Doctors Without Borders has decided not to attend the UN-backed World Humanitarian Summit. The group called the meeting "a fig-leaf of good intentions" that will fail to pressure states to abide by the laws of war.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Trezzini
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Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced on Wednesday that after being "significantly engaged" in 18 months of consultations, it will no longer take part in the first-ever World Health Summit.
"We no longer have any hope that the [summit] will address the weaknesses in humanitarian action and emergency response, particularly in conflict areas or epidemic situations," MSF, one of the world's leading emergency aid providers, said in a statement.
The meeting, set to take place in Istanbul from May 23-24, is the first of its kind. It is expected to bring together around 45 heads of state and government as well as nongovernmental organizations and UN agencies to brainstorm solutions for global humanitarian action.
'Fig-leaf' summit
MSF's UK advisor on humanitarian issues, Sandrine Tiller, said the UN summit organizers "let states off the hook" by asking only that they make nonbinding commitments.
"The summit neglects to reinforce the obligations of states to uphold and implement the humanitarian and refugee laws which they have signed up to," read the MSF statement. "The summit has become a fig-leaf of good intentions, allowing these systematic violations, by states above all, to be ignored.
A spokesman for the summit, which is led by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), called the decision "disappointing." He added that the meeting's topics "are all vital subjects on which MSF traditionally presents a strong and influential voice."
"We can no longer see how the [summit] will help the humanitarian sector to address the massive needs caused by continuing violence against patients and medical staff in Syria, Yemen and South Sudan," the MSF statement read.
Last year alone, 75 hospitals managed or supported by the aid organization were bombed, MSF said without elaborating on which ones had been hit or by whom.
Just last week, the bombardment of the MSF-supported hospital in the besieged northern Syrian city of Aleppo left at least 55 people dead, according to the latest toll provided by the medical charity.
Hospital of hope
Doctors Without Borders' (MSF) hospital for reconstructive surgery in Amman is the final hope for many of those injured in conflicts in the Middle East. Tania krämer reports from Jordan.
Image: DW/T. Kraemer
Hospital for victims of war
Patients with injuries from wars and conflicts in the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and other Arab countries are treated at the Hospital for Reconstructive Surgery in Amman, Jordan, which the international medical group Doctors without Borders opened in 2006. Treatment is free of charge for patients.
Image: DW/T. Kraemer
Safe house
Jordan has become a safe house for victims of war, fleeing conflict from neighboring countries. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has registered over 630,000 refugees from Syria alone. The patients usually stay in Jordan for several months.
Image: DW/T. Kraemer
Hard heart
Plastic surgeon Mukhalad Saud examines the hands of an Iraqi man who was maimed when a car exploded on the street. "Every patient here has a different story," says the doctor, who also comes from Iraq, adding that has to keep his emotions separate from his work. "In the OP room as a surgeon I need to have a hard heart and a sharp knife."
Image: DW/T. Kraemer
Pre-OP attention
Before surgery Dr. Saud speaks with a patient from Yemen who has severe burns on his upper body. The burn scars make it hard for him to move his arms. Over 3,600 patients have been treated in the hospital over the past 10 years, according to MSF.
Image: DW/T. Kraemer
Complicated injuries
The surgeons are all specialized in highly complex injuries and long-term complications resulting from war injuries, such as orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery and facial reconstruction. The hospital treats so-called "cold cases": patients with injuries that can't be treated in their home countries. They end up being referred to this hospital.
Image: DW/T. Kraemer
Post-surgery support
It can take months until a patient is able to walk after severe injuries and amputations. The hospital provides physiotherapy and psychological follow-up. "The doctors take care of the physical injuries, and we support the patient who needs to learn how to cope with the new situation," says physiotherapist Sajdi Mouala. Therapists, specialists and doctors all work closely together.
Image: DW/T. Kraemer
Step by step
Mouayad has undergone three surgeries so far and is learning how to walk with his prosthetic leg. "I don't think too much about my future," says the 26-year-old Syrian. "At the moment I try to focus on just being able to walk and take it step by step." He came to the hospital seven months ago.
Image: DW/T. Kraemer
Deep wounds
The hospital also offers psychological help. Many patients have been traumatized by war. Therapist Talha Al Ali takes care of the youngest patients. "Every child copes differently. Some are hyperactive, others have nightmares, other are just very disturbed and ask a lot of questions," he says.
