The Ethical and Political Dimensions

On May 21, 2013, the Brookings Doha Center (BDC) convened a closed-door roundtable discussion held as part of the 2013 Doha Forum. The roundtable focused on the dilemmas of humanitarian access among professionals engaged in the planning of relief operations across the globe. Participants included high-level representatives from the Qatari Foreign Ministry, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) , Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) , Qatar Red Crescent Society, and Qatar Charity as well as academics and experts on humanitarian action. The workshop opened with introductory remarks by Peter Maurer, president of the ICRC, followed by a discussion moderated by BDC Director Salman Shaikh. Drawing from recent experiences in the region, in particular Syria, participants reviewed existing avenues to seek access to populations affected by conflict and discuss the political and legal implications involved.

Read the introductory remarks by Peter Maurer, president of the ICRC »