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	World Humanitarian Day: #ActForHumanity by UN News, OCHA, ICRC, MSF, agencies   Aug. 2025   A Call to #ActForHumanity   On the 19th of August, we mark World Humanitarian Day — a time to honor those who step into crises to help others, and to stand with the millions of people whose lives hang in the balance.   This year the message is clear: the humanitarian system is stretched to its limits; underfunded, overwhelmed and under attack.   Where bombs fall and disasters strike, humanitarian workers are the ones holding the line keeping people alive, often at great personal risk. But more and more those who help are becoming targets themselves.   In 2024 alone over 380 humanitarian workers were killed. Some in the line of duty, others in their homes. Hundreds more have been injured, kidnapped or detained, and there is reason to fear 2025 could be worse.   Too often the world looks away, even when these attacks violate international law. The laws meant to protect aid workers are ignored. Those responsible walk free. This silence and lack of accountability cannot continue.   The system is failing not just humanitarian workers, but the people they serve. We’re not at a crossroads anymore. We’re standing at the edge. Needs are rising. Funding is falling. Attacks on aid workers are breaking records.   To pull us back from that edge, this World Humanitarian Day we’re relaunching #ActForHumanity with sharper urgency demanding protection, accountability and action. It’s time to turn global outrage into real pressure on those in power, asking them to:   Protect humanitarian workers and the civilians they serve. Uphold international humanitarian law. Fund the lifelines we claim to support.   If we can’t protect the people who save lives, what does that say about us? If we let this continue, we risk losing not just a system but our sense of humanity.   Leaders ignored last year’s call. This year, we relaunch #ActForHumanity. Let's rally public pressure on those in power to uphold the laws that safeguard humanity, and to protect civilians and humanitarian workers in conflict zones.   Demanding governments, parties to conflict and world leaders uphold international law, end impunity, and #ActForHumanity.   When protection is denied and accountability is absent, our voices and actions must fill the void. Aid workers keep going into danger, through checkpoints, under fire. They show up. So must we.   http://www.un.org/en/observances/humanitarian-day http://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/ http://www.unocha.org/news/world-humanitarian-day-attacks-aid-workers-hit-another-record-humanitarians-call-urgent-action http://www.unocha.org/news/protect-civilians-and-aid-workers-global-call-world-humanitarian-day http://www.unocha.org/world-humanitarian-day http://protect-humanitarian-personnel.org http://healthcluster.who.int/newsroom/news/item/19-08-2025-an-urgent-call-to-action-from-the-global-health-cluster http://www.msf.org/what-cost-killing-humanitarians http://www.unfpa.org/news/international-humanitarian-law-flouted-health-and-aid-workers-are-targeted-conflicts-around http://www.unfpa.org/emergencies   http://www.ifrc.org/article/world-humanitarian-day-2025-urgent-call-honor-respect-and-protect-those-who-actforhumanity http://www.ifrc.org/get-involved/campaign-us/stand-us-protect-humanity http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/ihl-only-as-strong-as-leaders-will-uphold-it http://www.caritas.org/2025/08/world-humanitarian-day-honouring-the-fallen-defending-the-living/ http://www.wvi.org/newsroom/call-safeguard-humanitarian-action-amid-rising-threats-and-global-aid-cuts http://www.wvi.org/publication/world-refugee-day/report-ration-cuts-2025 http://www.ipsnews.net/2025/08/un-staff-federation-remembers-with-sorrow-the-many-who-have-fallen-in-the-line-of-duty/ http://www.rescue.org/press-release/irc-statement-world-humanitarian-day-2025-palestinians-make-almost-one-fifth-aid http://www.acaps.org/en/thematics/all-topics/humanitarian-access   http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/world-humanitarian-day-2025 http://www.bond.org.uk/news/2025/08/theyre-hunting-us-now-a-humanitarians-reckoning/ http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/august/yemen-aid-organisations-call-for-solidarity-and-urgent-action-on-world-humanitarian-day http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/press-releases/over-100-humanitarian-organizations-call-for-immediate-ceasefire-and-unimpeded-aid-access-in-gaza/ http://www.nrc.no/feature/2025/a-global-displacement-crisis-as-the-world-abandons-aid   June 2025   Humanitarians in action: delivering even amid extreme challenges. (OCHA)   Despite facing extreme underfunding and escalating attacks, humanitarians provided a literal lifeline for millions of people around the world throughout the first months of 2025, in support of the communities they serve, and with local and national actors at the forefront of every response.   Around the world, communities continued to provide the first line of support for one another in times of crisis, from mutual aid efforts through the Emergency Response Rooms in Sudan to community-led kitchens in Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), and solidarity shown by receiving communities to those fleeing violence whether within their own country or across borders.   These efforts were supported by the work of local and national organizations who—despite having to restrict their services and reduce their presence—continued to deliver for those in urgent need.   Since 2025 began, humanitarian agencies—from local and national actors through to international non-governmental organizations (NGO) and United Nations entities—have saved lives and upheld the dignity of people impacted by crises, amid enormous challenges.   