The failure of UN Security Council resolution 2286 in preventing attacks on healthcare in Syria

For more than five years, healthcare has been used as a tool of war in Syria, with hospitals and medical personnel being repeatedly targeted by various parties. International Humanitarian Law has been continuously violated with impunity for perpetrators. This is best illustrated by our data from 2016, the most dangerous year for healthcare workers since the onset of the crisis.

This report examines the pattern of attacks on healthcare in the latter half of 2016, following the May 3, 2016 passage of UN Security Council Resolution 2286, which condemns attacks on medical facilities and personnel in conflict. It is shocking and deplorable that since the passing of this Resolution, the rate of attacks on hospitals and health workers in Syria has increased by 89 percent.