Humanitarian leaders call for action after record number of aid workers killed in 2023

Dubai aid hub official stresses need for 'collective responsibility' to address safety fears in war zones

A World Health Organisation aid worker monitors aid being unloaded in Gaza. Bloomberg

A UAE humanitarian leader has urged the international community to take "collective responsibility" to protect aid workers who were killed in record numbers in the line of duty last year.

Official figures show 280 aid workers died in 33 countries in 2023, with fears growing that this year's death toll could be even higher.

More than half of the 2023 deaths were recorded in the first three months – October to December – of the war in Gaza, mostly as a result of air strikes.

Dozens of humanitarian officials came together in Dubai on Monday to highlight the stark challenges facing emergency response teams serving on the front lines of war zones and disaster-hit areas.

On World Humanitarian Day, a vital message was sent out over the need to protect those putting their lives on the line.

Dubai Humanitarian – the emirate's relief response hub – on Monday hosted a gathering attended by officials from charitable organisations and the UN.

“At Dubai Humanitarian, we stand with the humanitarian colleagues and their families as they dedicate their lives to supporting the vulnerable populations," said Giuseppe Saba, chief executive and board member of Dubai Humanitarian City.

"Today, we honour their courage and determination. Unfortunately, the list of humanitarian workers who lost their lives in providing humanitarian assistance is continuously increasing, and it is a collective responsibility to ensure their safety and well-being as they carry out their critical work. Never should they be a target.”

Global mission

Sajeda Shawa, head of the UAE office for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said civilians and aid workers were still "bearing the brunt" of deadly conflict.

She said the war in Gaza had contributed significantly to another grim death toll for relief staff in 2024, which could yet exceed those recorded last year.

Figures from the Aid Worker Security Database show 176 aid workers have been killed, 93 others injured and 64 kidnapped so far this year.

"The most recent ongoing conflict in Gaza has resulted in significant humanitarian losses since October 2023, UNRWA statistics show over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 15,000 children and claiming the lives of over 224 humanitarian aid workers," she said.

"These facts lay bare a glaring truth: the world is failing humanitarian workers and, by extension, the people they serve."

The UN-led World Humanitarian Day is observed each year on August 19, the date of a suicide bombing in Baghdad in 2003 that killed 22, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, then UN high commissioner for human rights and head of the UN mission in Iraq.

The date is marked to recognise the work of humanitarian agencies and workers, and highlight the importance of offering a helping hand to people affected by crises.