In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), following the explosion of violence in the east which displaced at least 660,000 people from January to March 2025, humanitarian actors responded despite the extreme constraints, including acting early to anticipate a cholera outbreak, supported by the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).   In Myanmar, within one month of the devastating earthquakes which struck on 28 March 2025, humanitarian partners had reached at least 600,000 people with water, sanitation and hygiene support, nearly half a million people with food assistance, and more than 100,000 people with emergency shelter and essential household items. Partners in Myanmar also dispatched as mobile medical teams, delivering medical supplies, reuniting separated children with their families and supporting survivors of gender-based violence.   In Sudan, after horrifying violence and insecurity engulfed Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps in April 2025 and forcing the displacement of over 400,000 people, humanitarian partners activated an operational response plans to reach the new arrivals: between 4 and 8 May 2025, 335,000 people received emergency food assistance and 67,000 received emergency nutrition supplies.   Across the border in Chad, UNHCR and its partners worked with authorities to authenticate the medical certificates of Sudanese refugee doctors so they could practice in Chad, providing them with a livelihood and the means to continue help people.   In Haiti, where violence has escalated dramatically and one in every eight children is displaced, humanitarian partners have provided safe spaces and psychosocial support for children in displacement sites and hard-to-reach areas of Port-au-Prince and delivered 4.2 million hot meals to almost 450,000 students, almost 68 per cent of which were prepared with locally sourced products.   In Yemen, which remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, 134 humanitarian actors supported an average of 4 million people per month with life-saving protection and assistance in the first quarter of 2025.   UN agencies and humanitarian partner organisations supported displaced communities in 27 countries, delivering life-saving assistance under some of the most challenging conditions. In Ukraine, coordinating the movement of over 83,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), ensuring access to essential services and safety. In Burkina Faso and Yemen, assessments identified critical service gaps, enabling targeted interventions to prevent violence—particularly against displaced women and girls.   The ability of humanitarians to deliver when enabled to do so was showcased during the ceasefire in Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), between 19 January and 18 March 2025. During this time, partners delivered winterization kits to 60,000 children (compared to 10,000 prior to the ceasefire); supported 25 UN-subsidized bakeries (compared to 5 before the ceasefire); and brought 78,000 tonnes of aid into Gaza (compared to 23,000 prior to the ceasefire).   This was followed by the imposition by Israel of an 11-week total aid blockade, during which humanitarian partners continued to deliver whatever aid they could under the most difficult and complex circumstances.   The tireless efforts of humanitarian actors to deliver to people in crisis in a principled manner in the first months of 2025 highlights the ability and commitment of the humanitarian system to assist people in the world’s gravest emergencies, even in the most adverse circumstances.   As global geopolitics shift, it is vital we support principled humanitarian action to reach people in most urgent need. This action is grounded in the work of local and national partners who know their communities best, and leveraging the tools, systems and capacities of the international humanitarian community in support of their efforts.   http://humanitarianaction.info/document/hyper-prioritized-global-humanitarian-overview-2025-cruel-math-aid-cuts/article/humanitarians-action-delivering-even-amid-extreme-challenges http://humanitarianaction.info/ http://www.unocha.org/latest/news-and-stories   22 May 2025   International Framework to Protect Civilians during Armed Conflict Unraveling, speakers warn UN Security Council, urging enforcement of existing Laws. (UN News)   2024 Deadliest Year on Record for Humanitarians, as Civilian Deaths Soared   United Nations officials and humanitarians alike warned that the international framework created to protect civilians during armed conflict is itself under attack during a day-long debate in the UN Security Council today on that topic, as many speakers stressed that civilians will continue to suffer if existing laws are not enforced.   “The short version — the scaffolding built last century to protect us from inhumanity is crumbling; those who will die as a result need us to act,” stated Thomas Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. In 2024, the UN recorded more than 36,000 civilian deaths in 14 armed conflicts, with the real number likely far higher.   He detailed the plight of civilians today: dead, deprived of essential services, forcibly displaced, subjected to “rampant” sexual violence or suffering from “alarming” levels of conflict-driven hunger. “2024 was also the deadliest year on record for humanitarians,” he added.   Spotlighting an unravelling of international law — “despite the lessons of history and clear legal commitments” — he underscored that this jeopardizes the protection architecture that took decades to build.   “There is, though, another path,” he said — provided States act to “salvage what they have built”. This requires that they ensure respect for international law and support efforts to fight impunity. He said they also must acknowledge that, even when parties comply with the law, “the scale of civilian harm can be devastating”, which necessitates strong policy and operational measures to protect civilians. “Let us be remembered not for the warnings we gave, but for the action we took,” he urged.   