Ce lexique porte sur différents termes utilisés dans le domaine du droit international humanitaire. Il peut être considéré comme un instrument de travail pour celui qui doit utiliser ces concepts dans l’exercice de ses fonctions. Il comprend plus de 200 définitions relatives à l’action du personnel de santé engagé dans des conflits armés, quelques articles de fond, plus de 200 liens pointant vers d’autres sites en relation avec le droit international humanitaire. Les références des définitions sont souvent portées en bas de page (G pour les conventions de Genève et GP pour les protocoles additionnels). Les billets publiés ont pour vocation de stimuler la réflexion et ne représentent aucunement l’avis de l’auteur.

Publicités

7 steps to strengthen health care in emergencies

ICRC President: Speech to UN General Assembly event on Universal Health Coverage in Emergencies

Across the ICRC’s operations, whether in Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine or Nigeria we are seeing the deadly effects of conflict on health systems and health care.

While the direct impact of violence often focuses public attention, the cumulative destruction of large-scale, interconnected infrastructure and systems is also putting the lives of millions in jeopardy. Essential medications are in short supply or prohibitively expensive. People with chronic diseases go without treatment. Rapidly spreading diseases, like cholera and diphtheria, pose huge threats to whole communities. Beyond death and injury, wars also leave invisible scars on entire societies, including psychological trauma or untreated mental health disorders.

The ICRC is observing the concerning impacts when health care is politicized or used as a tactic of war, meaning large segments of communities are cut off from help. In the face of these challenges, the ICRC is adapting and enlarging its response. For example today, our teams are holding together key lifelines – from fixing and setting up water and electricity infrastructure, to supporting hospitals and orthopedic centres or running mobile health clinics.

As we all need to adapt to the realities of today’s conflict, I bring the attention of the international community to seven key areas for action:

1. The international community should do more to prevent the collapse of healthcare systems and act swiftly to protect communities. In active war zones, the question must be: ‘life or death?’ not ‘humanitarian or development’? We need flexible mechanisms for rapid – yet sustainable and connected – responses.
2. We must « make the invisible, visible » by reaching and designing solutions with people who face particular challenges in accessing health careWomen, children, the elderly, survivors of sexual violence, persons with disabilities, those dealing with mental health conditions, and detainees all require specific approaches. Trained local health workers, including the staff and volunteers of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, are a key frontline to delivering ongoing and comprehensive services.
3. Global health care cannot be achieved when humanitarian access is blocked and outrageous attacks on healthcare personnel, facilities and medical transport continue. Concrete steps are needed to ensure health systems are protected, and healthcare workers can access communities and patients can access services.
4. The ICRC has noted increased constraints in access to health services, including hospital care for weapon wounded adversaries, due to the radicalization of religious and political ideologies. We urge all parties to provide, or at a minimum allow impartial treatment, to all victims of hostilities.
5. We urge all governments, donors and agencies to consider healthcare in humanitarian settings as part of a long-term investment to providing a continuum of care for people affected by conflict and violence.
6. The ICRC urges the international community to increase quality support to address people’s mental health and psychosocial support needs, and to tackle the often overlooked area of non-communicable diseases in conflict settings.
7. To limit the destruction of health and other systems in the first place, we urge all parties in urban conflicts to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians, to avoid using explosive weapons with a wide impact in densely populated areas, given their likely indiscriminate effects.

Improving global healthcare will be a focus of the upcoming 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent next year, when States come together with 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. We urge States to use this platform to make gains in improving access to quality health services, to reduce violence against health care workers and facilities, and to address mental health and psychosocial needs arising from armed conflicts.

Dear colleagues, every time a child dies because they cannot access treatment, a victim of sexual violence is ignored or a health worker is attacked, we should be shocked and outraged. But more than this: we must move past our outrage to sober action.

Source : ICRC

La formation HELP pour la gestion des actions humanitaires

Quels sont les moyens les plus efficaces de protéger la vie et la dignité des personnes touchées par des catastrophes de grande ampleur ou des conflits armés, mais aussi de promouvoir leur santé ? Comment procéder pour analyser une crise complexe, évaluer les besoins et les ressources disponibles et définir des priorités ? De quelle manière planifier et mettre en œuvre une intervention, puis en mesurer l’efficacité ? Quelles mesures doivent être prises pour prévenir ou combattre les dangers qui menacent la santé publique, promouvoir le bien-être mental et social, et fournir des soins de façon efficace, durable, respectueuse et éthique ? Autant de questions complexes que le personnel humanitaire doit s’atteler à résoudre, souvent dans l’urgence.

