- March 11, 2026
We write this solidarity statement with heavy hearts. ADRRN has received, with deep sorrow and solidarity, the voices of civil society colleagues bearing witness to the devastating attacks on civilian communities; attacks that have killed and injured thousands, including hundreds of children, and destroyed hospitals, schools, and homes.
We hear the grief. We hear the anger. And we want our members and partners on the ground to know that you are not alone, and your voices matter to us immensely.
As a network built on the conviction that communities are the true first responders and the true builders of resilience, ADRRN stands unequivocally with all civil society actors who, at enormous personal risk, continue to document suffering, provide assistance, and demand accountability for those who cannot speak for themselves.
From a disaster risk reduction perspective, what is unfolding is not only a humanitarian catastrophe; it is a systematic destruction of the very infrastructure that makes communities resilient. Hospitals that treat the injured when hazards strike. Schools where children learn to recognise hazard signs and practice evacuation drills. Community centres that serve as shelters and coordination hubs during crises. When these are gone, they do not come back quickly. The losses compound for years and decades.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is unambiguous: reducing disaster risk requires reducing all underlying vulnerabilities, including those created and deepened by armed conflict. The deaths of hundreds of children, the destruction of hospitals and countless schools, and the displacement of entire communities. These are not only violations of international humanitarian law, but they are also the erasure of community resilience, built painstakingly over generations, in a matter of days.
ADRRN calls on the international community to act with urgency:
- Ensure the immediate protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, consistent with international humanitarian law;
- Guarantee unhindered access for humanitarian and civil society actors to reach those in need;
- Recognise the long-term DRR consequences of armed conflict and commit to the reconstruction of resilience infrastructure – health, education, and community systems – as an integral part of any recovery process;
- Protect the space for local civil society organisations to operate, document, and advocate without fear.
To our member organisations and civil society colleagues documenting this crisis at personal risk, ADRRN sees you. Your work of bearing witness, of refusing silence, is itself an act of resilience, and it is the foundation of everything we stand for together.
We remain committed to a world where every community, everywhere, has the right to safety, dignity, and the capacity to withstand whatever comes. Conflict denies that right. We will continue to advocate, alongside our members, until that right is restored.
Executive Committee of ADRRN
March, 2026