Next, Sima Bahous, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), emphasized: “In the past year, we have seen bombed maternity wards, blockaded medical supplies and massive funding cuts.” In Afghanistan — where 90 per cent of women lack access to essential healthcare services — a woman dies from preventable pregnancy-related complications every two hours. And, with bans on female workers and shrinking access to care, maternal deaths are projected to rise by 50 per cent in 2026.   Meanwhile, in Gaza, over 28,000 women and girls have been killed since October 2023, she noted, adding: “Tens of thousands have given birth under bombardment and siege, without anaesthetics, postpartum care or clean water.” Urging the Council to treat reproductive violence as a distinct category of harm and hold perpetrators accountable, she added that “trauma compounds over time”. In Gaza, 75 per cent of women suffer from depression; women in Afghanistan describe living in “open-air prisons” and domestic violence is rising in Ukraine.   “Where is the political courage to stop the killing?”, asked Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “If you do not defend the rules of war today, you are accepting a world where wars are fought with increasing barbarity and disregard for our shared humanity,” she underscored.   “In today’s conflicts, you do not have to pull the trigger to be complicit in the consequences,” she added, stressing that the fourth Geneva Convention contains clear, unambiguous protections for civilians in times of armed conflict.   She therefore urged the Council to prevent any permissive signals that international humanitarian law can be ignored, that life-saving aid can be denied or that principled humanitarian action can be replaced. Peace starts with treating the wounded, reconnecting separated families, ensuring the provision of life-saving aid and sparing civilian populations and infrastructure from harm.   “It is in the darkest moments that our commitment to protecting civilians is most tested and needed,” she said, declaring: “It is possible to protect civilians in war.”   Doing so is especially necessary in the context of children, emphasized Janti Soeripto, President and Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children, as they are “uniquely vulnerable to the effects of war”.   Recalling the words of one of her organization’s healthcare workers in Somalia, describing what happens when children suffer acute malnutrition, she said that “the skin becomes attached to the bone, the child becomes a skeleton” and cries all day “until it stops doing that”. Children, she continued, are also more likely to die from blast injuries: “The blast is more likely to penetrate their small bodies, and they have less blood to lose.”   Observing that humanity faces a “moment where many competing visions of the future are battling for supremacy” and “not an erosion, but an assault” on its values, she said that humanitarians are often asked for technical solutions to inherently political problems.   “Yes, we need support to get food, medicine and schooling to children trapped in conflict,” she acknowledged, but added that it is also necessary for Member States “to do your job”. When civilians suffer because a State makes a political choice to disregard the laws of war, that choice is based on a calculation that the international community will not enforce the law. “We urge you to act,” she concluded.   http://news.un.org/en/news/topic/humanitarian-aid   What is the cost for killing humanitarians?, by Chris Lockyear - Secretary General, Medecins Sans Frontieres   On 3 May, we at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) woke to shock, grief, and outrage. Our hospital in Old Fangak, South Sudan, had been attacked: a helicopter gunship destroyed the pharmacy, shelling followed, and drones bombed the market. Patients and staff fled as shrapnel tore through hospital. It was terrifying – and a clear violation of international humanitarian law.   These same emotions ran through us with the news of two other horrific mass attacks that killed medical workers in recent weeks.   On 23 March, the Israeli military in Gaza killed 15 people, including eight staff from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS).   Eight days later, their bodies and destroyed vehicles were discovered in a mass grave. Videos showed the attack was deliberately carried out on clearly identified medical staff and ambulances.   On 11 April, in Zamzam displacement camp, in Sudan’s North Darfur region, nine medical workers from the humanitarian organisation Relief International were ruthlessly killed as Rapid Support Forces soldiers entered a clinic – the last one still running – during their assault on the camp.   These are just the latest, and particularly shocking, examples of attacks against medical and humanitarian workers worldwide. We’ve also seen horrific attacks in Ukraine, in Haiti, in Democratic Republic of Congo, among others.   Whether they directly target staff or hospitals from MSF, or from other organisations, we – humanitarians – feel attacked. We share the grief of all medical and humanitarian colleagues who work alongside us, acting with the same urgency to care for sick and injured people.   These recent assaults on humanitarian and medical workers are exceptionally grave – not only for their brutality and toll, but for the profound indifference that followed.   Aside from statements by the United Nations and isolated calls from some states – like the UK’s request for investigations into attacks in Gaza, or France’s response after the strike on Old Fangak’s hospital – there is no shared global outrage.   There is no strong political momentum, and certainly no concrete action against the perpetrators. Verbal condemnations ring hollow without real consequences.   