By Meriah-Jo Breckenridge, Monica Czwarno, Mariana Duque-Díez, Adelicia Fairbanks, Paul Harvey, and Abby Stoddard
In a year marked by high civilian casualties and record numbers of aid workers killed, the question of how to hold warring parties accountable for their duty to protect and facilitate humanitarian relief efforts has become more urgent and elusive.
Trends in security incidents highlight the growing role that state actors play in the violence affecting aid workers, suggesting a further erosion of international humanitarian law and a shrinking of security within humanitarian operations.
In Gaza, Sudan, and other conflicts, concerted humanitarian advocacy efforts with governments – both public and behind the scenes – have resulted in little change in policy and tactics. Far from protecting and facilitating humanitarian aid, militaries have repeatedly obstructed and endangered it. Global efforts to address the problem of violence against aid workers through UN resolutions and international media campaigns like #NotATarget, have also not managed to slow the continued upward trend of global casualty numbers.
This year’s Aid Worker Security Report examines the challenge faced by aid workers attempting to practise humanitarian advocacy: how and where it has been effective, when and why it has failed, and what risks it potentially poses to personnel and operations.
Summary of key findings
- 2023 was the deadliest year for aid workers ever recorded, with fatalities more than double the annual average.
- The death toll was driven mainly by the war in Gaza, which, since its onset in October 2023, has claimed the lives of more than 280 aid workers to date, mostly in collateral violence.
- Sudan and South Sudan also saw record numbers of aid workers killed in 2023, adding to the spike in fatalities.
- The changing global conflict landscape has seen the proportion of aid worker killings committed by state actors rise relative to non-state armed groups. That those who are supposed to uphold international humanitarian law are increasingly responsible for the deaths of aid workers and civilians highlights the challenges and limits of humanitarian advocacy.
- At the country and regional levels, humanitarian advocacy efforts have had little evident success in achieving better access and protecting aid workers in current conflicts, and global humanitarian advocacy campaigns have not curbed the upward trend of aid worker casualties in conflict.
- When aid organisations confront the behaviour of powerful actors, it can sometimes put aid personnel and programming in danger. However, neither the risks nor the effectiveness of aid organisations ‘speaking out’ are well demonstrated or understood.
- While the security risks of advocacy can be better mitigated through improved coordination, organisational processes, and risk analysis tools, more significant rewards remain out of reach – dependent on the international political will to apply pressure for accountability and justice.