Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 14 November 2023
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence
Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Mr. Ramesh Rajasingham:
No, it is a bit like international law, in that the mandate is strong. It is respect for our principles in this crisis and place of conflict that is important. It is compliance with the principles of humanitarian assistance that we would like to see strengthened. Those are: humanity; impartiality; neutrality; and independence. This is where we are challenged in many countries because we have a lot of interference with our work and we find it difficult to access humanitarian-affected populations. We are often targeted, despite the fact we are neutral. We are sometimes perceived as not being neutral. Compliance and respect of these principles is more important than changing the text of the resolution.
No comments