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- At Security Council, UN Relief Chief demands action, accountability for aid worker deaths
NEW YORK, USA – Addressing the Security Council today on the safety and security of humanitarian workers under Security Council Resolution 2730, Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, called for urgent action to better protect humanitarian workers.
Fletcher noted that in the last three years, more than 1,000 humanitarians have been killed while carrying out their work, compared to 377 in the previous three years – nearly tripling the death count. Many were killed while travelling in clearly marked convoys on missions coordinated with authorities.
“This is not an accidental escalation; it is a collapse of protection,” Fletcher said, underscoring that too often aid workers were killed by member states of the United Nations.
Fletcher said that the deaths of humanitarians are not because we are reckless with our lives, but that because parties to the conflict are.
“When humanitarians are harmed, aid often stops,” he warned. “Clinics close, food doesn’t arrive.”
Fletcher reminded the Security Council of its obligation and commitment to uphold international humanitarian law and “to act with much greater conviction, consistency and courage.”
Middle East – Ceasefire brings much-needed respite to region
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) hopes the ceasefire will bring some much-needed respite to people, including front-line responders, across the region, following six weeks of intense hostilities.
The hostilities have claimed many lives and caused devastating damage to civilian infrastructure, including electricity, water, energy and transportation facilities.
In Iran, the United Nations and partners, in coordination with the authorities, continue to scale up their response to help refugees and others in the areas of health, water and sanitation, food, and shelter.
Priority needs include restoring basic services, protecting vulnerable groups, rehabilitating shelters and schools, and providing critical supplies.