Le cours H.E.L.P. vous propose de répondre à ce questionnement.

Créé en 1986 par le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge, il a pour objet d’améliorer le professionnalisme des collaborateurs chargés de la réalisation des programmes d’assistance humanitaire menés dans les situations d’urgence. Ces cours sont organisés en partenariat avec l’OMS et un partenaire académique dans le monde entier, et ont réuni 3 400 professionnels de la santé.

Pour en savoir plus, c’est ICI

Droit islamique et droit international humanitaire

Le droit islamique est le socle de l’islam et l’un des trois plus importants systèmes juridiques en vigueur aujourd’hui dans le monde. En raison de ses caractéristiques uniques, certaines parties à des conflits armés continuent à l’invoquer comme source principale des règles régissant leur comportement dans un conflit armé.

Les ressemblances entre les principes qui sous-tendent le droit international humanitaire (DIH) et le droit islamique de la guerre permettent de penser que ces deux traditions juridiques visent les mêmes objectifs. Il est essentiel de promouvoir l’universalité de ces principes, qui transcendent traditions juridiques, cultures et civilisations, si l’on veut faire en sorte que le DIH soit respecté.

Source: CICR

Creating and Teaching an IHL Course

This Advanced IHL Learning Series provides lecturers and trainers with recommendations on how best to teach international humanitarian law (IHL). Through peer-to-peer discussions among university professors, it addresses various aspects of IHL teaching: methodology and tools, teaching IHL in conjunction with human rights and/or international relations, teaching IHL in armed conflicts and teaching adults. Videos are complemented with teaching tools designed by the ICRC, as well as suggested readings.

To know more

Lutte contre Ebola sur fond de conflit armé

Pour la deuxième fois en l’espace de quelques mois, Ebola frappe à nouveau la République démocratique du Congo. Aujourd’hui, le virus meurtrier menace le Nord-Kivu, une province ravagée par un conflit armé et par la violence, ce qui risque de rendre cette nouvelle flambée encore plus dévastatrice.

« Cela compliquera d’autant plus nos opérations que celles-ci ont pour toile de fond une région en proie aux conflits armés depuis une vingtaine d’année », explique Hanna Leskinen, porte-parole du CICR. « Les gens se déplacent en permanence, au gré des vagues de violences successives qui les obligent à fuir. Cela complique énormément la recherche et le suivi des personnes infectées. »

Les environs de Beni et de Mangina – l’épicentre de cette nouvelle flambée – sont presque totalement encerclés par des groupes armés. Le CICR, en étroite collaboration avec la Fédération internationale des Sociétés de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge, lutte pour stopper la propagation du virus et empêcher qu’il n’atteigne les zones contrôlées par les groupes armés.

Dans l’immédiat, l’équipe Croix-Rouge met tout en œuvre pour que les personnes ayant succombé au virus soient enterrées en toute sécurité et dans la dignité. C’est juste après le décès qu’Ebola est le plus contagieux. D’où l’importance des procédures de sécurité pour la gestion des dépouilles en cas de suspicion d’Ebola, si l’on veut stopper sa propagation. Ces derniers jours, l’équipe d’intervention a formé 48 volontaires locaux originaires de Beni et de Mangina aux procédures de sécurité pour l’enlèvement et l’inhumation des dépouilles de personnes dont on présume qu’elles ont succombé à Ebola.

L’équipe Croix-Rouge fait aussi de la prévention auprès des communautés, tout en s’employant à améliorer les systèmes d’eau et d’assainissement, en particulier dans les prisons, et à apporter son soutien aux hôpitaux et aux structures médicales, notamment grâce à la mise en place de mesures de prévention et de contrôle de l’infection.

