Marking World Humanitarian Day amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations honoured aid workers facing unprecedented movement restrictions, funding shortages, and record violence.
Last year, 483 relief workers were attacked across 277 separate incidents, resulting in 125 deaths, 234 injuries, and 124 kidnappings globally.
- Frontline Vulnerability: Aid workers and health-care responders provide aid to the world’s most vulnerable people.
- Systemic Strain: Local health infrastructures are tested by concurrent crises, such as managing COVID-19 alongside ongoing outbreaks like Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Resource Deficits: Insufficient funding and strict movement restrictions directly threaten the continuity of critical care delivery to displaced and vulnerable populations.
Aid workers and health-care responders are delivering medical care and essential supplies to vulnerable populations while responding to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Humanitarian Outcomes’ Aid Worker Security Database documented an 18 percent increase in victims last year compared to 2018, marking the most violent year on record for humanitarians.
Syria recorded the highest number of attacks, followed by South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Afghanistan, and the Central African Republic. Mali and Yemen both saw major attacks double from the previous year.
First responders frequently come from the affected communities themselves, including refugees, civil-society members, and local medics. These individuals provide food, shelter, and health care amid conflict and disease. However, the 2010–2019 decade experienced a 117 percent increase in attacks compared to 2000–2009, bringing the total number of humanitarians killed, wounded, or abducted to nearly 5,000 since the 2003 bombing of the UN compound in Baghdad.
Mark Lowcock, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, emphasized the need for institutional protection and financial support. “To humanitarian workers everywhere doing important, courageous work on the front lines we say Thank You,” Lowcock stated.
“You are saving lives every day, and as new challenges and crises are piling on to existing ones, your perseverance is an inspiration. Your protection is also paramount to making sure we can deliver to people most in need. The best way to pay tribute to humanitarian workers is by funding their work and ensuring their safety.”
The United Nations General Assembly designated August 19 as World Humanitarian Day following the 2003 attack in Baghdad that killed 22 people, including the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. To commemorate the day, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) launched profiles of local health workers and refugees tackling COVID-19 and managing prior health emergencies like Ebola.
| Casualty Metric | 2018 Data | 2019 Data | Statistical Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Incidents | Not Reported | 277 separate incidents | Record high |
| Relief Workers Attacked | Not Reported | 483 workers | 18% increase in victims vs 2018 |
| Fatalities | Not Reported | 125 killed | Active conflict mortality |
| Wounded | Not Reported | 234 wounded | Severe morbidity |
| Kidnapped | Not Reported | 124 kidnapped | Hostage security risk |
The humanitarian community continues to demand global accountability for perpetrators of violence against medical personnel, stressing that relief workers must never be treated as targets.
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Aid Worker Security Database annual metrics via Humanitarian Outcomes.
