The year is not yet over, but 2024 has already become the deadliest on record for humanitarian workers, with the war in Gaza driving up the numbers, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday, citing data from the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD). The grim milestone was reached with the recorded deaths of 281 aid workers globally, surpassing the previous record of 2023.
“Humanitarian workers are being killed at an unprecedented rate, their courage and humanity being met with bullets and bombs,” said Tom Fletcher, the new UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), who took office on Monday.
“This violence is unconscionable and devastating to aid operations. States and parties to conflict must protect humanitarians, uphold international law, prosecute those responsible, and call time on this era of impunity.”
The year 2023 also saw a record number of fatalities compared to previous years, with 280 aid workers killed in 33 countries. The war in Gaza is driving up the numbers, with more than 333 humanitarian personnel killed since October 7, 2023. Many were killed in the line of duty while providing humanitarian assistance. Most were staff of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The latest casualty statistics are based on data from the Aid Worker Security Database. Launched in 2005, the AWSD tracks major incidents of violence against aid workers, with incident reports from 1997 to the present.
Threats to aid workers extend beyond Gaza, with high levels of violence, abduction, injury, harassment and arbitrary detention reported in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen, among other countries.
The majority of fatalities are local staff working for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), UN agencies and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. Violence against humanitarian personnel is part of a broader trend of harm to civilians in conflict zones. Last year, more than 33,000 civilian deaths were recorded in 14 armed conflicts - a staggering 72 percent increase from 2022.
Despite the dangers, aid agencies continue to provide life-saving assistance. They reached nearly 144 million people in need last year. As of November 2024, 315 million people worldwide are in need of humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian agencies have helped more than 116 million people this year, out of 189 million people targeted for humanitarian assistance.
On May 24, 2024, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2730 in response to rising violence and threats against humanitarian workers. The resolution mandates the UN Secretary-General to recommend measures to prevent and respond to such incidents, enhance accountability, and improve the protection of humanitarian personnel and assets. The recommendations will be presented at a Security Council meeting on November 26.
Briefing journalists in Geneva on Friday, OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said these figures would send shockwaves through the humanitarian community, adding that of the 281 people killed this year, 268 were national staff and 13 international staff. Those killed were colleagues and friends to many, who worked selflessly and courageously in places like Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon and Ukraine, and were killed in record numbers in return.
The OCHA spokesman stressed that last year's record had already been broken and that 2024 was not yet over. Responding to questions, Laerke said that of the 333 aid workers killed in Gaza since October 2023, 243 were UNRWA staff. He said the figures announced today were beyond comprehension, adding that the killing of aid workers could amount to war crimes.
The competent judicial system would decide, Laerke said. It needed to be clear that when this happened, there were consequences and action was taken. These were frontline workers being killed; this was "outrageous" and should hopefully make people "sit up and take notice".
According to International Humanitarian Law (IHL), intentionally directing attacks against personnel, facilities, material, units or vehicles involved in humanitarian aid is a war crime. Most aid workers in Gaza have been killed by Israeli security forces.
On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the situation in Gaza.
The ICC judges found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that each committed the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. The Pre-Trial Chamber also found reasonable grounds to believe that each is responsible for the war crime of directing attacks against civilians.
Further information
Website: Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD)
https://www.aidworkersecurity.org