Source : ICRC

Aperçu d’incidents touchant les organisations humanitaires via l’OCHA et ReliefWeb

Le bureau de la coordination des affaires humanitaires (OCHA) est le bras du Secrétariat de l’ONU qui est chargé de rassembler les acteurs humanitaires pour intervenir de façon cohérente dans les situations d’urgence. OCHA s’assure également qu’il existe un cadre dans lequel chaque acteur peut contribuer à l’intervention collective.

Il réalise, en particulier, des infographies permettant le suivi des situations sur le terrain.

Ci-dessous un exemple à propos des incidents touchant les organisations humanitaires en république Centrafricaine.

La situation sécuritaire en République centrafricaine (RCA) demeure très précaire. Les populations sont les principales victimes des conflits et de la violence qui s’exercent dans le pays. La RCA reste également un des contextes les plus risqués pour les travailleurs humanitaires. 181 incidents sécuritaires affectant directement les personnels ou biens humanitaires ont été enregistrés entre janvier et juin 2018. Le nombre d’incidents a pratiquement doublé entre le 1er et le 2ème trimestre : 118 incidents ont été enregistrés entre avril et juin 2018, comparé à 63 pour le trimestre précédent. 19 véhicules ont été volés pendant les six premiers mois de l’année.

Au 2ème trimestre 2018, une dégradation importante des conditions sécuritaires a été observée en particulier à Bambari, Bria et Kaga-Bandoro ainsi que dans certains quartiers de Bangui. Les organisations humanitaires n’ont pas été épargnées : plus de 12 bases d’organisations ont été pillées ou cambriolées à Bambari et Bria seulement. Cette insécurité généralisée et les incidents qui ont affecté directement les acteurs et biens humanitaires ont abouti à des suspensions temporaires d’activités humanitaires dans au moins une douzaine de localités des sous-préfectures de Batangafo, Kaga Bandoro, Kabo, Bambari, Ippy et Bria d’avril à mai.

Snapshot S1 2018 – Incidents final

Source : ReliefWeb

The Roots of Restraint in War

The Roots of Restraint in War is an update of the 2004 Roots of Behaviour in War. Based on two years of research collaboration between the ICRC and six distinguished scholars, the report identifies sources of influence on various types of armed forces and armed groups, ranging from those with a highly decentralized structure to those embedded within their communities.

Drawing on eight case studies across five countries, The Roots of Restraint in War investigates how formal and informal norms condition the behaviour of soldiers and fighters depending on the kind of armed organization to which they belong. Ultimately it provides a framework of analysis for humanitarian actors to help them identify the approach best suited to a group’s particular structure and socialization mechanisms, with the aim of promoting restraint during armed conflict.

Source : ICRC

New global system to monitor attacks on health care

The surveillance system for attacks on health care (SSA) collects data on attacks on health care wherever they occur in the world and monitors their impact on the affected population’s health, all using a standardized approach.

The tool is aimed at various audiences. These include, of course, health-care personnel and those responsible for the security of health facilities, but also international and national governmental and non-governmental organizations, academics and anyone else interested in this issue.

Through the data collected, we hope to gain a better understanding of the global trends and patterns of this kind of violence, the nature of the attacks, and their repercussions on the delivery of health care. The WHO draws on such information to bolster the current advocacy campaign to end attacks on health care and raise awareness of the relevant rules of international humanitarian law. The ultimate goal is to galvanize action to safeguard health-care services.

Source : ICRC

Health Care in Danger competition

All the agencies pitched their creative ideas on 9 February 2018 at TU Ilmenau, Germany, to a jury composed of four-members, including Dr. Andreas Schwarz as the organizer of the event, Irene Raciti, HCID campaign coordinator representing the ICRC, Michael Weber-Kopal, Digital Content manager representing the German Red Cross, and Karoline Oelsner, lecturer at TU Ilmenau.

« The ICRC has always worked with students and young generations. Idealism and inclination for equality and social justice are natural in them as well as a sense of global citizenship. This allows them to identify easily with other fellow human beings and feel empathy for their struggles. However, I was impressed by the enthusiasm of these students for the topic: you could really feel their strong rejection for acts that deprive wounded and sick civilians caught in war from access to health care. It was truly refreshing ». Irene Raciti, Health Care in Danger Campaign Coordinator.

