GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — As the world marks World Humanitarian Day on August 19, the international community is being urged to remember that the people who dedicate their lives to helping others in times of crisis also need protection, a message that carries particular weight as 2025 recorded the highest number of humanitarian worker casualties in a three-year period .
The United Nations established World Humanitarian Day in 2008 to honour humanitarian workers and stand in solidarity with people affected by crises around the world. The day also commemorates the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, which killed 22 humanitarian workers, including the UN’s top envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
Humanitarian workers deliver essential services to communities ravaged by conflict, natural disasters, and displacement. Their work encompasses food distribution, healthcare provision, shelter construction, and protection services for the most vulnerable populations. Whether responding to armed conflicts, climate emergencies, or disease outbreaks, these aid workers are often the last line of defence between survival and catastrophe.
Yet the very act of delivering aid has become increasingly perilous. In 2025, at least 326 humanitarian workers were killed across 21 countries, marking the highest number recorded in a three-year period. The vast majority of those affected by violence are local staff — men and women working in their own communities, often in environments where insecurity and instability are the norm rather than the exception.
“This is a sobering reminder that humanitarians are not statistics; they are real people — mothers, fathers, daughters, sons — who have made the courageous choice to serve others in their darkest hours,” said a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Under international humanitarian law, civilians, humanitarian workers, and medical personnel must be respected and protected at all times. Despite this clear legal framework, attacks on aid workers continue with alarming frequency. Such attacks not only claim lives but also disrupt critical humanitarian operations, preventing vital assistance from reaching entire communities already teetering on the brink of collapse.
The UN has called on governments, armed groups, and all parties to conflict to uphold their obligations under international law, ensuring that humanitarian workers can operate safely and without fear of reprisal. Impunity for attacks against aid workers remains a persistent concern, with perpetrators often evading accountability.
Individuals around the world can also contribute to the protection of humanitarian workers and the communities they serve. The UN encourages the public to share trusted information and speak up for the protection of humanitarian workers, support organizations providing life-saving assistance, call for respect for international humanitarian law and accountability, and remember the people behind the numbers, every life lost leaves behind families, friends, and communities.
As humanitarian needs around the world continue to grow, driven by conflicts, climate change, and economic instability, the demand for humanitarian workers has never been greater. So too has the need to protect them.
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