The UK-based organisation Every Casualty Counts, together with 31 organisations from around the world, including the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) and the Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo (HLCK), has called on the UK Government to provide sustained political, financial and technical support to independent organisations documenting casualties in armed conflicts.
The appeal, published to mark Remembrance Day on 11 November, emphasises that independent casualty recording is essential for establishing the identities of victims, the circumstances of their deaths, accountability for war crimes, and families’ right to know the fate of their loved ones. The signatories warn that this work is often carried out in the face of opposition from authorities, threats against researchers and witnesses, and insufficient financial support.
The appeal calls on the UK Government to integrate casualty recording into its foreign policy and civilian protection programmes, provide long-term support to independent organisations, and establish a system for recording and investigating civilian casualties resulting from UK military operations.
The initiative has already prompted a response in the UK Parliament. MP Ellie Chowns has submitted a written parliamentary question to the UK Government concerning its support for casualty recording organisations, the regular use of their data in conflict prevention, civilian protection and post-conflict recovery, and the integration of such data into civilian protection policies. The appeal has also been shared with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence.
For more than three decades, the Humanitarian Law Center has documented casualties during the wars in the former Yugoslavia. Its experience demonstrates the importance of systematically collecting and verifying information about victims, establishing the circumstances of their deaths, and preserving documentation as a foundation for justice and remembrance.
Original appeal and full list of 31 signatory organisations:
