Every year on August 19, the global community comes together to commemorate World Humanitarian Day. This date was chosen to honor the 22 humanitarian workers who lost their lives during the 2003 bombing of the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, where Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN Special Representative for Iraq, also perished.
In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared August 19 as World Humanitarian Day. Each year, a guiding theme brings together various humanitarian actors to promote the protection and well-being of those affected by humanitarian crises and to ensure the safety of field workers.
During the first six months of 2024, global humanitarian needs have surged dramatically, according to the UN. New emergencies have erupted in various regions, raising financial needs from $46.4 billion in January 2024 to $48.7 billion in July 2024. Conflicts and violence have caused new displacements and intensified suffering in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Myanmar, and Sudan. Additionally, natural disasters like floods, cyclones, and droughts have destroyed lives and livelihoods in many parts of the world.
New emergency plans have been launched in countries like Bangladesh, Burundi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, while the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) now focuses on assisting 188 million people in 72 countries through 41 coordinated interventions. However, despite the increasing urgency and the tough decisions faced by humanitarian workers on whom to include in the 2024 appeals, funding remains severely inadequate.
This lack of funds is particularly severe in nine of the most neglected humanitarian crises, including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, DRC, Haiti, Honduras, Mali, Myanmar, and Sudan. Between 2019 and 2023, these crises received an average of 15% less funding compared to other humanitarian response plans, with direct consequences for the affected people: only 16% of them received assistance compared to other emergencies.
In addition to the scarcity of financial resources, humanitarian operations in the first six months of 2024 have been severely impacted by violent conflicts, attacks on workers and essential infrastructure, and barriers to accessing the most affected areas.
Humanitarian Workers Under Attack
In regions like Sudan, Myanmar, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the first six months of 2024 have been marked by unprecedented challenges. Health, education, and water supply and sanitation facilities have been targeted, depriving millions of people of critical services. Furthermore, humanitarian workers have been killed, injured, or detained during their work. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, numerous humanitarian workers have fallen victim to deadly attacks in recent months. Bruno Lemarquis, Humanitarian Coordinator in the DRC, has issued an urgent appeal for greater attention to field workers. “People in Congo are tired of war and want peace. The displaced want to return home and resume a normal life by working the land. Children want to go back to school,” said Lemarquis. Lemarquis described the severe humanitarian situation, especially in eastern DRC, where violence against civilians and humanitarian workers has drastically increased. He cited six workers killed and 11 kidnapped between January and June of this year, recalling that over 200 incidents directly affected humanitarian staff. “We must not forget our two colleagues killed on June 30 during an attack on a humanitarian convoy by armed youths in Butembo,” he added. Lemarquis emphasized that humanitarian workers should never be targeted, expressing disappointment at the lack of a “collective reaction of outrage” in response to the dramatic situation in the eastern part of the country. “This absence of collective outrage, this tolerance towards systematic violence that destroys innocent lives, calls into question our humanity and our ability to prevent and act against such brutality,” he concluded.
Protection of Humanitarian Workers
In 2024, efforts related to World Humanitarian Day focus on the “normalization of attacks on civilians, including humanitarian workers, and impunity in the context of international humanitarian law.” The goal is to raise public awareness to pressure global leaders and armed groups to ensure the protection of civilians and workers in conflict zones. In 2023, the number of humanitarian workers killed more than doubled compared to two years earlier, rising from 118 in 2022 to 261 in 2023, according to OCHA data. The UN agency also recorded 78 kidnappings and 196 injuries to workers worldwide. Most victims were local workers. Data for 2023 on the safety of humanitarian workers shows that South Sudan has remained one of the most dangerous places for workers for several consecutive years. Hebdavi Kyeya, regional director of the British NGO Tearfund, which lost two workers in an attack in eastern DRC, highlighted how international humanitarian law is not respected by the warring parties in the region. “Humanitarian workers are there to help people in need and should never become targets of these atrocities,” said Kyeya, reaffirming that their neutral and independent status must be respected. Humanitarian workers, often forced to follow affected people wherever they are, continue their mission despite the dangers. To do so, Kyeya calls for greater respect for international humanitarian law and more effective protection of workers on the ground, emphasizing that “humanitarian workers need to live to save lives.”
