326 Humanitarians Killed in 2025 Across 21 Countries - Security Council Briefing | United Nations

Briefing by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, on the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and the protection of United Nations and associated personnel. Addressing the Security Council Fletcher reported that in 2025, at least 326 humanitarians were recorded as killed across 21 countries, bringing the total number of humanitarians killed in three years to over 1,010. According to the Emergency Relief Coordinator, of those over 1000 deaths, more than 560 were in Gaza and the West Bank, 130 in Sudan, 60 in South Sudan, 25 in Ukraine and 25 in DRC. “That number compares to 377 recorded as killed globally over the previous three years. Almost tripling the death count. This is not an accidental escalation - it is the collapse of protection”. Fletcher stressed, “These humanitarians were killed while distributing food, water, shelter and medicine. They died in clearly marked convoys and on missions coordinated directly with authorities. And too often, they were killed by member states of the United Nations.” He continued, “Humanitarians know we face risks. It is the nature of our work, the places we operate. These deaths are not because we are reckless with our lives. They are because parties to the conflict are reckless with our lives. So, on behalf of over a thousand dead humanitarians and their families, we ask why.” Fletcher said, “I normally conclude with three asks of this Council. But it seems insulting to over one thousand colleagues killed to echo back to you the commitments of SCR 2730: protection, integrity, accountability. We come here not to remind you of these commitments, but to challenge you to uphold them. Because if we cast these hard-won principles aside, the integrity of this Council, and the laws we are here to protect - die with our colleagues.”


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