ANSAmed | 31.07.2017
MSF refuses to sign NGO ‚code of conduct‘
‚Problematic points‘, Save the Children signs up
ROME – Doctors Without Borders (MSF) did not on Monday sign an NGO ‚code of conduct‘ in the latest meeting called by the Italian interior ministry. The announcement was made by general director of MSF Italy Gabriele Eminente, who cited „problematic points“ within it.
Save the Children signed it but the German NGO Jugend Rettet did not. They were the only organizations in attendance. The code lays down 12 commitments that NGOs would have to adhere to in their search and rescue missions. These include promising not to cross into Libyan territorial waters, cooperating with investigations looking into migrant trafficking, and being transparent with their funding. In late April, an Italian attorney from the port city of Catania accused some NGO members of working with human smugglers, a charge that the charities have strenuously denied.