For information only – not an official document
UNIS/SGSM/1516
19 August 2025
Humanitarian workers are the last lifeline for over 300 million people caught in conflict or disaster.
Yet, funding for that lifeline is drying up.
And those who provide humanitarian aid are increasingly under attack.
Last year, at least 390 aid workers - a record high - were killed across the world.
From Gaza to Sudan to Myanmar and beyond.
International law is clear: humanitarians must be respected and protected. They can never be targeted.
This rule is non-negotiable and is binding on all parties to conflict, always and everywhere.
Yet red lines are crossed with impunity.
Governments have pledged action – and the Security Council has laid out a path to protect humanitarians and their lifesaving work.
The rules and tools exist. What is missing is political will – and moral courage.
On this World Humanitarian Day, let’s honour the fallen with action:
To protect every aid worker – and invest in their safety.
To stop the lies that cost lives.
To strengthen accountability and bring perpetrators to justice.
To end arms flows to parties that violate international law.
Together, let us say in one voice: An attack on humanitarians is an attack on humanity.
And let’s #ActForHumanity
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Spain has ratified the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships, also known as the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”.
"Let us stand together to build a world where diversity is celebrated and everyone can live in safety and dignity." — António Guterres
"On this solemn day, we honour the victims and survivors of terrorism everywhere – saluting their courage, acknowledging their pain, and reaffirming our enduring commitment to peace, justice, and human rights." — António Guterres
"Humanitarian workers are the last lifeline for over 300 million people caught in conflict or disaster." — António Guterres
