Tools of Protection: Upholding the Object and Purpose of the International Humanitarian Law Protecting Civilian Infrastructure and Hospitals - Side Event During PoC Week 2025, Friday 23 May 8.30 - 10.00

Background

Armed conflict takes a heavy toll on civilian lives not only directly, but also indirectly when civilian infrastructure is destroyed, and the essential services it provides are disrupted or become inaccessible. The humanitarian impact is both immediate and long-term, ranging from mass displacement, hunger and food insecurity, energy insecurity, an increased risk of infectious disease outbreaks, reduced livelihoods, and even death.

This reality is all the more concerning as armed conflicts increasingly take place in urban areas. We have witnessed cities reduced to rubble, with homes, infrastructure, schools, livelihoods, and cultural sites left shattered. Populations can be left without access to water, sanitation, electricity and health care. Reconstruction costs and further impacts on development can be enormous, with development indicators pushed back by years or even decades. This trend is likely to increase, especially as more than half of the global population currently resides in cities – a figure projected to reach 70% by 2050.

Amid the devastation of armed conflict, hospitals stand as fragile sanctuaries, overwhelmed by demand and depleted of essential supplies. Struggling to function under relentless strain, they remain uniquely vulnerable – yet, rather than effectively enjoying their specific protection, they are too often subject to attack, other military interferences with their medical functions as well as misuse for military purposes, with deadly effects for the medical personnel and the wounded and sick they are struggling to provided medical care to in often impossible conditions.

International humanitarian law (IHL) is designed to address these challenges in armed conflict. When applied in good faith and in line with its object and purpose, lives are saved, dignity is preserved, and the devastating effects of conflict outlined above can be avoided or at least minimized.

In this sense, IHL is a tool for substantiating the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. Furthermore, above and beyond their general protection as civilian objects, hospitals enjoy specific protection. For it to remain useful, parties to armed conflict must resist the temptation to upset the delicate balance between military necessity and humanitarian considerations upon which IHL rests— lest it become mere apology for destruction rather than a shield against it.

It is therefore crucial for all relevant stakeholders to uphold the humanitarian object and purpose of IHL. Unambiguous standards with respect to general and specific protections that apply to civilian infrastructure and hospitals, as well as the conditions for losing and regaining such protections are of utmost importance especially for those charged with applying them in armed conflict. On top of this, the sharing of practices and concrete recommendations in furtherance of obligations under IHL serve to refine the standards of the protection.

A wealth of good practices and recommendations already exists. This side event is an opportunity to consolidate current efforts and identify issues on which further action may be needed.