Caritas Australia has condemned the historic humanitarian death toll revealed by the United Nations this week, saying that aid workers in conflict zones should be protected.
A record number of aid workers were killed in conflicts around the world last year, and this year may be on course to be even deadlier, the UN said on Monday.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs released figures on Monday that showed 280 aid workers were killed in 33 countries last year, which is twice as many as any year in the past decade.
Prior to the outbreak of conflict in Gaza, the UN report revealed South Sudan to be the most dangerous place for aid workers, with 40 attacks leaving 22 dead.
Since October 7, at least 250 aid workers have been killed in only ten months.
Humanitarian workers and their activities are supposed to be protected by International Humanitarian Law.
Damian Spruce, Advocacy Associate Director at Caritas Australia, commented on the historic death toll.
“At its most basic level, International Humanitarian Law demands rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, freedom of movement for humanitarian workers, and the protection of civilians including medical and aid workers,” Mr Spruce said.
“It also demands the protection of refugees, prisoners, the wounded and sick
“From day one of any conflict – whether it be in Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza or anywhere else in the world – civilians, humanitarians and medical workers should be protected. This is something we agreed upon as a global, human family, as we enshrined it in International Law.”
Alongside this death toll the burden on humanitarian workers has continued to grow. Nearly 300 million people are expected to need humanitarian assistance this year.
“Australia has a diplomatic and financial role to play in helping address the dire challenges facing the world,” Mr Spruce said.
“Currently, our international aid budget is just 0.8 per cent of our overall [federal] Budget. Caritas Australia is supporting the Safer World for All campaign, which is backed by a coalition of 25 humanitarian aid agencies, who are pushing for Australia to lift its aid budget in line with current global crises.”
To support Caritas Australia’s Emergency Relief Appeal, visit www.caritas.org.au/emergency.
FULL STORY
Caritas Australia condemns historic humanitarian death toll (Caritas Australia)
UN says a record number of aid workers were killed in 2023 and this year’s figures are also high (Associated Press)
