HRC 62 – Written statement on international solidarity

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 62st Session 

Written Statement by Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) 

Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Expert on International Solidarity 

16 June 2026 

Mr. President, Excellencies,  

Legal Action Worldwide thanks the Independent Expert for her timely report, which reaffirms that peace, solidarity and human rights are inseparable.  However, across multiple contexts in and out of conflict, humanitarian personnel are being killed, arbitrarily detained, threatened and obstructed while providing life-saving assistance 

Humanitarian operations such as food convoys, hospitals and schools –  built and funded by international donors – are being targeted without consequences for the perpetrators.  

As the Independent Expert notes, attacks on humanitarian actors undermine not only individual rights, but also the foundations of peace itself by deepening inequality, displacement, hunger, fear and social fragmentation.  

LAW’s work addressing attacks against humanitarian personnel demonstrates the devastating reverberating impacts when solidarity collapses in practice. Since establishing the first of its kind programme in 2022, LAW has supported over 140 humanitarian personnel with legal advice and representation in relation to killings, arbitrary detention, torture, and threats.  

When humanitarian operations are attacked with impunity, civilian populations lose access to healthcare, food, water, education, and protection. And civic space and prospects for peaceful coexistence deteriorate further. Protecting humanitarian space is therefore essential to protecting peace itself. 

Mr. President,  

How can States ensure accountability for attacks against humanitarian personnel and safeguard humanitarian action as a pillar of sustainable peace? 

Thank you.