Briefing to the Security Council on the protection of humanitarian and United Nations and associated personnel by Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, on behalf of Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
New York, 2 April 2025
As delivered
Mr. President, Members of the Security Council, allow me to go straight to the point: Attacks on aid workers must end. Perpetrators must be held to account.
Humanitarian workers are being killed in unprecedented numbers. According to available data, 2024 was the worst year on record, with 377 aid workers killed across 20 countries. This was almost 100 more fatalities than in 2023, which already saw a 137 per cent increase from 2022. Many more were injured, kidnapped, attacked and arbitrarily detained.
The last two years have been particularly brutal. In Sudan, at least [84] humanitarian workers – all Sudanese nationals – have been killed since the current conflict began in April 2023.
And just three days ago, on 30 March in Rafah, teams from OCHA and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society recovered from a mass grave the bodies of 15 emergency and aid workers – from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Civil Defense, and the United Nations – killed several days earlier by Israeli forces while trying to save lives.
Their clearly marked vehicles were found destroyed and crushed. The OCHA team also witnessed civilians being shot while fleeing.
This tragedy comes just 11 days after another deadly incident – on 19 March, when yet another United Nations colleague was killed, and six others were injured in Gaza. These deaths bring the number of aid workers killed in the Strip since 7 October 2023 to more than 408. Gaza is the most dangerous place for humanitarians ever.
We extend our condolences to the families of the victims. We demand answers and call for justice.
And since we are here today to discuss the protection of aid workers, I must ask this Council: What are you going to do to help us find those answers and achieve justice? And avoid more killings?
Mr. President, let us be clear: There is no shortage of robust international legal frameworks to protect humanitarian and UN workers. Human rights law and standards, Conventions relating to the UN’s activities and personnel, and international humanitarian law together provide clear obligations to safeguard humanitarian personnel, assets and operations.
What is lacking is the political will to comply.
The vast majority of those killed – about 95 per cent – are local aid workers, the cornerstone of relief efforts. Any humanitarian response would collapse without them.
Since coming into this role, I have met local colleagues whose worlds have been destroyed; whose families have been displaced multiple times; who lost loved ones; who are unable to feed their children properly; who have survived harrowing security incidents; but who nonetheless bravely go to work every day to assist their communities and in some cases implement the mandate you – Member States – gave them.
These colleagues deserve our highest respect. Yet, conduct harming our local staff rarely elicit reactions or make the news. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) found that the killing of a local aid worker receives 500 times less media coverage than that of an international staff member.
We have become numb to this violence. Being shot at is not – I repeat, NOT – part of our job.
Mr. President, as if death, injury and kidnapping were not enough, humanitarians also face the criminalization of their work. More and more are detained, interrogated, and accused of supporting terrorism simply for delivering aid to people in need.
There is more. Disinformation and misinformation campaigns targeting aid organizations have surged, such as in Haiti, the Occupied Palestinian Territory or Yemen. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, disinformation campaigns have undermined the UN’s credibility, fueled public unrest, and strained its relationship with local communities.
In Sudan, since April 2023, false claims of partiality have led to aid workers being attacked at checkpoints or prevented from carrying out their work. Recent reports show aid workers and volunteers being targeted in Khartoum and beyond.
In Haiti, armed gangs have publicly threatened humanitarian workers, and many organizations are unable to reach their offices or are forced to suspend operations. Funding shortfalls risk making matters worse, forcing us to make impossible choices between our mandate to serve the most affected people, and the safety of our own teams.
Mr. President, Members of the Council, the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2730 was an important step in the right direction, and the Secretary-General's recommendations show a way forward. I come to you and the broader UN membership with three asks:
First, act to ensure respect for international law and to protect humanitarian and UN workers. From Security Council visits to fact-finding missions, or withholding of arms transfers, to name only these, there are many tangible steps this Council and Member States can take to protect humanitarian workers. We count on your leadership.
Second, speak out. We need the voice of the Council and the broader UN Membership to be loud, clear and consistent in condemning harm to UN and humanitarian personnel, including local staff. Silence, inconsistency and selective outrage only embolden perpetrators. We also need this Council and the broader UN membership to come in defense of UN and humanitarian organizations when these come under attack or are targeted by smear campaigns.
Third, request accountability. Perpetrators of violations must face consequences of their actions – without exception. Member States must strengthen domestic and international legal frameworks to investigate and prosecute international crimes. The Security Council should play a key role in pushing for accountability; for instance, by asking concerned governments to pursue justice and by following up with them. When national jurisdictions fail, the Council can use international mechanisms, including by referring situations to the International Criminal Court.
But accountability is not only about prosecution. It must also centre on those who survive. I want to reiterate the Secretary-General’s recommendation to adopt a survivor-centred approach, ensuring that those affected have a voice in global discussions. Survivors and their families urgently need legal aid, reparations, and access to services such as mental health support and trauma counselling.
Mr. President, today, as we mourn the loss of our colleagues, we must demand that concrete action be taken to ensure our teams can work safely. We owe it to the families of the victims and survivors, to the communities we serve, and to all humanitarian colleagues risking their lives every day.
Thank you.