UN: In 2023, a record number of humanitarian workers were killed in the world
In 2023, 280 workers of humanitarian organizations died in 33 countries of the world. More than half of them were killed in the Gaza Strip in October-December last year. Until August 7, 2024, 172 aid workers lost their lives.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 280 aid workers were killed worldwide last year, making 2023 the deadliest year on record for the global aid community.
The UN and its partners have called on governments to take decisive action on behalf of humanity.
"In 2023, 280 aid workers died in 33 countries. 2023 was the deadliest year in the history of the global humanitarian community. This unimaginably high rate is a 137 percent increase from 2022, when 118 aid workers were killed,” the report said.
At the same time, the UN Security Council pointed out that 2024 could be even more deadly for humanitarian workers.
According to the available data, 172 aid workers have died by August 7 of this year, the report said.
"In 2023, more than half of the aid worker deaths occurred in the first three months of the conflict in the Gaza Strip (October-December 2023) and were mainly caused by (Israeli) airstrikes. Since October 2023, more than 280 aid workers, mostly from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East ( UNRWA ), have died in the Gaza Strip alone.
South Sudan, gripped by civil unrest , as well as Sudan, where the army and the Rapid Action Force have been at war since April 2023, are the next deadliest conflicts in 2023-2024.
According to the report, many humanitarian workers remain in detention in Yemen.
Normalizing violence against humanitarian workers is unacceptable.
"The normalization of violence against humanitarian workers and the lack of accountability is unacceptable, unconscionable and deeply damaging to humanitarian operations around the world," said OChA Acting Director Joyce Msuya.
Msuya reiterated the demand for the government to take steps to stop the abuses against civilians and ensure impunity for these heinous attacks.
On this year's World Humanitarian Day, the UN agency said it will launch a digital campaign on social media with the hashtag "#ActforHumanity" and called on everyone to support it.
