Paris International Conference on Lebanon: Urgent Call to Protect Civilians

At the conclusion of the international conference on Lebanon held today in Paris, a coalition of humanitarian, solidarity and human rights non-governmental organizations has launched an urgent call to Emmanuel Macron and the heads of states and ministers attending the conference to take immediate and concrete actions to better protect civilian populations in Lebanon.

Among the NGOs calling for the protection of civilians in Lebanon and the region at a press conference in Paris: Action contre la Faim, Amnesty International France, CARE France, Handicap International, Human Rights Watch, Médecins du Monde, Médecins Sans Frontières, Oxfam France and Première Urgence Internationale.

Médecins du Monde (MDM): Jean-François Corty, President

"It is important that the NGOs were able to testify this morning at the international humanitarian conference. We welcome the announcement of 800 million dollars in financial support for humanitarian aid. What the civilian populations of Lebanon and the region also need is strong political solutions. Humanitarian organizations are acting at their level to help the people of Lebanon, but as we said this morning, we cannot work under bombs. States need to act with much more determination and take concrete action. In addition to funding to meet the needs, what is urgently needed is a ceasefire, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, the fight against impunity, and not forgetting the dying plight of Gaza."

Press contact: Camille Nozières - phone: + 33 7 64 80 17 53 - e-mail: camille.nozieres@medecinsdumonde.net

Première Urgence Internationale (PUI): Elsa Softic, Deputy Director of Operations

"The impact of the war in Lebanon on civilians is unacceptable. Health infrastructures are regularly targeted, which represents a real threat to public health; access to humanitarian aid is hindered and humanitarian actors can no longer fulfill their mandate without taking major risks to their own safety. We call for the respect of international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians".

Press contact: Amal Huart - tel: +33 7 83 42 57 19 - e-mail: ahuart@premiere-urgence.org

Amnesty International France: Anne Savinel Barras, President

“After a year of death and destruction, Amnesty International fears that Lebanon may face the same dramatic situation as the occupied Gaza Strip. Given the intensity of the attacks, we urgently call for respect for international humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks on civilians and civilian objects. We insist on an imperative immediate halt to attacks on humanitarian aid convoys, healthcare workers and medical facilities. Humanitarian aid must reach all areas of Lebanon in need, including those subject to evacuation orders, such as in southern Lebanon. We call on Israel's allies, including the United States and France, to suspend all transfers of arms, war material and all forms of military aid to Israel. We also call for the suspension of all arms transfers to Hezbollah and other armed groups in Lebanon. Finally, we call on France to support the setting up of a special session of the Human Rights Council on the situation in Lebanon and the adoption of a resolution creating a fact-finding mission.”

Press contact: Gaël Grilhot – tel.: + 33 6 24 79 58 86 – e-mail: ggrilhot@amnesty.fr

Médecins Sans Frontières France (MSF): Isabelle Defourny, President

“In both Lebanon and Gaza, Israel must stop its indiscriminate bombing campaigns, which do not spare civilians or medical and humanitarian workers. We are particularly horrified by the situation in northern Gaza, where we are witnessing an extreme development in the war conducted by Israel over the past year. To be killed trying to flee or to die under siege at home: this is the impossible choice offered by Israel to the population of northern Gaza through misleading evacuation orders designed to blur their intention to go through with their campaign to annihilate northern Gaza. In January 2024, the International Court of Justice called on Israel to take action in the face of a plausible risk of genocide. Ten months on, Israeli forces continue to kill hundreds of people and deliberately obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid.”

Press contact: Alice Gotheron - tel.: + 33 6 45 73 90 79 - e-mail: alice.gotheron@paris.msf.org

Handicap International (HI): Jérôme Bertrand, Emergency Manager

"Given the intensification of bombardments and the growing humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, HI is adapting its actions to respond to the emergency. However, access to affected areas is severely compromised by insecurity, making the delivery of aid and access to affected areas extremely difficult. Supply and storage capacities are dwindling, main roads are often impassable or dangerous, and vital civilian infrastructures such as hospitals are under pressure. Market prices are soaring: the price of mattresses has tripled, and the closure of factories in the south due to bombing is affecting the country's entire supply chain. Disabled people, disproportionately affected, suffer particularly because their specific needs cannot be fully met. HI strongly condemns the attacks on civilians and infrastructure and calls for an immediate ceasefire in the region and safe, unhindered humanitarian access."

Press contact: Clara Amati - tel.: + 33 6 98 65 63 94 - e-mail: c.amati@hi.org

Action contre la Faim (ACF): Sonia Ben Salem, Advocacy Coordinator

“After decades of political turmoil and economic crisis, Lebanon is now facing a large-scale humanitarian crisis. More than a million people have been displaced, leaving everything behind, while several hundred Lebanese schools have been turned into precarious shelters. In this context, humanitarians bear a double burden: protecting their own lives and meeting the needs of civilians. The parties to the conflict must comply with the principles of international humanitarian law and put an end to indiscriminate strikes on civilians and the infrastructure essential to their survival.”

Press contact: Maryna Chebat – tel.: +33 6 49 10 83 65 – e-mail: mchebat@actioncontrelafaim.org

Human Rights Watch: Bénédicte Jeannerod, France Director

"France's efforts to mobilize humanitarian assistance for the Lebanese people in the face of escalating attacks are important. But they should be coupled with strong, concrete action to put an end to violations of the laws of war, which have resulted in numerous unlawful killings, destruction and devastating humanitarian consequences for civilians, and to secure accountability for these violations. France and the European Union should adopt targeted sanctions, halt arms exports, and review their bilateral agreements with Israel to exert far greater pressure on the Israeli government to put an end to its violations in Lebanon, Gaza and elsewhere and prevent further atrocities."

Press contact: Bénédicte Jeannerod - tel.: + 33 6 74 32 88 94 - e-mail: jeanneb@hrw.org

CARE France: Michael Adams, Director of CARE in Lebanon

“‘Please tell me that this place is safe, that it won't be bombed too’, a panicked elderly woman asked our team during a distribution in a shelter as fighter jets flew overhead. We are assisting people who have lost everything, some already in their seventh shelter fleeing the advance and escalation of the bombardments. Women and girls face particular hardship. The risk of gender-based violence is high while on the move. Children are left without safe spaces to play or continue their education. As humanitarians, we were prepared for crises, however, not for this level of rapidly evolving and increasing numbers of people requiring urgent assistance. People in Lebanon urgently need aid and an immediate and permanent ceasefire"

Press contact: Laury-Anne Bellessa - tel.: + 33 6 24 61 85 37 - e-mail: bellessa@carefrance.org

Oxfam France: Louis-Nicolas Jandeaux, Humanitarian Manager

"Ensuring that sufficient humanitarian aid reaches Lebanon is essential. The organization of this conference is positive in this sense, but once again we observe that efforts to put an end to the continuing violations of international law are no more than a matter of communication. Under no circumstances must the response to immediate needs distract the international community from the urgent need to achieve an immediate and permanent ceasefire."

Press contact: Louis-Nicolas Jandeaux - tel.: + 33 6 49 15 58 60 - e-mail: lnjandeaux@oxfamfrance.org