Protect Humanitarians

🕊 During his captivity*, our Founder and Director Olivier Vandecasteele had one idea that kept him alive : “if I get out of this, I will build an NGO that advocates for better protection of the humanitarian community. A structure which will provide concrete support and expertise to those of us who survive critical incidents on the frontlines - with a particular focus on local colleagues and national NGOs”. ❤️ About 6 months ago, we kickstarted Protect Humanitarians. Together with our Founder, we have put our hearts and souls into this. 👉 Now we need YOUR HELP to donate and help fundraise for the cause. ⛑ WHY? Never before the humanitarian sector has witnessed such levels of violence against frontline humanitarian aid workers. 📈 In 2023 alone, 595 humanitarians, mostly local colleagues, were killed (280), wounded (224), kidnapped or detained (91) - in Palestine, Sudan, Ukraine, Mali, DRC, Yemen amongst others. And 2024 will sadly surpass the figures of 2023. ✊ HOW CAN YOU HELP? With support of the King Baudouin Foundation, we have developed a global giving network, for safe and secure, tax deductible donations. 🇪🇺 Donate from Europe here / via King Baudouin Foundation : https://lnkd.in/e2UFJh6P 🇨🇦 Donate in Canada via Myriad Canada : 👉 FR : https://lnkd.in/ecKcD6-N 👉 ENG : https://lnkd.in/edUiGGfB 🇺🇸 ⁠Donate from the US via Myriad USA : https://lnkd.in/ee_ZnEEQ 🙏 Please support our cause and donate today. Help us better protect humanitarians 💪 Humanity must prevail. Be the change ❤️ To learn more about our work, check our website or this link bit.ly/Protect-H * Olivier Vandecasteele is a Belgian experienced humanitarian leader who recently founded Protect Humanitarians, a global alliance to enhance the safety and care to frontline humanitarian aid workers. For 20 years, Olivier has himself responded to humanitarian crises in challenging contexts: health emergencies in Afghanistan and Mali, essential aid to refugees and migrants in Morocco and Iran. After being Country Director for various NGOs, Olivier was wrongfully detained by Iran for 456 days. Amnesty International and the United Nations / United Nations Human Rights recognized he was subjected to a.o. enforced disappearance and torture. #NotATarget ❌ #ProtectHumanitarians #ProtectAidWorkers #ProtectCivilians #ActForHumanity #GenevaConventions #conventionsdegeneve #ChooseHumanity #empoweringhumanitarians #warfare #IHL #NotCollateralDamage #togetherforrescue #StopBombingCivilians #LeaveNoOneBehind #bringjustice #EndImpunityNow #JusticeMatters #accesstojustice #MoreJustWorld #savinglivesisnotacrime #OurSharedHumanity

Humanitarianism in the shadow of politics was one of the controversial topics discussed at this year's Humanitarian Congress Berlin: Contextual complexity is often reduced to simplistic narratives on who deserves aid and who doesn't, while the overall global context is changing significantly. Do these changes drive us further away from principled humanitarian action, and are we still serving those most in need? Has aid ever been non-political? How does the future of principled humanitarian action look like? Panelists Deike Potzel (GFFO), Marta Lorenzo Rodriguez (UNRWA Europe), Thea Hilhorst (The Hague Humanitarian Studies Centre), Olivier Vandecasteele (Protect Humanitarians) and Wafa'a Al Saidy (Médecins du Monde) chaired by CHA director Ralf Südhoff discussed the increasing politicization of humanitarian assistance and its impact on principled, needs based approaches. "We need more principled humanitarian action not less, more humanitarian space and safety to work. It's not IHL that fails in conflict, it's the lack of will to enforce it and the impunity following conflict parties' non-compliance." #Humanitarianism #ProtectHumanitarians #HCBerlin

It was such a pleasure to speak to Olivier Vandecasteele, Cyril COSAR, Mila Leonova, and Steve Dennis about the invaluable work humanitarians do and how their needs are overlooked. Their insights gave me a fresh perspective on the challenges humanitarian workers face. I’ve tried to capture this – though in a condensed form – in this story co-authored by Marta Iraola Iribarren and myself. Take a look! 👇 https://lnkd.in/etRnfMwP

