In recent years, the increasingly frequent and, in certain contexts, extremely severe impediments to the provision of humanitarian assistance to civilians in need have focused attention on how to enhance compliance with the rules of international humanitarian law (IHL) that regulate humanitarian relief operations. Efforts to hold accountable parties to armed conflict and persons responsible for unlawfully impeding humanitarian relief operations face the challenge that the underlying rules give parties latitude in how to implement the central obligation to allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian supplies, equipment and personnel. This article outlines the rules of IHL regulating humanitarian relief operations and highlights the difficulties, in the majority of situations, of determining whether they have been violated. It then presents current endeavours to promote accountability. It concludes with some reflections on whether the threat of accountability is the most effective way of enhancing compliance with this area of IHL, at least while efforts are under way to negotiate access.

中文翻译：

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促进遵守规范武装冲突中的人道主义救援行动的规则：一些挑战

近年来，向有需要的平民提供人道援助的障碍越来越频繁，在某些情况下甚至极为严重，这使人们关注如何加强对规范人道救援行动的国际人道法 (IHL) 规则的遵守。追究武装冲突各方和非法阻碍人道主义救援行动责任人的努力面临的挑战是，基本规则赋予各方在如何履行允许和便利人道主义物资、设备和人员快速和无阻碍通行的核心义务方面的自由度. 本文概述了规范人道救援行动的国际人道法规则，并强调了在大多数情况下确定是否违反这些规则的困难。然后介绍了当前促进问责制的努力。最后，它对问责威胁是否是加强遵守国际人道法这一领域的最有效方式进行了一些思考，至少在努力谈判准入的同时。