Human Rights Watch

At the UN Human Rights Council. Canada joined countries calling for an international commission of inquiry into abuses in the armed conflict in Yemen. Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, some amounting to war crimes, have killed thousands of civilians and hit schools and hospitals.

Coalition member Human Rights Watch says the United Nations Security Council should ask the secretary-general to conduct an independent inquiry into the attacks on hospitals in Syria.

Two bombs struck the Al-Wahda Hospital compound in the Bab Tobruk area, killing at least two civilians, including a child, and causing extensive damage.

After the failed coup attempt in Burundi, police officers went to Bumeric Hospital to search for wounded soldiers involved in the coup. When they forced their way into the emergency room, there was an exchange of gunfire. Hospital corridors were pockmarked with bullet holes, shattered glass and blood left on the floor.

In early December, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on “global health and foreign policy.” As the title suggests, it was a bit of a grab bag, covering issues such as vaccines, strengthening health systems, and Ebola. But the resolution also included the General Assembly’s strongest statement yet on the issue of attacks on health workers, facilities, and patients, and called on governments to act to ensure health workers and patients are safe and facilities protected from attack.