Posted on 28 March 2022
Following in the footsteps of the White House and Australia, we have started to see an increase in the use of the term ‘lethal aid’. ‘Lethal aid’ refers to deadly weapons being sent to Ukraine, while ‘nonlethal aid’ can refer to basically anything else, including communications equipment and medical supplies. Some commentators have criticised the term, arguing that it obscures the meaning and significance of the weapons and ammunition in question.
The Australian Council for International Development recently commented in a press release, “We should not confuse aid with the provision of lethal weapons. ‘Aid’ is about life-saving support and meeting basic human needs. The words we use have the potential for real impacts for humanitarian access on the ground, including corrupting the neutrality of humanitarian assistance. We caution against the Australian Government and other nations using this terminology.”
Aid such as medical supplies, communications and shelter which is supplied or transferred by the military or by NGOs in coordination with the Defense Force, should not be confused in any way with weapons and ammunition. When speaking to media around appeals for Ukraine, ask that members do not pick up or use this obscuring language of bureaucracy.
See the CID Media Advisory for more details.