Humanitarianism

Page 1 of 2

Filter category

Feature post image

From the Diamond Princess to the MV Hondius: International Law Still Lacks Clear Rules for Public Health Emergencies on Cruise Ships

May 25, 2026

Despite the lessons of COVID-19, the treatment of cruise ships during public health emergencies remains governed by fragmented and incomplete rules under international law. Recent treaty reform efforts failed to resolve the structural gaps exposed both in 2020 and now again in 2026. In April and May 2026, the expedition cruise vessel MV Hondius became the site of a hantavirus outbreak that has grabbed media headlines across the world. The ship departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April 2026, carrying around 150 passengers and crew representing 23 nationalities. Passengers were primarily from Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, while most crew members were from the Philippines.

Read more

Data Protection in Humanitarian Action: Military Personal Data Processing

November 11, 2025

Photo: Dept. of Defence This post follows on from related posts by Wojciech Wiewiórowski and Mariana Salazar Albornoz. Introduction  Personal data has become an integral part of humanitarian action. Leading humanitarian actors such as the ICRC and UNHCR have reacted to this reality…

Read more

Data Protection in Humanitarian Action: A View from the Americas

November 11, 2025

This post follows on from Wojciech Wiewiórowski's introduction to Data Protection in Humanitarian Action.   Personal Data at the Core of Humanitarian Action  According to the UN, by the end of May 2025, nearly 300 million people around the world were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection.

Read more

Data Protection in Humanitarian Action

November 10, 2025

Introduction  To mark ten years of progress in data protection in humanitarian action, this post is part of a special blog series accompanying the recently published Routledge volume Data Protection in Humanitarian Action: Responding to Crises in a Data-Driven World. A joint initiative of the Data Protection Office of the…

Read more

Improving Fact-Finding for IHL and Harnessing Modern Technology

October 15, 2025

In the great majority of cases, state or non-state armed forces engaging in violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) do not attempt to justify their acts by offering different interpretations of the applicable law. Rather, what they usually do is simply flat-out deny that the facts alleged actually happened. When civilians get killed in the course of hostilities,…

Read more