It almost feels futile to ask the question: what is preventing this from happening again – even tomorrow?   All such attacks should be met with strong, unequivocal condemnation. We should expect emotion, mobilisation, and strong reaction. Independent investigations should be launched automatically to identify those responsible, and existing laws and international conventions applied – their enforcement should not be up for negotiation or compromise.   Justice should be delivered to the families and the colleagues of the victims, and concrete pressure applied to political stakeholders who tolerate, enable, or even actively encourage, such attacks.   Nearly four years on from the brutal killing of our three colleagues in Tigray, Ethiopia, the Ethiopian authorities have failed to conduct a credible, transparent, impartial, or timely investigation.   In the absence of a meaningful international response, it seems to us that carrying out these attacks is increasingly cost-free for the perpetrators. What political, legal, economic, social, or moral price are they paying?   And what state, body, or institution is truly ready and committed to hold them accountable?   It should be unthinkable that killing humanitarians or medical staff – people risking their lives to deliver care – comes with little or no consequence.   This isn’t only about preserving the feasibility of our work; it’s about defending fundamental values like solidarity and empathy.   Let me be clear: attacks on healthcare staff and aid workers are not new. We don’t yearn for a mythical “golden age” where our work was universally respected, or our security guaranteed. On the contrary, MSF has consistently denounced such attacks and called for change.   In 2016, after a wave of assaults on our staff – including the US bombing of Kunduz hospital in Afghanistan – and amid systematic campaigns against hospitals in Syria and Yemen, we supported the adoption of UN resolution 2286, aimed at protecting the wounded and sick, medical personnel, and humanitarian workers in armed conflict. But since then, we have seen its impact remain disastrously limited.   We are not alone in this fight. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) continues to lead its “Healthcare in Danger” campaign.   In 2024, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2730 – initiated by Switzerland – calling on all states to respect and protect humanitarian workers. That same year, an interministerial group from Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, and the UK issued a joint statement committing to develop a new Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel.   However, the collective effort has so far failed. We have not seen the transparency, accountability, and change that should be expected. It is rare to even obtain basic acknowledgement from the perpetrators.   The death and injury of medical and humanitarian workers are often part of a broader, equally shocking and intolerable pattern of indiscriminate – and even deliberate – violence against the communities they serve.   In Gaza, more than 52,000 people have been killed since 7 October 2023, according to local authorities. In Sudan, it is impossible to have a realistic estimate of the civilian death toll, though studies suggest it may number in the hundreds of thousands.   Today, in the face of an unprecedented assault on multilateral organisations, the United Nations, and legal institutions – exemplified by the growing number of countries opposing the International Criminal Court – it is not merely a lack of political pressure or justice, but a deliberate dismantling of the very channels for accountability and change.   We call on all those who still believe in humanity and solidarity to strongly condemn these attacks. We need them, wherever they are, to unite and rally around renewed calls for legal and political accountability.   Citizens must demand that states who claim to uphold international conventions and treaties take tangible political action and apply political pressure to stop to the normalisation and concealment of attacks against health staff and humanitarian workers – in Gaza, in Sudan, South Sudan, and around the world.   Now, more than ever, we need warring parties – as well as the states who politically, economically, or militarily support them – to recognise that attacking and killing humanitarians is an assault on the very values they stand for. Killing humanitarian workers should not just be costly – it should be utterly unaffordable.   http://www.msf.org/what-cost-killing-humanitarians http://healthcluster.who.int/newsroom/news/item/19-08-2025-an-urgent-call-to-action-from-the-global-health-cluster http://safeguarding-health.com/ignoring-red-lines-shcc-2022-report/   19 Aug. 2024   Protect civilians and aid workers: A global call on World Humanitarian Day   Open Letter to the Member States of the UN General Assembly, on behalf of the Inter Agency Standing Committee Principals, signed by 413 humanitarian organizations around the world who are calling for the protection of civilians, including their staff:   This World Humanitarian Day, our staff and volunteers around the world will stand in solidarity to spotlight the horrifying toll of armed conflicts on their colleagues and on all civilians, particularly children.   The brutal hostilities we are seeing in multiple conflicts around the world have exposed a terrible truth: We are living in an era of impunity. Attacks that kill or injure civilians, including humanitarian and health-care personnel, are devastatingly common. Yet despite widespread condemnation, serious violations of the rules of war too often go unpunished.   This status quo is shameful and cannot continue.   In 2023, tens of thousands of civilians were killed or injured in armed conflict, with fatalities among humanitarian workers doubling compared to the previous year.   