About the Statement

A written statement was issued by the Union Association for Human Rights (UAHR), in cooperation with a consultative organization, under document number A/HRC/57/NGO/55. The statement, submitted to the Human Rights Council at its 57th session (September–October 2024), focuses on the need to strengthen international efforts to protect civilians during wars and armed conflicts. It highlights the efforts of the United Arab Emirates in providing humanitarian aid and healthcare in conflict zones, particularly in Palestine and Sudan.

Statement Content

• The submission of this statement coincides with several significant humanitarian milestones: the 75th anniversary of the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949); the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1925 (1999) on protection of civilians in armed conflicts; and the 47th anniversary of Additional Protocol II of 1977.
• The statement highlights the international community’s failure to protect civilians in 2023, during which over 33,000 civilian deaths were recorded as a result of armed conflicts—a 72% increase compared to 2022.

Description of Civilian Rights Violations:

• The statement outlines grave violations occurring in conflicts across the Middle East and North Africa, including:
• The use of starvation as a tool of collective punishment.
• Forced displacement and arbitrary detention.
• Enforced disappearances and physical, psychological, and sexual violence.
• Destruction of infrastructure and essential services.
• It warns that some of these violations may amount to acts of genocide.

Appeal to the Human Rights Council:

• The statement urges the Council to give urgent priority to:
• Palestine, where Israel is documented to have committed violations against civilians, particularly women and children.
• Sudan, where the ongoing internal armed conflict since mid-2023 has led to a severe humanitarian crisis.
• It calls for protection for humanitarian workers, medical personnel, civil defense teams, and journalists, who have increasingly become targets of serious violations.

International Call for Accountability and Ending Impunity: The statement stresses the need to:

• End violations of international humanitarian law.
• Ensure criminal accountability for crimes committed against civilians.
• Reaffirm states’ commitment to the values and principles of international law.

Highlighting the Efforts of the United Arab Emirates: The statement provides a detailed account of the UAE’s humanitarian efforts and support for civilian protection in conflict zones, especially in:

Palestine:

• USD 20 million in emergency aid to UNRWA.
• Delivery of 22,627 tons of aid via 224 aircraft, 3 ships, and land convoys.
• Establishment of a 200-bed field hospital in Gaza, treating over 20,000 patients.
• Deployment of a floating hospital in Al-Arish to serve the wounded from Gaza.
• Construction of 6 water desalination plants and 5 central laboratories.
• Reception of over 2,000 patients for treatment in the UAE, under the initiative of the UAE President.

Sudan:

• USD 70 million to the UN and an additional USD 25 million in humanitarian aid.
• Air and sea bridge delivering 9,500 tons of supplies via 148 relief flights and ships.
• Support in the amount of USD 20 million to UNHCR and USD 8 million to WHO.
• Establishment of two field hospitals to serve refugees in neighboring countries.

Significance of the Statement

• The statement highlights the profound ethical and humanitarian challenge of protecting civilians and reaffirms international obligations during times of war.
• It highlights the UAE as a regional humanitarian model in emergency response and aid delivery.
• It issues an urgent call to activate the Human Rights Council’s role in prevention, accountability, and civilian protection.