⛑️One of the strong themes out of the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent was the need to better Protect Humanitarians. As redacted from Kirsten Hagon🇨🇭 “ #Humanitarianworkers are essential to ensure humanitarian needs are met. We must do more to protect humanitarians. Some 75 RCRC lives were lost since the last conference, all while doing their vital humanitarian work. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - IFRC and International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC both joined an open pledge on the protection of humanitarian personnel sponsored by the Australian Government alongside the Australian Red Cross we encourage governments, NS and observers to join us in pledging to do all we can. #notatarget”

🎙️⛑️Very interesting interview of Chris Lockyear, Secretary-General of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). 🌍 Speaking to CNA, Chris Lockyear raised concerns about the growing risks that #HumanitarianWorkers face around the globe. ⚠️ He highlighted a troubling rise in #violence against humanitarian workers in conflict zones like #Sudan and #Gaza, describing it as a clear indicator of diminishing respect for #InternationalHumanitarianLaw (IHL). ⚖️ Mr. Lockyear also emphasized that, without a united global effort to uphold #IHL and hold perpetrators accountable, we risk seeing further deterioration in the safety of those on the #frontlines. 🤝💪Protect Humanitarians joins his call to the #InternationalCommunity to take a stand, enforcing strict adherence to IHL standards and protecting the rights and lives of those dedicated to providing essential #medical and #humanitarian #support. ▶️ You can watch the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/dCTtCXMH                                                   ⛑️ Protect Humanitarians is an independent NGO advocating for better #protection and support for #humanitarianpersonnel. Through a dedicated emergency fund, we provide concrete support to NGOs and their staff, survivors of #attacks, and victims’ relatives. We conduct research and promote best practices in #staffcare, #mentalhealth, and #legalassistance to support survivors after incidents. ⛑️To learn how you can help, support, donate to Protect Humanitarians, follow our work here 👉 bit.ly/Protect-H ❤️ Be the Change 🤝 Protect Humanitarians is supported by the King Baudouin Foundation #ProtectHumanitarians  #AidUnderPressure  #HumanitarianAction  #GlobalCrises  #NotATarget  #HumanitarianSupport  #HumanitarianAid  #Resilience  #EmpoweringHumanitarians  #Warfare  #IHL  #NotCollateralDamage  #TogetherForRescue  #EndHostageDiplomacy  #ActForHumanity  #HumanitariansAtWork  #LeaveNoOneBehind  #BringJustice  #EndImpunityNow  #JusticeMatters  #AccessToJustice  #SupportSurvivors  #MoreJustWorld  #SavingLivesIsNotACrime  #OurSharedHumanity  #GenevaConvention

♥️GRATITUDE ✨Honored and humbled to be back where it all started 20 years ago now serving as this year’s patron to inspire a next generation of humanitarian leaders ⛑️ 📅 It’s already one month since #LaRentrée2024 with Bioforce, a training institute dedicated to #empowering #humanitarians which served as a fundamental step in my humanitarian journey, 20 years ago. ✨During my talk, I shared insights from my journey in the humanitarian field: from early days as a young, motivated humanitarian to years spent as Manager and Country Director delivering aid in challenging contexts such as #Afghanistan, #Mali, #Niger, #Iran and now to founding Protect Humanitarians, a global initiative to better protect our community of responders ⛑️ 🧠 It was an opportunity to sensitize a new generation to the importance of maintaining #PersonalBalance, prioritizing #care and #mentalhealth for themselves and their national colleagues 🫂 💪In challenging contexts, courageous #leadership is to focus on #delivering to those we assist, but equally about #caring for our staff health 🤝 🙏 A huge thank you to this amazing group of professionals : Bernard Sinou, President, Dorothee Lintner - General Director of Bioforce, Bertrand Quinet - Director of Bioforce Europe, Lyece Hammoun and the entire Bioforce team, and all future humanitarians for their dedication to making a difference in our world 🫶 ⛑️ Protect Humanitarians is an independent NGO advocating for better #protection and #support for humanitarian personnel. Through a dedicated emergency fund, we provide concrete support to NGOs and their staff, survivors of attacks, and victims’ relatives. We conduct #research and promote #bestpractices in #staffcare, #mentalhealth, and #legalassistance to support #survivors after incidents. ⛑️To learn how you can help, support, donate to Protect Humanitarians follow our work here 👉 bit.ly/Protect-H ❤️ Be the Change 🤝 Protect Humanitarians is supported by the Fondation Roi Baudouin 🤝 #ProtectHumanitarians #AidUnderPressure #HumanitarianAction #MHPSS #AidWorkers #MentalHealthSupport #StaffCare #PsychosocialHealth #WorldMentalHealthDay #WorkplaceWellbeing #MentalHealthAtWork #GlobalCrises #NotATarget #HumanitarianSupport #HumanitarianAid #Resilience #EmpoweringHumanitarians #ActForHumanity #HumanitariansAtWork #StopBombingCivilians #LeaveNoOneBehind #MentalHealthMatters #SupportSurvivors #MoreJustWorld #SavingLivesIsNotACrime #OurSharedHumanity #GenevaConvention #HumanitarianWorkers

