Shon Abegaz, Executive Director
January 5, 2020
As bushfires continue to burn across Australia on an unprecedented scale, the world is witnessing firsthand the significant human and environmental cost of climate change. The widespread loss of human, animal and plant life, as well as the destruction of property and livelihoods, is utterly devastating and has far reaching impacts across the globe. One cannot underestimate the human connection to both the causes and effects of the fires.
The current crisis situation demands a people-centered response, which merits guidance by the principle of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). At its core, R2P is about human protection. It should protect all people at all times. Precarious fire conditions will continue to pose an acute threat to human, plant and animal life and many people remain forcibly displaced. In a crisis as this, there exists an important responsibility to take meaningful action that prioritizes the protection of people, plants and animals at all costs.
The International Institute for Human Security expresses its deepest sympathy to people of Australia.
