Paris – Statement by the Syrian Network for Human Rights:
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), along with more than 30 organizations from nations worldwide, including academic institutions, human rights organizations, research centers and coalitions of civil society organizations, have united to work on establishing the War, Conflict and Health Global Alliance, with the Alliance’s electronic platform set to be launched in September 2021 at a high-level event, whose details will be announced later.
The Alliance is a collaborative body that enhances coordination and cooperation in health and humanitarian action and supports collective voices calling for an end to wars, mass violence and armed conflict, all of which pose major threats to health and health systems, by using data and evidence to engage decision-makers and practitioners in relevant fields, to reduce and mitigate the health effects of war and armed conflict on society. The Alliance seeks to address many critical gaps in humanitarian action within war/ conflict, particularly in situations where there is a lack of serious global leadership, and when affected communities are underrepresented. The Alliance also strives to support those working in countries that suffer from living with the burden of war, promoting justice and accountability as a foundation for peace, with the Alliance’s vision being a world without war, where health is protected, justice is served and peace is promoted.
The main activities of the Alliance are embodied in four focal points:
– Establishing a ‘global observatory to monitor the impact of war, conflict and health’, developing indicators that show progress, and identifying focused areas of advocacy and action.
– Issuing the ‘Global Status Report on War, Conflict and Health’, which we hope will serve as the primary reference on the field situation of war/ conflict.
– Holding a ‘global conference on war, conflict and health’ every two years to achieve the main objectives of bringing together diverse participants, facilitating community work of practice, exchanging knowledge and experiences, and linking bridges between research, policies and practices.
– Issuing a world map of actors, initiatives and donors in the field of war, conflict and health.
The SNHR has worked for nearly ten years in monitoring and documenting the most notable violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law against health and humanitarian workers, and vital civilian facilities related to these two fields; we have a database that includes tens of thousands of incidents targeting these personnel with killings or arrests by various parties to the conflict in Syria, and we have published many reports, in addition to hundreds of news items, which include incidents of violations committed against health and humanitarian workers.