We live in a world marked by escalating violent conflicts. Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, Lebanon: In the wars of our times, systematic attacks on health care have become a weapon of war. As attacks become increasingly normalized and continue largely without accountability, they contribute to a broader erosion of international norms and protections.

Hospitals bombed in war zones, health workers threatened and killed for providing care, communities deprived of essential medical services are no longer isolated incidents. These are symptoms of a deepening global crisis of the right to health. A crisis that also confronts societies beyond the front lines and raises political questions on how to deal with ongoing militarization and social erosion everywhere.

Against this backdrop, IPPNW Germany and medico international will bring together health professionals, researchers, and activists to

• discuss how attacks on health care in violent conflict settings have increased in the last years
• ask why medical neutrality is increasingly being disregarded
• talk about the consequences for affected individuals and societies beyond the line of fire
• reflect on how health can be protected under conditions of violence

The program includes a keynote by Christina Wille (Insecurity Insight / Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition), followed by workshops with regional experts from Sudan, Lebanon, and Ukraine, including Hind Altaif (Emergency Response Rooms, Sudan) and Dr. Zeina Mohanna (Amel Association International, Lebanon). These sessions will focus on health care provision and humanitarian response on the ground, examining how medical services are delivered and sustained under conditions of violence and conflict.

Further, the conference will address health systems under strain beyond active conflict zones, focusing on the militarization and gradual erosion of health care, as well as the ethical implications of these developments. Contributors include Prof. Dr. Yudit Namer and the Gesundheitskollektiv Berlin.

The full programme will follow shortly. 

Please register here. The participation fee is €30 (standard) or €10 (reduced).

We will apply for CME training credits ("Fortbildungspunkte") with the Berlin Medical Chamber.