Five countries in the UN Security Council are working on a new draft resolution demanding a halt to attacks on hospitals and medical facilities in Syria, Yemen and other war zones, diplomats said Wednesday.
Egypt, Japan, Spain, New Zealand and Uruguay are working on the measure, which would not break new legal ground but reaffirm that such attacks violate international law.
All five are non-permanent members of the 15-nation Security Council.
"Given the increase of attacks, it would be timely to have a text that holds up international law, re-states respect for medical workers and sends a message about health care in armed conflict," said Nicola Garvey, the spokesperson at New Zealand's mission to the United Nations.
The United Nations has raised alarm over the targeting of medical workers and hospitals in conflict zones, in particular in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.
Last month, at least 25 people were killed in the bombing of a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Idlib province in northwestern Syria.
More than 60 MSF-supported health facilities in Syria were hit in attacks last year, with a dozen completely destroyed, according to the medical charity.
"Let me be clear: attacks on civilians and hospitals must stop. The normalization of such attacks is intolerable," MSF president Joanne Liu said last month.
Missile strikes have hit at least three MSF clinics in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been battling Shiite Huthi rebels who have seized territory from the internationally-recognized government.
One of the most devastating attacks on a health care facility was the US strike in October on a MSF-run hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz that killed 42 people.
MSF condemned the airstrike as a war crime and demanded an investigation.
The US military unveiled the results of an internal investigation a month later that blamed human error for the deadly attack.
The draft resolution, which would contain language on accountability, could be presented to the 15-member council as early as next week, diplomats said.