Providing Care to the Wounded and Vulnerable in Crises: A Core Duty of Humanity

In times of war and armed conflict, all parties have an obligationto provide care to the wounded and sick persons, without anydistinction. This core obligation of International HumanitarianLaw (IHL), applies equally to any wounded or sick, be they fromone’s own nationality or troops, or from foreign or enemy groupswho are hors de combat. The fundamental role of this ethical andlegal duty is to preserve humanity in the midst of armed violence.By recognizing our common humanity, shared with sick andvulnerable person hors de combat, health care in armed conflictsestablishes one fundamental condition for creating, at later stages,authentic peace.