‘Attacks On Aid Workers Must End,’ Security Council Told

2 April 2025

Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General with UN aid coordination office OCHA, and Gilles Michaud, head of the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) were speaking during a meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

Debate focused on Council Resolution 2730 (2024) which calls for upholding the safety of UN and humanitarian staff.

“Allow me to go straight to the point,” said Ms. Msuya. “Attacks on aid workers must end. Perpetrators must be held to account.”

Deadliest year ever

She told the Council that humanitarian workers are being killed in unprecedented numbers, and 2024 was the worst year on record with 377 fatalities across 20 countries.

This was nearly 100 more than in 2023, which already saw a 137 per cent increase over 2022. Meanwhile, many more aid workers were injured, kidnapped, attacked and arbitrarily detained.

The past two years have been particularly brutal, she continued. At least 85 humanitarians have been killed in Sudan since war broke out in April 2023. All were Sudanese nationals.

Killings in Gaza

Furthermore, just three days ago, teams from OCHA and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society recovered the bodies of 15 emergency and aid workers from a mass grave in Gaza who had been killed several days earlier by Israeli forces while trying to save lives.

She added that “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 Gaza since 7 October 2023 to more than 408, making it the most dangerous place for humanitarians ever.

Appeal to Council members

Ms. Msuya issued a challenge to ambassadors.

“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?”

While there is no shortage of robust international legal frameworks to protect humanitarian and UN personnel, she said political will to comply is lacking.

Local staff mostly affected

Ms. Msuya noted that the vast majority of those killed, roughly 95 per cent, are local aid workers who are the cornerstone of relief efforts.

“These colleagues deserve our highest respect. Yet, conduct harming our local staff rarely elicits reaction or makes the news,” she remarked.

Criminalization and misinformation

Humanitarians also face other challenges, such as the criminalization of their work. They are increasingly being detained, interrogated and accused of supporting terrorism simply for delivering aid to people in need.

Aid organizations are also targets of disinformation and misinformation campaigns in places such as Haiti, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and Yemen.

Moreover, funding shortfalls threaten to make matters worse, forcing the humanitarian community to make impossible choices, Ms. Msuya underscored.

Respect and accountability

She described the adoption of Resolution 2730 as an important step in the right direction, then made three requests to the Council and Member States at large.

“First, act to ensure respect for international law and to protect humanitarian and UN workers,” she said, listing tangible steps such as Security Council visits, fact-finding missions, or withholding of arms transfers.

She also called for speaking out and condemning harm to UN and humanitarian personnel, including local staff, because “silence, inconsistency, and selective outrage only embolden perpetrators.”

Her final request was for accountability, highlighting the need to strengthen domestic and international legal frameworks to 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,” she suggested.

“When national jurisdictions fail, the Council can use international mechanisms, including by referring situations to the International Criminal Court.”

Focus on survivors

Ms. Msuya insisted that accountability is not only about prosecution but must also centre on those who survive.

In this regard, she reiterated the UN Secretary-General’s recommendation to adopt a survivor-centered approach to ensure that affected aid workers have a say in global discussions.

In his briefing, Mr. Michaud noted that progress has been elusive in getting more countries to join the Convention on the safety of UN and associated personnel, while attacks on humanitarian workers have continued unabated.

Impunity now ‘a pervasive normal’

“Impunity for attacks on humanitarian personnel has become the new normal,” he said. “A pervasive normal. An accepted normal. One perpetuated not only by non-State actors, but also by governments and their proxies.”

He said that against a backdrop of widespread disregard for international humanitarian law, UN agencies are now forced to significantly reduce assistance due to budget cuts imposed by several Member States.

Humanitarian agencies are among the most affected, and the situation could lead to further insecurity.

Funding shortfall risks

“And if, where and when the United Nations and its partners are forced to deliver less aid, the risks to UN and humanitarian personnel will grow,” he warned.

“We are already seeing signs of this in Gaza and elsewhere. Humanitarian personnel may become the first target of people’s despair.”

Mr. Michaud said that the UN must – and will – adapt, adding that budgetary pressures will also impact the level of security support available.

UN Security commitment

“We will need to adjust our footprint. And in some areas, we may even be compelled by resource constraints to completely withdraw,” he said.

“But the UN Security will do its part through these turbulent times. We will be present wherever our humanitarian partners need us.”

He said UN Security will also continue to engage with the Council and Member States, including to protect investments made in the humanitarian, peace and security, and development spheres.

He underlined that the Department will always be a steadfast and reliable partner to the humanitarian and development community, as well as Member States.

“But we need attacks on United Nations and humanitarian personnel to stop,” he declared.

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