Haiti: Renewed call for protection of health services, humanitarian access and respect for the red cross emblem

Essential services have been affected by the violence, and clean water, power and health care remain difficult to obtain for many. More service providers will be forced to close if the situation continues, thus depriving even more people of access to health care.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in Haiti calls for humanitarian principles to be upheld in the face of violence and its devastating humanitarian consequences. People must be guaranteed access to health-care services and supplies, without discrimination or limitations, at all times and in all circumstances. Wounded and ill patients must not be subjected to ill-treatment or put at arbitrary risk of death.

Health-care workers prevent and alleviate suffering and save lives. All parties must allow them to work and ensure their protection – including for medical vehicles and facilities – in all circumstances. They must never be hindered or prevented from carrying out their duties.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is composed of neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian organizations. Its mission is to alleviate human suffering, protect life and health and uphold human dignity, especially during armed conflicts and other emergencies. The protection provided by the red cross emblem, including for ambulances and emergency aid workers in Haiti, is crucial to upholding humanitarian principles.

About the ICRC

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial and independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mandate that stems from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.