World Humanitarian Day: OCHA Says 383 Aid Workers Killed in 2024

The Big Picture

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) marked World Humanitarian Day on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, with a stark warning: attacks on humanitarians hit another record in 2024, with 383 aid workers killed. According to the release, most of those killed were national staff serving their own communities, and many were attacked either on duty or at home.

What’s New

OCHA noted the trend has not reversed in 2025. Provisional data from the Aid Worker Security Database indicate 265 humanitarians killed in the first eight months of the year. The global #ActForHumanity campaign is being relaunched with added urgency to mobilize public support, demand protection for civilians and aid workers, and back the lifelines that keep people in crisis alive.

What They’re Saying

Context

Violence against aid workers increased in 21 countries in 2024. According to OCHA, state actors were the most common perpetrators. Beyond the fatalities, 308 aid workers were wounded, 125 kidnapped and 45 detained last year. The surge was driven by relentless fighting in Gaza and Sudan, where humanitarian access has been perilous and often obstructed. Attacks on personnel, assets and operations violate international humanitarian law and directly threaten the lifelines that sustain civilians in war and disaster zones.

The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2730 in May 2024, reaffirming obligations on parties to conflict and Member States to protect humanitarian personnel and calling for independent investigations into violations. Yet, as OCHA stressed, accountability remains the exception rather than the rule.

What Is World Humanitarian Day?

World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is observed every year on 19 August. The date marks the 2003 bombing of the UN’s Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 humanitarian workers, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq.

In 2008, the UN General Assembly designated 19 August as WHD. Each year, the day centers on a theme that brings together governments, NGOs and communities to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises — and for the safety and security of aid workers.

For 2025, the campaign underscores the importance, effectiveness and positive impact of humanitarian work, highlighting how timely, principled assistance saves lives and protects livelihoods.

World Humanitarian Day is organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in collaboration with partners across the humanitarian system.

What’s Next

Humanitarian groups are urging governments and armed actors to implement concrete measures now: enforce deconfliction and safe-passage commitments; investigate attacks and prosecute perpetrators; lift bureaucratic impediments to aid delivery; and improve duty-of-care for national staff who bear the highest risk. The public is encouraged to stand with aid workers and demand protection — details are available via World Humanitarian Day’s public materials and the Aid Worker Security Database.

The Bottom Line

Attacks on aid workers are rising and accountability is lagging. On World Humanitarian Day, the message from the humanitarian community is direct: protection of civilians and those who assist them is a legal duty, not an optional pledge.

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