(August 8, 2025, Washington DC) The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) stands in solidarity with all individuals suffering from pain, especially in the context of humanitarian crises. We are deeply concerned by reports of limited access to essential pain medications, anesthetics, and healthcare services in Gaza.
IASP affirms that access to pain relief is a fundamental human right, as recognized in the Declaration of Montreal (2010). This Declaration, which was endorsed by over 145 organizations representing more than 45 countries, acknowledges:
“The right of all people to have access to pain management without discrimination…”
In any humanitarian crisis, ensuring access to pain relief is both an ethical obligation and a matter of public health. The inability to access necessary medications, including those that treat acute injury and chronic illness, as well as those used in surgery and palliative care, causes profound and preventable suffering.
Today, we call on all relevant governments, humanitarian organizations, and international agencies—to prioritize and protect the delivery of essential pain relief medications, anesthetics and medical care to the people in Gaza. While the need for pain relief is immediate, medical treatment for pain will need to continue to help people that will have pain related to longer term injuries and illness.
IASP is committed to providing technical assistance, training, and advocacy support to promote equitable access to pain management in all regions experiencing humanitarian distress. IASP remains steadfast in its mission to advance pain research, education, and policies that reduce the global burden of pain—and reaffirms its belief that no individual should be left to suffer unnecessarily.