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Safer access to people in need

A) Objectives of the pledge:

Recognising that insecurity of health care in armed conflict and other emergencies continues to have severe humanitarian consequences for populations, health care personnel, health care facilities and transports with both short and long term consequences on health care delivery,

Recognising the complementarity of the Resolution 32IC/15/19.4 of the 32nd International Conference entitled “Health care in danger: continuing to protect the delivery of health care together” and Resolution 32IC/15/19.5 entitled “The safety and security of humanitarian volunteers”,

Recognising the UN General Assembly Resolution on “Integrating volunteering into peace and development” of 13 November 2015, which recognises volunteering as a powerful means of implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and acknowledges the Plan of Action to integrate volunteering in peace and development in the next decade and beyond,

Affirming our determination to cooperate in preventing and mitigating risks to humanitarian workers and volunteers to the degree feasible, to collaboratively implement initiatives that will promote a safer environment for them, and to strengthen our efforts to meet the needs of injured or traumatised volunteers and of the families of volunteers killed or injured in the line of duty,

Affirming the importance of concrete application of the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and the implementation of the Safer Access Framework and other Movement tools and approaches for ensuring safer access to people in need,

 

The Government of Denmark and Danish Red Cross in collaboration with key partners pledge:

    • The Government of Denmark pledge to support the strengthening of the safety and security of local humanitarian workers and volunteers, including by promoting the issue in policy dialogues with its humanitarian counterparts, as well as by raising the issue of risk transfer with humanitarian partners that rely on front line humanitarian workers, not least volunteers, to implement activities.

 

    • Danish Red Cross and [partner NS’s] pledge to take action to increase acceptance, security and access, in order to more effectively reach more people in need and to support our peer National Societies in their efforts to do so,. We commit to strengthen the use of and effective access to insurance schemes, or other suitable means of social, psychological and economic health and safety, for humanitarian workers and in particular volunteers and their immediate family in case of death, injury, sickness or trauma while carrying out their duties.

 

    • The Government of Denmark, Danish Red Cross [and other key NS] jointly pledge to support the development of the evidence base on three inter-related areas concerning safer access to people in need in collaboration with ICRC and IFRC: (i) the security and safety risks faced by frontline volunteers and humanitarian workers; (ii) the impact on providers and receivers of health care short-term and as longer term knock-on effects; and (iii) evaluating the effective implementation of the safer access framework, insurance schemes for volunteers and practical measures to increase volunteer safety and security.

 

 

B) Action plan:

Indicators:

    • Security and safety of humanitarian workers and in particular volunteers is featured in policy dialogues and form part of agreements, where appropriate, between the Government of Denmark and humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organisations that rely on front line volunteers to implement activities.

 

    • Humanitarian workers and volunteers have effective access to adequate insurance schemes, or other appropriate forms of social, psychological and economic health and safety measures, for themselves and their immediate families in case of death, injury, sickness or trauma endured while carrying out duties

 

    • The number and scope of studies, carried out by the pledge partners, within the identified areas of interest, such as:

 

    • Context-specific analysis of security and safety risks for health care and their effects on different groups

 

    • Analysis of effectiveness and adequacy of insurance schemes for humanitarian workers of volunteers

 

    • Analysis of good practices and context specific solutions

 

    • Implemented measures are designed or adjusted based on the research

 

C) Indicators for measuring progress:

N/A

D) Resource implications:

N/A

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