International Humanitarian Day – Needs increase, financing is shrinking, and attacks are rising to a record number

In his message on the occasion of the International Day, UN Secretary -General Antonio Guterres said that the attack on humanitarian workers is an attack on humanity, stressing that they are the last life artery of more than 300 million people trapped in conflicts or disasters.

Guterres warned that the fountain of financing this artery is in the depletion, and that the attack on those who provide humanitarian assistance is increasing.

And revive the United Nations World Humanitarian Day On August 19 of each year, on the anniversary of the killing of 22 relief workers – including the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary -General in Iraq – in the attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad in 2003.

The Secretary -General of the United Nations mentioned – in his letter – that last year, about 390 people in the humanitarian field were killed throughout the world – a record in its rise – from Gaza to Myanmar through Sudan and other places.

He pointed out that the red lines are overlooked without their transgressors being punished, stressing that the rules and tools exist, and that what we miss is the political will and moral courage.

The Secretary -General of the United Nations called for honoring the martyrs of humanitarian duty to take measures to protect every humanitarian worker and invest in his safety, stop the lies that are lost, enhance accountability and bring perpetrators to justice, and end weapons flows to the parties that violate international law.

Guterres urged the initiative to work #from humanity.

Violence against relief workers must end

In addition to the shocking new record for relief workers who were killed during the year 2024, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 308 humanitarian workers, the kidnapping of 125 and the arrest of 45 others in the same year.

” “A single attack on a humanitarian colleague is an attack on all of us and the people we serve.”.

He added: “The attacks of this size, without any accountability, are a shameful condemnation of international failure and indifference. As a human society, we again demand power and influence to work for humanity, protect civilians and relief workers, and hold the perpetrators accountable.”.

The UN official said that violence against relief workers is not inevitable, “It must end.”.

A disturbing trend has not retreated

The Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that the increase in relief workers deaths by 31% compared to 2023 due to the continuous conflict in Gaza, where 181 humanitarian workers were killed, and in Sudan, where 60 people lost their lives.

He added that violence increased against relief workers in 21 countries in 2024 compared to the previous year, and government agencies were the most responsible.

He cautioned that the first eight months of 2025 did not show any indication of the decline in this disturbing trend, as 265 relief workers were killed until August 14.

The office stressed that the attacks on relief workers, their property and their operations violate international humanitarian law, and undermine the arteries of life that appoint millions of people trapped in wars and disaster areas.

He pointed out that the UN Security Council was approved Resolution No. 2730 In May 2024, which reaffirmed the commitment of the parties to the conflict and member states to protect the humanitarian workers, and called for independent investigations into violations. But the OCHA office added that the absence of accountability is still rampant.

About the International Day of Human Work

On August 19, 2003, the attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 22 humanitarian relief workers, including the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary -General in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Milo.

Five years later, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to announce August 19 a world day for humanitarian work.

And every year, the International Day of Humanitarian Action focuses on a topic where the efforts of the partners along the humanitarian system to defend the people affected, their welfare and dignity remain, and to preserve the safety and security of relief workers.