Humanitarian Operations | ANZSIL Perspective

International Law of Assistance from a Japanese Perspective

International law of assistance is an emerging field that governs the principles and rules of assistance across various fields of international law. This article, written by four Japanese scholars, examines the international law of assistance from a Japanese perspective and explores its significance concerning recent Japanese experiences. First, it elaborates on Japan's contribution as a party to the Food Assistance Convention, followed by an analysis of Japan's new Official Development Assistance policies. Then, it examines the protection of persons and assistance in the event of disasters, using Japan's triple disaster as a case study. Finally, it evaluates the international law of...

Terror in the time of Polio and COVID-19: The intersection of violence and contagion in Afghanistan

Badakhshan, Afghanistan (Unsplash - Joel Heard) In the first months of the Taliban’s violent takeover of Afghanistan last year, media reported widely on the chaotic withdrawal of US and allied forces, and the rapid escalation of the Taliban’s violence. The Taliban has targeted those who worked with US, NATO and Australian forces, women and girls, human rights defenders, members of the LGBTIQA+ community, and ethnic Hazaras, among others. Media attention on Afghanistan has since waned. This is despite the resulting humanitarian crisis which the UNDP has estimated could have now resulted in as much as 97% of the population living below the poverty line. Of particular concern and the...