⛑️Une meilleure #protection des #humanitaires passe aussi par leur santé mentale : "Partout dans le monde, des soignants, des humanitaires, s'effondrent"‼️ 💡Merci à La Libre et à Vincent Braun pour cette belle interview qui met en lumière une question très importante pour Protect Humanitarians 🧠💪 🇺🇦 🇨🇩 Avec mes collègues Mila Leonova, Directrice de l’alliance des ONGs ukrainiennes (Alliance UA CSO) et le Dr. Bapolisi Achille, psychiatre et chercheur à l’UCLouvain - Université catholique de Louvain ce fut un plaisir de partager des réflexions sur ces enjeux urgents qui touchent les #humanitaires 🌍❤️ 💬 Nous avons souligné la nécessité d'un plus grand investissement dans l’appui en #santé #mentale des humanitaires, notamment face à l’escalade de #violence à laquelle les humanitaires sont exposés et à l’impact direct de celle-ci sur leur bien-être #psychologique. ⚠️ Le #personnel #national et les partenaires ONGs locaux sont très vulnérable dans des contextes de #crise, devant travailler sous pressions extrêmes sans soutien suffisant. Il est indispensable d’investir davantage dans une réponse adaptée aux équipes nationales en #santémentale; C'est une urgence absolue qui ne peut plus attendre. 🌍Merci à Mila Leonova pour ses réflexions sur l’Ukraine 🇺🇦 et à Bapolisi Achille pour le partage de son expérience en République Démocratique du Congo 🇨🇩. Dans ces régions et bien d'autres zones de crise, les humanitaires ne priorisent pas leurs propres besoins de soutien tellement ils et elles sont submergés par les souffrances qui les entourent. Or, il n’y a qu’en investissant dans leur santé que les ONGs pourront apporter une aide efficace sur la longueur✨ 🤝🗣️ Protect Humanitarians s’engage à créer des ponts entre les organisations humanitaires, afin que le bien-être psychologique des humanitaires - en particulier nationaux - devienne une priorité partagée. Nous souhaitons encourager le #dialogue et les #bonnespratiques de #soutien #psychologique à destination des humanitaires 🫶 ➡️Pour lire l'article, cliquez ici : https://lnkd.in/gzbkfNRp Protect Humanitarians est une organisation neutre et indépendante fondée en 2024, soutenue par la Fondation Roi Baudouin 🤝 📲 Pour en savoir plus sur notre travail ou faire un don 👉 bit.ly/Protect-H Be the change ❤️ #ProtectHumanitarians #AidUnderPressure #HumanitarianAction #MHPSS #AidWorkers #MentalHealthSupport #StaffCare #PsychosocialHealth #WorldMentalHealthDay #WorkplaceWellbeing #MentalHealthAtWork #GlobalCrises #NotATarget #HumanitarianSupport #HumanitarianAid #Resilience #EmpoweringHumanitarians #ActForHumanity #HumanitariansAtWork #StopBombingCivilians #LeaveNoOneBehind #MentalHealthMatters

It was such a pleasure to speak to Olivier Vandecasteele, Cyril COSAR, Mila Leonova, and Steve Dennis about the invaluable work humanitarians do and how their needs are overlooked. Their insights gave me a fresh perspective on the challenges humanitarian workers face. I’ve tried to capture this – though in a condensed form – in this story co-authored by Marta Iraola Iribarren and myself. Take a look! 👇 https://lnkd.in/etRnfMwP