The toll in 2024 – the number of deaths, injuries, detentions and kidnappings – is already staggering. The overwhelming majority of recorded attacks on aid workers are inflicted on national staff. Women-led organizations and female humanitarian staff face unique and often increased risks, just because they are women. The impact on the mental health of civilians and humanitarian workers has reached unprecedented levels.   And yet parties to conflict continue to flout laws meant to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers, and civilian objects.   This year, on World Humanitarian Day, we appeal to all States, parties to armed conflict, and the wider international community to:   End attacks on civilians and take active steps to protect them – and the critical civilian infrastructure they rely on.   Protect all aid workers, including local and national actors, and their premises and assets and facilitate their work, as called for in UN Security Council Resolution 2730 adopted this May.   Hold perpetrators to account. Those who commit violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) cannot go unpunished.   We should not have to wait for an annual moment such as World Humanitarian Day to remind all parties to armed conflict, and all States, of their obligations under IHL. Adherence to IHL must happen every day irrespective of occasion. It is non-negotiable and is not subject to exceptions.   It is vital that all parties to armed conflict and all States adhere to their obligations and leverage their influence to ensure respect for the rules of war and minimize human suffering.   Fulfilling these obligations requires more than mere declarations – it demands immediate and decisive actions. Turning a blind eye when humanitarian workers are targeted only emboldens those who seek to hinder their work.   This only serves to increase food insecurity, childhood malnutrition, involuntary displacement and the spread of infectious diseases and other threats. The immediate effects of these will not only be limited to areas of conflict but often spread far beyond.   We will continue to stay and deliver in humanitarian crises around the world – but the situation requires us to take a united stand to call for the protection of our staff, volunteers and the civilians we serve.   http://www.unocha.org/news/protect-civilians-and-aid-workers-global-call-world-humanitarian-day Visit the related web page
	204 million people live in areas controlled or contested by armed groups by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)   An estimated 204 million people worldwide now live in areas controlled or contested by armed groups – 30 million more than in 2021 – according to new findings released by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).   Of these, 74 million live under the full control of armed groups, while 130 million live in areas contested by armed groups.   The ICRC’s 2025 mapping identifies 383 armed groups of humanitarian concern across more than 60 countries. Over one-third are parties to armed conflict and therefore bound by international humanitarian law (IHL). The ICRC maintains contact with around three-quarters of these groups to negotiate access, deliver assistance and promote respect for civilians.   “These figures confirm what we have been observing for several years now: most armed groups are not temporary actors but deeply entrenched in the territories where they operate,” said Matthew Bamber-Zryd, ICRC adviser on armed groups.   “A growing number are parties to armed conflict and therefore bound by IHL, and many remain willing to engage with the ICRC on humanitarian issues. But insecurity, counter-terrorism restrictions and limited resources increasingly stand in the way of sustained dialogue. Recognizing these realities – who controls what, for how long, and the constraints under which we engage – is essential if we are to reach people living in the areas most affected by violence.”   Field research conducted in Cameroon, Iraq and the Philippines between 2024 and 2025 highlights how life in contested areas means constantly negotiating risks, uncertain lines of authority and fear of reprisals. One village chief in Cameroon described their dilemma as “running away from fire, running into water” – capturing the impossible choices faced by people trying to stay safe when multiple armed actors claim control.   The collapse or disruption of essential services compounds these pressures. In many contested areas, neither state authorities nor armed groups reliably provide healthcare, education or civil documentation. Without papers, people struggle to move, access services or prove their identity – leaving them more vulnerable to abuse and exclusion.   Humanitarian organizations face major obstacles in reaching these communities, even though most armed groups are willing to engage with the ICRC. The obstacles range from insecure conditions that block access to legal and administrative restrictions imposed by states.   “In many contested areas, the collapse of basic services means people survive through their own resourcefulness and social networks,” said Arjun Claire, ICRC senior policy adviser. “Yet many get trapped in the violence, branded as collaborators by one side or the other, and exposed to brutal reprisals. States and armed groups cannot fight their wars on the backs of civilians. Contested control does not mean contested obligations – controlling territory brings responsibility to protect those living there, not a license to target them.”   The ICRC urges all parties to armed conflict to respect IHL, ensure the protection of civilians and facilitate impartial humanitarian access and engagement.   http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/icrc-204-million-people-live-areas-controlled-or-contested-armed-groups
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