ICRC

When we launched the revised Professional Standards for Protection Work last week at CSIS, we and colleagues from InterAction and HRW introduced an essential tool for humanitarian and human rights actors seeking to better protect people caught up in war or other forms of violence. 

This edition of the Standards - they were originally published in 2009 - takes into account the evolution of the technological and human environments we operate in over the last four years.

We today appealed to our donors for an additional $65.2 million in an effort to increase our assistance efforts within Syria and in neighbouring countries.

Head of operations for the Near and Middle East Robert Mardini explains that two years after the beginning of the crisis, our teams in Damascus, Homs, Idlib, Aleppo and Deir Ezzor are witnessing a major humanitarian catastrophe, with no solution in sight.

As Mr. Mardini reminds us, needs keep growing - the Syrian economy is crumbling, with access to work, shelter, clean water, food and healthcare now precarious in many parts of the country - yet the level of field presence needed for a proper humanitarian response remains insufficient.