Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) attended and presented at the high-level debate, Health Care & Violence: The Need for Effective Protection, at the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2014. The debate was co-chaired by the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the director-general of the World Health Organisation, and moderated by the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs. The event brought together representatives of states, international organizations, and the humanitarian community to discuss concrete measures that states can take to build a comprehensive protective environment, where access to and delivery of health care are safe, and to enhance the ability of health systems to face crises.
At the debate, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos both thanked PHR for our documentation of attacks on medical facilities and personnel throughout the Syrian conflict. Here are PHR’s prepared remarks for the debate.