The protection of the medical mission lies at the origin of international humanitarian law and is a building block of our shared humanity: anyone needing medical assistance – friend or foe – must be treated with humanity; and those providing such care have special protection.
On 9 June, DanChurchAid, the Danish Red Cross MsF Denmark, Danish Church Aid, MFA Denmark/PM of Denmark to the UN engage in a session highlighting the urgent need to protect healthcare in armed conflict, exploring practical measures through expert insights and panel discussion.
Date: 9 June 2026 or 16 June 2026, 14:00-16:00 (TBC)
Location: Eigtveds Pakhus (TBC)
Organisers: Danish Red Cross, MsF Denmark, Danish Church Aid, MFA Denmark/PM of Denmark to the UN
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On 3 May 2016, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 22861, marking the first-ever resolution specifically addressing attacks on medical personnel and facilities in armed conflict, demanding that warring parties comply with their international obligations to prevent and address such attacks.
A decade later, the implementation gap remains stark. In 2024 the number of attacks as well as the number of medical and aid workers killed had at least doubled since 2021, and in 2025, the number of fatalities nearly doubled again compared to 2024.2 This does not only impact patients and staff but often deprives entire communities of access to basic healthcare, often for a length of time extending far beyond the actual attack.
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The 10-year anniversary of UNSCR 2286 offers a timely opportunity to bring renewed international attention to this alarming situation, while also reflecting on how the evolving nature of warfare has contributed to it and what lessons can be drawn to strengthen its implementation and thus the implementation of fundamental humanitarian law provisions.
In this context, mobilizing strong State commitment is critical as increasingly, the majority of attacks on healthcare are attributed to State actors3. Strengthening compliance with and accountability under international humanitarian law is essential. When the international community fails to act, we risk normalizing the unacceptable – treating attacks on healthcare as an inevitable feature of modern warfare rather than as grave breaches of international humanitarian law.
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To uphold and reinforce this fundamental humanitarian norm, courageous and consistent State leadership is urgently needed. Such leadership has been demonstrated by States that have actively advanced this agenda in multilateral forums, including the original sponsors of UN Security Council Resolution 2286, notably Spain, as well as current elected member of the Security Council, Denmark. Through its seat on the Council, Denmark is attempting to refocus global attention on this issue, including by marking the tenth anniversary of the resolution starting with an Arria-formula meeting, which took place on 5 May 2026.
Against this backdrop, the co-organizers of this event seek to draw attention to the urgent need to protect healthcare in armed conflict and point to what measures can be taken to strengthen protection through a series of expert presentations and a panel discussion which will include a range of perspectives – from healthcare providers in conflict settings to legal experts and States that have committed to playing an active role in the UNSC and beyond to ensure better protection of the medical mission in armed conflict.
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Agenda
| 13.45 | Doors open |
| 14.00 | Opening Remarks by the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs TBC (10 min) |
| 14.10 | Statement on Denmark’s Focus on the Protection of Medical Mission (10min) H.E. Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen, Permanent Representative of Denmark to the United Nations (TBC) |
| From Incidents to Systemic Failure | |
| 14.20 | The Situation for Health Care Providers This segment will bring forward the lived realities of healthcare providers operating in conflict settings, highlighting the human, operational, and long-term consequences of attacks on healthcare. Guiding questions: What is the operational impact of attacks on health care? What changes when staff know they may be targeted? What are the long-term effects on civilians? Case study of a TBC context, in person or online speakers: could be from Sudan, Gaza, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Ukraine. |
| 14.45 | Trends and tendencies in attacks against health care Supported by findings from MSF report Medical Care in the Cross Hairs (10 min speaker from MSF) Impact of modern warfare on protection of Medical Mission ( |
| Action to Restore the Norm on Protecting Healthcare in Conflict | |
| 15.00 | IHL Global Initiative workstream on Meaningful Protection of Medical Facilities Presentation the Global Initiative to Galvanize Political Commitment to IHL, with a focus on the workstream on protection of hospitals in armed conflict Cordula Droge, chief legal officer and head of the legal division of the ICRC (TBC) |
| 15.15 | Effective Measures to Ensure Protection of the Medical Mission – Panel Discussion Intro and moderation by Dr Emanuela-Chiara Gillard, Senior Visiting Fellow, Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, on legal provisions (5 min) followed by panel debate (20 min) Panel Driving Change at the National Level. A state-led example of concrete action, representative from Columbia (TBC) Spain and NZ on efforts in NY. Accountability efforts, legal expert on IHFFC, ICC, domestic courts (KU Law expert TBC) Policy recommendations and examples of measures that have had an impact, WHO (TBC) Guiding questions: How can violations against healthcare be more effectively prevented? What mechanisms are needed to ensure accountability and combat impunity? How can states and institutions shift from commitments to measurable impact? If possible, statements from the floor from Egypt and Japan, who were co-initiative takers to res. 2286 together with New Zealand and Uruguay (the latter do not have an embassy in Dk). |
| 15.45 | Q&A |
| 15.55 | Closing Remarks H.E. Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen, Permanent Representative of Denmark to the United Nations (TBC) |
| 16.00 | Event Close |