Humanitarian Access in 21st Century Armed Conflict: Legal and Practical Lessons from Syria

Centre for International Studies Podcasts

A discussion of the international law on humanitarian access with a focus on the legal and practical implications of the ongoing civil war in Syria. At this first event in the seminar series “Axis of Protection: Human Rights in International Law”, sponsored by the Centre for International Studies (CIS) and the Oxford Institute for Ethics Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC), Emanuela Gillard discusses violations of and controversies around the international law on humanitarian access. She reflects in particular on the lessons and implications of the fact that in the ongoing civil war in Syria non-governmental and governmental organisations have systematically been prevented from delivering aid to the displaced population. Emanuela Gillard is on sabbatical from the position of Chief of the Protection of Civilians Section in the Policy Development and Studies Branch of the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). She is a senior research fellow of ELAC. Previously she served as legal adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). She holds a B.A. in law and an LL.M from the University of Cambridge. The seminar series is jointly convened by the University of Exeter, the University of Oxford, and the University of Reading.