On Thursday, 26 September, representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières or MSF), the Red Cross EU Office (RCEU), and VOICE urged MEPs on the Committee on Development (DEVE) to put respect for international humanitarian law, the protection of medical facilities, the fight against the effects of climate change, and humanitarian funding at the heart of European priorities.
The ICRC reiterated the importance of the Geneva Conventions. Inmaculada Vazquez (MSF) denounced the attacks on medical facilities in war zones in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Gaza, and Sudan: “Hospitals are attacked everywhere—systematically. [...] I would like this Parliament to take action”.
Mette Petersen (RCEU) warned of climate impacts in Africa, where “65% of the African population is directly affected”. She also noted that in West Africa, “temperatures are rising 50% faster than the global average”.
“Together, we must ensure that [...] the new Commission priorities and budget allocations are guaranteeing climate action”, she declared.
Speaking of the ‘funding gap’, Maria Groenewald (VOICE) noted with regret, “According to the Global Humanitarian Overview for 2024, $49 billion [is] needed to assist 187 million people”—calling for flexible and predictable humanitarian funding. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)