– ‘Fig leaf?’ –
Participants also expressed alarm over deteriorating observance of humanitarian law, with schools and hospitals regularly targeted in conflict.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA said in a report almost half its schools had been hit by conflict in the last five years.
“It is absurd to expect humanitarian responses to improve at a time when the repeated bombing of field hospitals and routine targeting of civilians go unchecked,” Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty added in a statement.
Global organisations including the UN children’s agency on Monday and backed by former UK premier Gordon Brown launched a new global fund aiming to raise almost $4 billion to educate children hit by conflict and emergencies.
MSF, which is boycotting the event, said the summit risked being just a “fig leaf” for the world’s failure on humanitarian action.
“I regret very much that they came to that decision,” said UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson.
“One of the main purposes of this conference is our outrage against violations of international humanitarian law,” he added.
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