The credibility of the event was dealt a blow by the decision to pull out by MSF, who lamented the summit’s agenda failed to reinforce the obligations of states to uphold humanitarian law and that any commitments made would be non-binding.
Sandrine Tiller, MSF’s programme advisor on humanitarian issues, told AFP that the current global humanitarian system was “bureaucratic and risk-averse” and the summit risked making no difference to people suffering from conflicts in places like Syria and Yemen.
“The current content and format of the summit make it difficult to see it as more than a gathering which will state good intentions but not make any real change.”