World Humanitarian Day

  Amid the funding cuts, humanitarian organisations have pursued a range of adaptations to sustain operations and manage security risks with fewer resources. Some changes were already under consideration before the funding crisis, but the urgency of the current environment has accelerated their adoption. The merging of security and access departments – previously viewed as distinct functions – is becoming more common, with security specialists now expected to engage directly in negotiations and outreach. Interviewees noted that security risk management has always involved elements of access facilitation, but the current shift offers an opportunity to operationalise the access role and better integrate it with day-to-day security functions. Resource pooling and co-location are emerging as practical cost-saving measures. In Burkina Faso, an organisation that could no longer maintain its offices offered space to others, resulting in several organisations now sharing the same building...

  Humanitarian access, operational security, and resourcing are all inseparably linked. For that reason, the record-setting levels of violence against aid workers in 2024, followed by the unprecedented US funding freeze in 2025, have created overlapping crises: loss of critical services for communities, heightened risks for aid workers , and erosion of the professional and data capacities that underpin safe and principled operations. The evidence gathered shows that the security risks emerging from programme cuts are not confined to high-profile conflict zones. They span contexts from Gaza to Colombia, with incidents ranging from community protests to targeted attacks on staff. In several cases, downsizing has left national aid actors exposed to disproportionate risk, while misinformation and weaponised narratives have further undermined acceptance. Without decisive action by donors and diplomatic actors , the current patterns point to a future where humanitarian aid operations ...

Every day, thousands of humanitarian workers risk their lives helping people in conflict and disaster zones. At times, unfortunately, they themselves also become victims and need assistance. Sometimes they are targeted because of the work they do. Protect Aid Workers supports humanitarian staff who experience critical incidents in the line of duty , and works to ensure Humanitarian workers safety and recovery .

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...

Ambulances save lives. They require protection and their movement must not be obstructed.  The wounded and sick must receive the medical attention required by their condition. Those with power and influence: Act For Humanity , protect humanitarian workers and volunteers, facilities, transports, and the patients they serve. August 19th is World Humanitarian Day .