Berlin Humanitarian Call – Standing Together Against Famine

Today, representatives from Governments, humanitarian organisations of the United Nations, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Non-Governmental Organisations and local responders came together in Berlin to jointly recommit to responding to the dramatic humanitarian situations in Northeast-Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region, in South Sudan, in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa, and Yemen in accordance with our World Humanitarian Summit and Grand Bargain commitments and in line with the Agenda for Humanity.

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We are convinced that it is still possible to prevent a greater humanitarian catastrophe through urgent and rapid humanitarian action. We stand together against famine and issue this Humanitarian Call:

First and foremost, we recall our commitment to the principles guiding humanitarian action: All assistance must be provided in accordance with the humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence, on the basis of human need, and disregarding any political, religious, ideological or other considerations.

We call on donors around the world to act swiftly and to prioritise an increase in their support for coordinated humanitarian assistance in the countries currently facing a severe risk of famine.

We call on humanitarian partners to scale up their humanitarian assistance in the affected countries, to give maximum support to their experts in responding to these crises and to ensure the effective use of available humanitarian resources. We reaffirm our commitment to stand behind the UN, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and our humanitarian partners who continue to deliver assistance in most critical circumstances.

We call on the private sector to support humanitarian organisations to the best of its abilities, including through resources, expertise and enabling technology.

We call on individual citizens to support assistance programmes in these countries to the best of their abilities.

We call on parties involved in conflict to grant humanitarian workers safe passage and unimpeded access to the affected population. Our assistance must reach those who need it the most, based on the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence.

We call on all authorities to abolish any bureaucratic and administrative obstructions that interfere with the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and in particular to end restrictions of movement within and into their countries.

We call for increased protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights law. We must support and speak out on behalf of the most vulnerable, amidst an intensification of conflict, disaster and shrinking humanitarian space.

We call on the international community to scale up its efforts to achieve greater stability in fragile regions in the affected countries and to support Governments in their efforts to protect their citizens.

We call for stronger political commitment on the part of political leaders to prevent crises in the first place and to solve those that have led to this humanitarian catastrophe.

from
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/Infoservice/Presse/Meldungen/2017/170412_Berliner_Appell.html?nn=479796