A record number of aid workers were killed in 2023, this year’s figures are even higher: United Nations

Berlin: A record number of aid workers were killed in conflicts around the world last year, the United Nations said on Monday. The current year could be even deadlier. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said 280 aid workers were killed in 33 countries in 2023, more than double the previous year’s figure of 118. It said more than half of the deaths of aid workers last year were recorded in the first three months of the Israel-Gaza war that began in October, with most killed in air strikes. 

So far 172 aid workers have died

The office said this year “may be on track to have even more deadly consequences” as 172 aid workers had been killed as of August 7. More than 280 people have been killed in Gaza so far, most of them members of the UN agency dealing with Palestinian refugees, according to OCHA. It said “extreme violence in Sudan and South Sudan” has also caused deaths this year and last. “The normalization of violence against aid workers and the lack of accountability are unacceptable and deeply damaging to aid operations everywhere,” UN Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya said in a statement. 

have to face many kinds of dangers

Let us tell you that United Nations (UN) aid workers work for humanitarian aid, development, peacekeeping, and other important work around the world. Their main objective is to help people affected by war, natural disasters, and other crises. These workers work with various United Nations agencies, such as UNDP, UNICEF, WFP, and the World Health Organization (WHO). Aid workers face serious security threats while working in war-torn and crisis areas. Many times they also have to face hostage-taking, attacks, and other violent incidents.