World Humanitarian Day

Press Conference by María José Torres Macho, UN Resident Coordinator in Colombia, on the humanitarian situation in the country. She briefed reporters virtually from Bogota. Watch María José Torres Macho (UN Resident Coordinator in Colombia) on the humanitarian situation in the country - Press Conference! 00:14:37 Press Conferences

Under international humanitarian law, aid workers and supplies are protected. Attacking them deprives people of life-saving assistance. We urge those with power and influence to #ActForHumanity by ensuring safe, rapid and unimpeded passage of aid for people in need.

  A continuing surge in violence  Attacks against aid workers continued to climb steeply in 2024 (and in the first half of 2025), along with the number of victims and deaths. The AWSD recorded an all-time high of 568 major violent incidents against aid workers (killings, kidnappings, and woundings) in 2024 – a 36% increase over 2023. It was the second consecutive year to set records for both the number of victims and fatalities, which rose by 37% and 31% respectively. Major violent incidents occurred in 40 countries in 2024, an increase from 33 in 2023. When arrests and detentions by state authorities are included, the number of countries rises to 42, underscoring both the geographic spread of insecurity and the growing role of state actors in obstructing humanitarian operations.  The violence showed no signs of letting up in the first half of 2025. As at 30 June, the provisional data suggests the numbers are on track to break records again, barring dramatic shifts in the...

On World Humanitarian Day, we pay tribute to the humanitarian workers who risk their lives everyday to deliver for people caught in crises around the world. Their courage, compassion and unwavering commitment in the face of adversity embodies the very best of humanity. Their work could not be more important, now more than ever. When crises happen, UNOPS helps partners identify and address urgent needs, and helps communities recover and build resilience. We live at a time of growing humanitarian needs: Our world is more violent now than at any time since the second world war. The climate crisis is wreaking havoc and natural disasters are becoming more intense, longer and more frequent. And yet 2024 has been the deadliest year on record for humanitarians around the world. In Gaza, Sudan, and many other places, humanitarian workers are increasingly caught in the crossfire, suffering injuries, abductions, and deaths, just as the people they are there to help. The deliberate targeting of h...

Thank you, Director-General [Tatiana Valovaya]. Dear survivors, families – especially the families – Excellencies and colleagues: We are here to grieve and honour those we have lost. They are the best of us. Humanitarians carry hope where there is despair. They are selfless in a selfish world. They seek to mend what others seek to break. They bring humanity where there is inhumanity. Yet from that day in Baghdad till now, the best of us are under attack. Last year, more than 380 humanitarians were killed – not dead, killed – the highest ever recorded. Hundreds more wounded, kidnapped, detained. In Gaza, 520 aid workers – mostly UNRWA staff – killed since October 2023, the deadliest place for humanitarians for the second year running. This number doesn’t even touch the hundreds of staff who have lost family members, like my colleague Saed Al Ghamri, whose wife Ola was killed in our guesthouse. In Sudan, 60 colleagues lost their lives – over double the year before. These include my colle...

With the news on Tuesday that a record 383 aid workers were confirmed killed in the line of duty last year , one veteran UN aid worker based in Gaza reaffirmed the resolve of humanitarians everywhere to save lives and relieve suffering, no matter how challenging the situation.

In comments in support of aid workers everywhere, the  United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres pointed out that humanitarian teams “are the last lifeline for over 300 million people” impacted by conflict or disaster. Despite their lifesaving role, funding cuts are having a serious and negative impact on the world’s most vulnerable people, Mr. Guterres warned, while those who provide aid are increasingly under attack as “ red lines are crossed with impunity ”. This is despite the fact that such attacks are prohibited under international law, the UN chief continued, noting that although governments have pledged action to protect them, “ what is missing is political will – and moral courage…Humanitarians must be respected and protected. They can never be targeted.”

 The theme of this year’s commemoration overseen by OCHA is an end to the attacks on humanitarians and civilians and impunity under International Humanitarian Law . “We urge those in power to #ActForHumanity,” the UN agency said.  Latest data indicates a 31% of surge in aid worker deaths compared to 2023, driven by the relentless conflict in Gaza. The Strip saw 181 humanitarian workers killed in 2024, with 60 more fatalities in Sudan. More widely, violence against aid workers increased in 21 countries in 2024 compared to the previous year, with State actors the most common perpetrators. Worryingly, there is no sign that the trend is slowing this year, with 265 aid workers killed as of 14 August this year, according to provisional data from the  Worker Security Database . Amid early reports that Hamas has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and ongoing uncertainty about the Israeli plan to pursue a complete military takeover of the enclave, OCHA’s Ms. Cherevko highlight...

Speaking to UN News from the wartorn enclave to mark World Humanitarian Day , Olga Cherevko from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA , said that exhausted aid workers continue to show up for work “day in and day out”. Approaching two years since the start of the war in Gaza, Ms. Cherevko emphasized the commitment of her Palestinian colleagues, “the doctors, the nurses, aid workers who many of them have, lost everything and several times over”. From her base in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, Ms. Cherevko reflected on the nature of humanitarian work today and the frustration that aid teams often face when their lifesaving missions are delayed, preventing them from delivering assistance at scale. “I think as a humanitarian, I feel powerless sometimes in Gaza because I know what it is that we can do as humanitarians when we're enabled to do so, both here in Gaza and in any other humanitarian crisis, ” she explained. “The fact that we continue to face massive impediments for deliveri...