization of significant humanitarian resources that are often lacking in countries affected by armed conflicts. Sanctions and other restrictive measures currently in place can impede impartial humanitarian action in these areas, to the detriment of the most vulnerable. Sanctions regimes and other restrictive measures that hinder impartial humanitarian organizations, such as the ICRC, from carrying out their exclusively humanitarian activities in a principled manner are incompatible with the letter and spirit of international humanitarian law.   States and international organizations enforcing such measures should make sure that they are consistent with international humanitarian law and do not have an adverse impact on principled humanitarian responses to COVID-19. They should devise effective mitigating measures, such as humanitarian exemptions benefiting impartial humanitarian organizations. http://bit.ly/2ViW6X3   * Dr Cordula Droege is the chief legal officer and head of the legal division of the ICRC, where she leads the ICRC's efforts to uphold, implement and develop international humanitarian law. Visit the related web page
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