The idea for the competition was formed between ICRC and TU Ilmenau, as part of a course curriculum on ‘PR and Communication in the Context of Globalisation’, taught by Dr. Andreas Schwarz. His class of 25 ambitious Master students was assigned to develop and pitch campaign ideas for raising more public awareness on violence against health care workers in conflict zones. Under the guidance of Dr. Andreas Schwarz and the practical insight from the ICRC’s campaign coordinator the students worked from October 2017 to February 2018 developing their creative proposals for a campaign strategy, messages and communication materials.

« We are very grateful for this practical opportunity, which turned out to be an incredibly rewarding experience. Through this assignment we discovered the crucial role that humanitarian organizations such as the ICRC play during conflicts. But we also understood the responsibility that we have as human beings, to act when we see or hear of despicable acts such as the bombing of a hospital in a war zone or the arrest of a doctor because she treated a certain patient. Social media platforms give everyone’s voice an incredible opportunity to be heard. And Health Care in Danger is a cause worth raising our voice for. Students from ‘Infinutum » junior communication agency

While developing their campaign concepts, the students took into consideration the importance of the roles that societal, cultural, governmental, economic, and media aspects played in each respective country. Ultimately, some innovative ideas included graphic campaign booklets; social media strategies to engage public leaders; a modern approach of video campaigns conveying human interest stories from the field; increased partnerships with influencers within or outside the humanitarian world; 360° pictures; further cooperation with media and corporations as major partners for awareness raising among others.

« I was incredibly proud of what the students were able to accomplish and that everyone took the challenge seriously, in a professional manner. In doing so, they discovered how a collaboration with partners can offer both professional growth and personal fulfillment ». Dr. Andreas Schwarz, Chair of the Research Group of Public Relations and Communication of TU Ilmenau.

Some elements of the winning concepts are currently being considered to be incorporated in the Health Care in Danger campaign, such as the partnership with influencers and the cooperation with media. « The experience was so positive that I do not exclude similar exercises in the future » commented Irene Raciti.

Source : ICRC

Health-care workers suffer attacks every single week

Just this week, armed men stormed a hospital in the Central African Republic where an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) surgical team operates, threatening patients, medical staff and Red Cross volunteers. An ambulance was stopped and threatened in the street.

The U.N. Security Council resolution passed with overwhelming support, an indication the world believes that people, especially in areas of conflict, must be able to safely seek medical care. Sadly, from May 2016 to today, the ICRC has registered in 16 countries alone over 1,200 incidents of violence against health-care facilities or personnel.

In Afghanistan, for example, attacks against health workers and the use or destruction of health-care facilities by arms carriers has cut off thousands if not millions of people from medical care. The attacks health personnel face include threats, kidnappings, and killings.

“Attacks against health facilities and personnel are a double tragedy,” said ICRC President Peter Maurer. “First, such attacks wound and maim people seeking and providing health care. But they also deprive an uncountable number of people from receiving aid in the future, crippling the hopes of recovery for people in desperate need.”

The passage on 3 May 2016 of UNSC Resolution 2286 was a strong step by the international community to address violent attacks on health care, but commitments to prevent and mitigate this violence must be followed by action.

The ICRC urges that these steps take place in conflict zones:

1)    Armed forces refrain from attacking civilians or civilian infrastructure including health-care facilities, personnel and vehicles.

2)    The lifting of any blockade that prevents the delivery of necessary medical items and the evacuation of sick and wounded people.

3)    Investigations into incidents of violence against health care and accountability for attacks that violate international humanitarian law.

The destruction of health infrastructure and the disruption of health services have been particularly disturbing in conflicts in the Middle East. More than half of Syria’s public hospitals and health-care centres are closed or only partially functioning. Some of them have been hit by multiple air strikes. The provision of medical supplies in certain areas of the country as well as the evacuation of the wounded and sick have been consistently obstructed.

In Iraq, the destruction of civilian infrastructure in areas affected by the most recent hostilities has been massive. In Salah al-Din more than a third of health centres are damaged or destroyed. In Yemen, only 45% of the country’s health infrastructure was functioning at the end of 2017, and most did not have enough medical supplies.

“Even wars have rules,” Maurer said. “The wounded and sick must be protected in all circumstances. Violence that deprives them of access to health care violates international humanitarian law, and, ultimately, it makes us all a little less human.”

Source : ICRC