H.E. Berenice Owen-Jones, Australian High Commissioner to Ghana
Australia is leading a bold international effort to safeguard aid workers in some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones, H.E. Berenice Owen-Jones announced during the Conflict Prevention and Sustainable Peace Forum in Accra.
“Australia has convened a group of ministers to pursue a new Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel,” she told a packed hall of peacebuilders, diplomats, and civil society actors on May 28.
She explained that the declaration will be developed in the coming months to codify and elevate global commitment to humanitarian protection.
“The Declaration will be developed over the coming months, to demonstrate the unity of the international community’s commitment to protect aid workers and to channel that commitment into action in Gaza, in Sudan, in Ukraine and in all current and future conflicts,” she said.
The initiative is expected to draw broad international support. “All countries will be invited to join the Declaration,” H.E. Owen-Jones confirmed, expressing appreciation for partners backing the process:
“I want to thank the Government of Sierra Leone, and the humanitarian leaders who have partnered with us in this.”
With humanitarian workers increasingly targeted in violent conflicts, Australia’s push for a global agreement could set a new standard for safeguarding those on the frontlines of relief and peacebuilding missions.
Watch the forum via the link below