This ‘is not an accidental escalation — it is the collapse of protection’
The United Nations (UN) is warning that protections for humanitarian and UN personnel are breaking down, after reporting a sharp rise in killings of aid workers in recent years, according to a briefing to the Security Council.
UN Under‑Secretary‑General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher reported that at least 326 humanitarian workers were killed across 21 countries in 2025, bringing the total over the past three years to more than 1,010. By comparison, 377 humanitarian workers were killed globally in the preceding three‑year period, an almost threefold increase, according to the UN.
Fletcher said this escalation “is not an accidental escalation — it is the collapse of protection.” Most deaths in the past three years were recorded in Gaza and the West Bank, Sudan, South Sudan, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While the briefing did not provide specific casualty data for Canada or North America, the global trend directly affects Canadian and North American organisations deploying staff into these conflict zones.
Protection pledges fail to match realities on the ground
Fletcher questioned whether the international community still stands by Security Council resolution 2730 (2024), which was led by Switzerland and co‑sponsored by more than 90 Member States. The resolution was adopted to strengthen protections for humanitarian personnel and UN and associated staff operating in armed conflict settings, according to the UN.
“It seems insulting to the more than 1,000 colleagues killed to simply echo the commitments of that resolution — protection, integrity, accountability,” Fletcher told the Council. “We come here not to remind you of these commitments, but to challenge you to uphold them.” His comments highlighted a growing gap between formal international commitments and the conditions humanitarian staff face in the field.
UN Under‑Secretary‑General for Safety and Security Gilles Michaud recalled the killing of a UNICEF staff member when a drone hit a home in Goma in March 2026, a World Health Organization staff member killed in an attempted kidnapping in Port‑au‑Prince in November 2025, and a Department for Safety and Security staff member killed by a tank in Gaza in May 2024. “To this day, no one has been held accountable for their deaths,” he said, adding that threats to humanitarian personnel “have only grown in scale, intensity and frequency” since 2019.
Michaud warned that attacks now come not only from non‑State armed groups but also from “the same Member States who profess an attachment to international humanitarian law while paying little attention to such law in practice”. He said recent budget cuts have reduced security support globally, leaving “our people ever more exposed and our programmes — in fact, your mandates — more vulnerable”. He called for “real, consequential measures” against those who compromise the safety and security of humanitarian staff.
Duty of care
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told the Council that at least 31 staff and volunteers of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement were killed in 2025 while carrying out humanitarian work. “Every single death represents a failure of humanity,” said Elyse Nicole Mosquini, the ICRC’s Permanent Observer to the UN. “We are losing our humanity in war. International humanitarian law is unequivocal: States must respect and protect humanitarian personnel.”
Mosquini said aid workers continue to serve despite escalating risks. “Their courage is extraordinary, but courage does not deflect bullets,” she said. “Dedication does not shield them from drones, shelling, and gunfire.” She urged the Security Council, States and parties to conflict to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law, investigate attacks, hold perpetrators accountable and strengthen duty‑of‑care measures, particularly for local staff.
