Access to Humanitarian Aid

Aggrieved by the horrors of war and conflict in the world; yet,

Inspired nevertheless by the presence of humanitarian and relief organizations seeking to lessen the suffering of innocents affected by armed conflict;

Determining the deliberate refusal of international charity and aid to civilians to be as much a violation of human rights as deliberately inflicting conditions contrary to life on a population;

Defining Humanitarian operations as operations by international organizations devoted to ensuring survival of those directly affected by a crisis stemming directly or indirectly from armed conflict, including provision of material aid and the services of trained personnel, with the intention of alleviating suffering and offering these services charitably and impartially.

Declares that member nations shall:

Allow humanitarian operations within territory affected by a crisis directly resulting from armed conflict which falls under their effective control when their own efforts to contain the crisis are insufficient, and facilitate their efforts in a fair and non-discriminative manner, without interference or punitive action.

Ensure the right of individuals affected by these conflicts to utilize humanitarian operations’ facilities and supplies in a humanitarian manner, free from hindrance.

Consider it a war crime, and therefore illegal, to intentionally deprive individuals of humanitarian aid supplies, or prohibit their use or distribution, except in cases where reasonable alternatives can be substituted, such as in instances of controlled substances or dietary restrictions.

Consider it a war crime, and therefore illegal, to deliberately target, assault, injure, or detain the personnel, or deliberately seize, damage, or deliberately divert the equipment of humanitarian organizations while they operate within the capacity of their duties, unless one of the following conditions are met:

• Personnel fail to remain impartial, neutral and non-aggressive parties to the conflict or crisis. Acting in self-defense shall not be considered a violation of neutrality for personnel, provided the act does not exceed the purview of reasonable and immediate self-defense.

• Personnel and equipment is not clearly marked with clear and recognizable identifying markings indicating their status as neutral parties.

• Personnel or equipment fail to meet the standards and requirements of safety and public health pursuant to the applicable international regulations, or, in the case of personnel, have an outstanding warrant.

The International Humanitarian Aid Coordination Committee shall be expanded to:

• Assume control of a multilateral relief operation involving multiple international humanitarian organizations and work in concert with the host nation to best address the needs of the affected population.

• Act as liaison between the individual humanitarian organizations involved and the host government(s) to prevent unnecessary conflict between government and humanitarian operation personnel.

Access to Humanitarian Aid was passed 10,008 votes to 1,387.