Many aid workers are dying in the line of duty. 2024 was the deadliest year for aid workers in history Humanitarian aid
On Friday, the new UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said 2024 was the deadliest year ever for humanitarian workers. The year is not over yet, and the world has already seen the highest number of humanitarian worker deaths ever recorded – 281.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which Fletcher leads, said that was one more death than in 2023, which also saw a record number of casualties compared to previous years, with 280 aid workers killed in 33 countries.
The high number of deaths among humanitarian workers is primarily due to the war in Gaza, the Office said.
“Humanitarian workers are being killed on an unprecedented scale, their courage and humanity met with bullets and bombs,” Fletcher said.
“This violence is unimaginable and devastating to aid operations. States and parties to conflicts must protect humanitarian workers, uphold international law, prosecute perpetrators and end this era of impunity,” he added.
Many humanitarian workers have died in the line of duty while providing humanitarian assistance. Most of them were employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
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Humanitarian workers face threats in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen, among other countries.
Most of those killed are locals working for non-governmental organizations, UN agencies and the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement.
Attacks on humanitarian workers are part of a wider trend of violence against civilians in conflict zones, OCHA said. More than 33,000 civilian deaths were recorded in 14 armed conflicts last year. This figure has increased by 72 percent compared to 2022.
Despite the dangers, humanitarian organizations continue to provide assistance to the population, providing support to almost 144 million people last year. As of November 2024, more than 116 million people worldwide have received humanitarian assistance.
On 24 May 2024, in response to the rise in violence against humanitarian workers, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 2730. According to this document, the Secretary-General is authorized to recommend measures to prevent such incidents and protect humanitarian personnel and assets. The recommendations of the UN chief will be presented at a meeting of the Security Council on 26 November.