The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has declared 2023 as the deadliest year ever for the global humanitarian community.
According to a statement released by OCHA on Monday, up to 280 aid workers were killed in 33 countries over the past year, marking a staggering 137% increase compared to 2022, when 118 humanitarian workers lost their lives.
OCHA’s report, released in Geneva on World Humanitarian Day, highlighted that by August 7, 2023, 172 aid workers had already been killed.
Over half of these fatalities occurred during the final three months of the year—between October and December—primarily in Gaza, where many deaths were attributed to airstrikes.
The majority of those killed were staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), specifically in Gaza.
Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, emphasized that the normalization of violence against aid workers and the lack of accountability are unacceptable and severely hinder relief efforts.
Msuya called for urgent action to end violations against civilians and to hold perpetrators accountable.
The OCHA statement also revealed that hundreds of organizations have signed a joint letter addressed to member states of the United Nations General Assembly.
The letter urges the international community to put an end to attacks on civilians, protect humanitarian workers, and ensure that those responsible for such acts are brought to justice.
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