UN Reports 2023 as Deadliest Year for Aid Workers, Warns of Worse in 2024
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced on Monday that 2023 was the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers, with a staggering 280 aid workers killed across 33 countries. This represents a 137% increase from 2022, when 118 aid workers lost their lives.
The OCHA warned that 2024 could be even more deadly. As of August 7, 172 aid workers had already been killed, according to provisional data from the Aid Worker Security Database.
The report highlighted that over half of the fatalities in 2023 occurred during the first three months of hostilities in Gaza, from October to December. Additionally, “extreme levels of violence” in Sudan and South Sudan significantly contributed to the rising death tolls in both 2023 and 2024.
Joyce Msuya, the acting head of OCHA, called for urgent action to address the escalating violence against humanitarian workers. “The normalization of violence against aid workers and the lack of accountability are unacceptable, unconscionable, and enormously harmful for aid operations everywhere,” Msuya stated.
In commemoration of World Humanitarian Day, observed annually on August 19, humanitarian organisation worldwide have written to UN member states, urging stronger efforts to protect all aid workers. The letter emphasized the commitment to continue providing aid in crisis zones but stressed the need for a united stand to ensure the safety of staff, volunteers, and the civilians they serve.
World Humanitarian Day honors the memory of the 22 humanitarian workers who were killed in a bomb attack at the UN’s headquarters in Baghdad on August 19, 2003.
