Bombing populated areas: a disaster for civilians
The United Nations Security Council discusses the protection of civilians in armed conflict the week of May 20, 2019. A delegation from Humanity & Inclusion is at the United Nations headquarters in New York to convince States to commit themselves against bombing populated areas. Arms Advocacy Manager, Alma Al Osta, is at the helm of the delegation. She took time to explain Humanity & Inclusion's actions:
Meetings - lots of meetings!
The Humanity & Inclusion delegation has planned several meetings with state delegations to convince them to commit themselves against bombing populated areas. A few days ago, we addressed them by letter to encourage them to refer to bombing in populated areas as a major problem for the protection of civilians in armed conflict when they speak at the Security Council debate. We also asked them to support the political process initiated by Austria, Ireland and several States in favor of an international political declaration against explosive weapons in populated areas. Humanity & Inclusion has been working for years with States and other NGOs on such a political declaration.
Civilians front and center
Bombings in populated areas have disastrous and long-term consequences for civilians--consequences that Humanity & Inclusion confronts daily in places like Libya and Yemen, and among Syrian refugees. At a breakout conference of the Security Council debate on May 23rd, we will report on what we have seen in the field: the suffering of civilians caused by bombings in urban areas. That includes disabling injuries, psychological trauma, destruction of vital civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, population displacement, contamination by explosive remnants...
Bombing populated areas: 92% of victims are civilians
Bombing in populated areas has become a common practice in armed conflicts. Civilians are the main victims. According to Action on Armed Violence, more than 42,000 people were killed or injured by explosive weapons of all kinds - bombs, mortars, rockets, etc. - in 2017. When explosive weapons are used in populated areas, 92% of the victims are civilians.
Protection of civilians
During armed conflict, those who do not take part in the fighting must not be attacked. They must be spared and protected. The concept of "protection of civilians" thus encompasses the rules of international humanitarian law to protect all those - men, women, children - who do not take part in fighting.
20 years since the first UN resolution on the protection of civilians
Twenty years ago, in 1999, the United Nations Security Council noted that civilians had become the main victims of armed conflict and adopted its first resolution on the protection of civilians (Resolution 1265): "Civilians constitute the vast majority of victims of armed conflict and [...] combatants and other armed elements are increasingly targeting them." The same year, the Security Council decided on the first peace keeping mission dedicated to the protection of civilians (Sierra Leone).
Photo: On the 5th and 6th of December 2018, HI co-organized a regional conference in Santiago, the capital of Chile, on protecting civilians from bombing. 25 governments and a dozen civil society organizations and international NGOs attended. The organization raised awareness of this crucial issue and encouraged states to take a stand against the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. © HI
U.S. Senators: Support the Disability Treaty
Jessica with retired Senator Harkin in his Washington, D.C. office. (photo above)
More than one billion people on our planet have a disability—yet most still struggle to escape discrimination. The U.S. has been the world leader in promoting the rights of people with disabilities—until recently.
You can help change this.
An international disability rights treaty based on The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), aims to promote human rights and protections for people with disabilities around the globe. The world counts 173 ratifications/accessions to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)—but not the U.S.
In 2012, despite broad bi-partisan support, the U.S. Senate failed to ratify the CRPD by just five votes. It hasn't come to a floor vote since.
Call on your Senators to support the CRPD. Your name will be delivered in person to the Washington, D.C., offices of Senators to convince them it is the right thing to do.
Sign below to say:
Dear Senator,
I support the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I urge you, and your fellow Senators, to support the disability treaty when it next comes to debate and a vote.
Ratification of the CRPD is free. Ratification does not change U.S. law. Ratification tells the world that the U.S. is serious about protecting the rights of people with disabilities.
Please, Senator, lend your support to the U.S. joining the disability treaty.
Help Ban Landmines
Target: U.S. President, Donald Trump
Humanity & Inclusion needs your help to ensure that President Trump submits the Mine Ban Treaty to the Senate now.
More than 90% of landmine victims are civilians. With landmines impacting communities in more than 80 countries and territories, the danger is very real.
The U.S. has been planning on joining the treaty since its creation in 1997, but President Bush reversed the U.S. policy stance in 2004. The Obama administration finally announced in December 2009 that the U.S. had initiated a comprehensive review of its landmine policy. In 2014, the Obama administration promised that the U.S. would stop producing or purchasing landmines. However, the U.S. has yet to join the treaty.
The Petition
President Trump: Abandon the Bush-era policy. Get back on track and fulfill the promise the U.S. made to the international community 15 years ago. Submit the treaty to the Senate for ratification now!