« Strengthening Mental Health Care and Staff Support for Humanitarian Personnel » - CoCreate Humanity (CCH) feels very grateful for attending the two-day workshop organized by Protect Humanitarians in Brussels on 8-9 October 2024 🖤💛❤️ Through this workshop, Protect Humanitarians is laying the foundations for joint work on the mental health of humanitarian aid workers and the importance of cultivating a culture of care. There were some unforgettable encounters and we look forward to contributing to the next steps. A huge thank you to Olivier Vandecasteele for initiating this event with the support of King Baudouin Foundation, and a huge THANK YOU to his wonderful team for the welcome and the logistics.

Spannend ging es am zweiten Tag des #HCBerlin 2024 ❌ ⭕ weiter: Den Auftakt des Tages machte Rosella Lombardi (Programmleiterin bei Oxfam Deutschland). Die Bühne übernahm die inspirierende Ugochi Daniels (stllv. Generaldirektorin für Operationen bei IOM - UN Migration). Die weiteren 🎙 Panels & Diskussionen dieses Tages boten einen tiefen Einblick in die Herausforderungen der #humanitärenArbeit. Das Panel "Humanitarianism in the Shadow of Politics" widmete sich den komplexen geopolitischen Zusammenhängen der #humanitärenHilfe. Moderiert von Ralf Südhoff (Direktor des Centre for Humanitarian Action), diskutierten Marta Lorenzo (Direktorin für Europa bei UNRWA), Deike Potzel (Generaldirektorin für Stabilisierung & humanitäre Hilfe im Auswärtiges Amt (Federal Foreign Office) Germany), Prof. Thea Hilhorst (Professorin für Humanitäre Studien am The Hague Humanitarian Studies Centre der Erasmus Universität Rotterdam), Olivier Vandecasteele (Direktor von Protect Humanitarians), sowie Wafa'a Al Saidy (Leiterin der Mission Syrien bei Médecins du Monde) Fragen, inwieweit #humanitäresHandeln in einem geopolitischen Kontext neutral bleiben kann. #Geopolitik & die #Politisierung von Hilfsleistungen wurden kritisch reflektiert. 💢 Fraglich bleibt: wie müssen sich die Rahmenbedingungen verändern, um den aktuellen globalen Herausforderungen gerecht zu werden - um zu verhindern, dass humanitäre Unterstützungen nicht (weiter) im Schlagschatten der Politik instrumentalisiert werden❓ Ebenso aufschlussreich war das Panel "Hidden Wounds: Mental Health & Psychosocial Support in Crises". 🕳 Unter der Moderation von Pennina Munguti (Regionalleiterin für Ostafrika bei arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V.) erfolgte die Auseinandersetzung mit den Herausforderungen #psychosozialerUnterstützung & #mentalerGesundheit in Krisengebieten, wie der Ukraine & Gaza. Es positionierten sich Sameh Hendi, (Berater für psychosoziale Unterstützung bei Save the Children International Ukraine), Ananda Galappatti (Co-Direktor MHPSS.net (Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Network), Hanan Ismael (Beraterin für psychosoziale Unterstützung bei Médicos del Mundo Spanien), sowie Ohaila Shomar (Generaldirektorin SAWA Group Organization), dazu wie akuten #Trauma als psychosozialen Problematik begegnet werden (muss). Die abschliessende Reflexion leitete Dr. Parnian Parvanta (President Ärzte ohne Grenzen Deutschland/ Médecins Sans Frontières) ein. Sie übergab das Wort an Anita Kattakuzhy (Director of Policy, NEAR) & den wortgewandten Dr. Hugo Slim (Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford). Die vielen, zum Teil sehr persönlichen Einblicke, welche die Speaker gewährten, haben eindrucksvoll die komplexen Facetten der humanitären Arbeit beleuchtet. Jetzt lasse ich all diese Eindrücke erstmal auf mich (nach-)wirken & nehme ich mir in den nächsten Tagen die Zeit alles Einzeln zu reflektieren. Ein grosses DANKESCHÖN 🙏 , an die Organisatoren & Ausführenden auf allen Ebenen