A macabre record in 2025: 350 humanitarian workers have been killed around the world, including 186 in Gaza and 71 in Sudan. Most of these victims were local employees helping their own communities.
“We also confront an appalling truth: Serving others has become more dangerous than ever,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message to mark World Humanitarian Day on 19 August.
While the UN counts 256 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2026, attacks have multiplied and have often prevented humanitarian organisations from reaching people in need.
Since the beginning of 2026, there have already been 82 humanitarian deaths, 97 wounded and 39 kidnapped, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable,” said Tom Fletcher, Head of OCHA.
Upholding international humanitarian law
Humanitarian workers are increasingly being targeted or hampered in their vital work in violation of international humanitarian law.
The UN recalls that parties involved in armed conflicts must respect their legal obligations.
The Geneva Conventions (1949) and their Additional Protocols establish the principle of distinction that only military targets and persons fighting may be attacked. Aid workers, as non-combatants, are afforded absolute protection from attack.
The UN chief called on states to uphold the rules of war; ensure safe access for people in need of humanitarian assistance; hold perpetrators accountable; and allocate sufficient resources to humanitarian action.
Mr. Guterres also denounced attacks on schools and hospitals, as well as growing threats from new warfare technologies, including armed drones.
Honouring those who risk their lives to protect the lives of others
World Humanitarian Day, held every year on 19 August, is an opportunity to pay tribute to humanitarian actors working around the world.
It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2008 following the attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad on 19 August 2003 that claimed the lives of 22 humanitarian workers, including the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.