New York: The United Nations has condemned the increasing violence against humanitarian workers, calling it “unacceptable.” In 2023, a record 280 aid workers were killed globally, the highest number ever recorded.
Joyce Msuya, acting director of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), highlighted the severity of the situation on World Humanitarian Day. “The normalization of violence against aid workers and the lack of accountability are unacceptable and harmful to aid operations everywhere,” Msuya stated.
OCHA reported that the 280 fatalities in 2023 represent a 137 percent increase from 2022, when 118 workers were killed. These figures come from the Aid Worker Security Database, which has tracked such incidents since 1997.
The Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza has been a significant factor, with over half of the deaths in 2023—163 aid workers—occurring in Gaza, primarily due to air strikes.
Other conflict zones with high fatalities include South Sudan, with 34 deaths, and Sudan, with 25 deaths, both driven by ongoing conflicts. Israel, Syria, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Somalia, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo also saw multiple aid worker deaths.
Most of the fatalities involved local staff, who often face the greatest risks. OCHA warned that 2024 could see even higher numbers. As of August 9, 176 aid workers have been killed globally.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October, more than 280 aid workers have been killed in Gaza, many of them UN employees. In response, leaders of humanitarian organizations plan to urge UN member states to end attacks on civilians, protect aid workers, and hold perpetrators accountable.
World Humanitarian Day, observed annually on August 19, marks the 2003 attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad, which killed 22 people, including UN special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello, and injured about 150 others.
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