Resolution 4 : Health Care in Danger: Continuing to protect the delivery of health care together | Power of humanity: Red Cross Red Crescent

State

Name, position and email of the focal person

Caroline Hancock-Ebner
Programme Officer
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC
Domain Humanitarian Aid and SHA / Multilateral Humanitarian Affairs Division
caroline.hancock-ebner@eda.admin.ch

1. What legislative, regulatory and practical measures have you put in place and implemented domestically to ensure the protection of the wounded and sick, health-care personnel and facilities, medical transport, as well as their identification (including through the distinctive emblems)?

Necessary legislative, regulatory and practical measures are in place. Switzerland continues its dialogue with other States, international organisations and other stake-holders to examine any further measures aimed at strengthening existing measures.

What about the measures to ensure the violations of international law related to the protection of health-care delivery are effectively sanctioned? Which ministry, government agency, legislative or regulatory organ has been responsible for implementing these measures?

2. What concrete actions have you conducted to collect and analyze data related to violence against the wounded and sick, health care personnel and facilities, and medical transport? How did you use this information to develop practical measures to address such violence?

Switzerland has provided financial support for the establishment of a position in the “Attacks on Health” project of the World Health Organization WHO to support the collection and analysis of data in this field.

3. What actions has your government undertaken to enhance the understanding by health care personnel of their rights and responsibilities resulting from applicable law?

see under point 1

What specific measures has your government taken to ensure that health care personnel can safely fulfil their medical duties in line with their professional code of ethics?

4. How have you been cooperating across various Ministries of Government, and with other relevant stakeholders, including the Red Cross Red Crescent Societies, health-care professional associations and civil society, in your country to increase the safety of provision of and access to health care?

Switzerland promotes regularly the topic of the protection of the medical mission at multilateral level (e.g. General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC) as well as in dedicated meetings (e.g. Universal meeting of national IHL commissions, held in Geneva in November/December 2016). Particular attention is given to the issue in the context of the NY-based Gropu of Friends on Protection of Civilians, chaired by Switzerland. Furthermore, Switzerland alongside Canada established an informal group of States as well as ICRC, WHO and MSF on the topic of implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2286. This group aims at nourishing the momentum since the adoption of resolution 2286 including through exchange of best practice and information around the topic . In this connection, Switzerland organized a high-level side-event (together with Canada) at the World Health Assembly in May 2017 as well as a side-event (together with Colombia) at the ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment in June 2017which reflected the urgency to act and mapped out concrete courses of action for the implementation of resolution 2286.

Switzerland will suggest the Module “mother and child” developed by the Division of Humanitarian Aid /Rapid Response to be integrated in the certified “Specialized Medical Care Team” course at the WHO in 2018.

5. How do you ensure that the protection of the wounded and sick and healthcare services is integrated into training, doctrine and operational orders and procedures for your armed and security forces whether at the national level or in the context of international operations they are contributing to?

see under point 1

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