Overall, more than 560 people were killed in Gaza and the West Bank, 130 in Sudan, 60 in South Sudan, 25 in Ukraine and 25 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to Tom Fletcher, the top UN aid coordinator.
“This is not a sudden increase. This is a security collapse,” He told Ambassadors in New York explained that they died in the line of service – delivering food, water, shelter and medicine, some traveling in clearly marked convoys.
“Humanitarians are not just being killed butOur actions are being banned, punished, outlawed“Said Mr Fletcher, who leads the UN aid coordination agency, OCHA.
“We are told where not to go, who not to help. We are harassed or arrested for doing our jobs. We are lied to, and there are consequences for those lies,” she said.
‘Anarchy’ is causing human deaths
UN relief chief challenges member states to explain why killing of humanitarians continues despite recent incidents security council The resolution called for “ending violence” against aid workers with moral urgency.
Resolution 2024 (2730) authored by Switzerland and adopted by 14 votes in favor, with Russia abstaining, calls on all States to respect and protect humanitarians and allied personnel in accordance with international law.
Mr Fletcher questioned whether this was because international humanitarian law, “built by a generation of wise political leaders”, was no longer convenient. or if “Those who kill us do not see any consequences for their actions,” or even “we are seen as legitimate targets.”.
These trends, along with declining funding for life-saving work, are a symptom of a “chaotic, combative, selfish and violent world,” he declared.
no accountability
Last year the UN reported 14 abductions, 145 arrests and detentions, as well as 441 acts of intimidation and harassment against staff, the top UN official for safety and security said.
Over the same period, there were also 62 attacks on UN compounds and 84 attacks on UN vehicles, Gilles Michaud continued.
“Criminals are rarely held accountable – they are rarely named and shamed, let alone prosecuted.”
Colleagues died supporting children at risk from war, leading vaccination campaigns, living in violent neighborhoods and delivering aid to millions in need.
“We continue to fail them,” Mr. Michaud told the ambassadors, stressing that the protection system for humanitarians is at its limits – increasingly underfunded, neglected and vulnerable.
© WFP/Syed Asif Mahmood
We are losing our humanity
Elise Moschini, an official with the International Committee of the Red Cross, which liaises with the United Nations, said simply: “We are losing our humanity in war.”
“Every attack on humanitarian personnel that occurs without consequences allows this deadly pattern to continue. Each such attack signals to others that the lives of aid workers are meaningless.,” He said
He pointed to the worrying frequency of deliberate harmful misinformation campaign It is designed to undermine trust in humanitarian organizations and portray our allies as legitimate targets and urges, “This cannot continue.”
keep commitments
Citing the Council’s commitment to security, integrity and accountability, Mr Fletcher stressed, “We are here not to remind you of these commitments, but to challenge you to keep them.
For more in-depth coverage, including ambassadorial statements, View our meeting coverage summary Here
