Protection of Humanitarian and UN Personnel
Expected Council Action
In April, the Security Council will hold an open briefing on the implementation of resolution 2730 of 24 May 2024, which concerns the protection of humanitarian personnel and UN and associated personnel and their premises and assets. France, the Council president for the month, is convening the meeting. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher and Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security Gilles Michaud are expected to the brief. A civil society representative may also participate.
Background and Key Recent Developments
In recent years, the eruption and intensification of several conflicts around the world have exacerbated challenges to humanitarian action and threats faced by humanitarian personnel in conflict. According to the Aid Worker Security Database, 379 aid workers were killed in 2024, making it the deadliest year on record for humanitarian personnel. This continued a trend from 2023, during which 280 aid workers were killed, representing a 137 percent increase from the year before. The war in Gaza has fuelled a large share of the rising fatalities: between October 2023 and November 2024, 320 humanitarian personnel were killed there, the majority of whom worked for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). High levels of kidnappings, injuries, harassment, and arbitrary detention of aid workers were also reported in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Ukraine, and Yemen, among other countries.
Recent incidents in several conflict situations worldwide illustrate the threats that aid workers continue to face in 2025. In late January, the Houthis in Yemen detained eight humanitarian personnel, one of whom—a World Food Programme staff member—died in detention on 10 February. In response, the UN decided to temporarily pause all operations in the Sa’ada governate—where six of the recently detained personnel had been working—citing the erosion of the “necessary security conditions and guarantees” for the UN to operate in the area. On 14 February, two humanitarian aid workers were killed in attacks on the Zamzam refugee camp in North Darfur State in Sudan. On 19 March, one staff member from the UN Office for Project Services was killed and six others were wounded when an Israeli tank reportedly fired on a UN compound in Gaza following the resumption of hostilities between Israel and Hamas. Similar to its response in Yemen, the UN announced that it would reduce its operational footprint in the territory, referring to the “intolerable risks” that its personnel face there. On 28 March, the Security Council held a private meeting on the humanitarian situation and protection of aid workers in Gaza.
In addition to direct threats of physical violence, humanitarian personnel face a range of obstacles to their work. According to the Secretary-General’s most recent annual report on the protection of civilians (PoC)—which was issued on 14 May 2024 and describes the state of PoC in 2023—these challenges include bureaucratic and administrative impediments imposed by host states, such as restrictions on the recipients, timing, and type of aid provided, which violate humanitarian principles and may serve to politicise aid delivery. The report also cites misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech as a growing challenge that discredits humanitarian actors, undermines trust among local populations, and creates additional security risks for humanitarian personnel.
Resolution 2730—penned by then-Council member Switzerland—sought to address these issues. Among other provisions, the resolution recalls the primary responsibility of host states for the security and protection of UN and humanitarian personnel; expresses grave concern about the growing number of attacks, acts of violence, and threats against such personnel; recalls the obligation of all parties to armed conflict to comply with international humanitarian law (IHL); and underlines the obligations of all parties to armed conflict under IHL related to protecting civilians and civilian objects, including allowing and facilitating the rapid, safe, and unhindered passage of humanitarian assistance.
The scope of the resolution encompasses the protection of humanitarian and UN and associated personnel, including national and locally recruited personnel, and their premises and assets. It addresses several direct threats to their safety and security, such as the indiscriminate use of explosive devices, as well as indirect ones, including the spread of misinformation, and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to target humanitarian operations. It also condemns the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and the deprival of civilians of essential objects, which impede relief efforts and exacerbate conflict-induced food insecurity.
The resolution places a particular emphasis on accountability. It urges countries to conduct “full, prompt, impartial and effective” investigations of violations of IHL and international human rights law committed against humanitarian and UN personnel and to take action against those responsible, in accordance with domestic and international law, “with a view to reinforcing preventive measures, ensuring accountability and addressing the grievances of victims”. It also urges countries to prosecute persons allegedly responsible for serious IHL violations and to cooperate with domestic, regional, and international courts and tribunals “in accordance with States’ respective obligations”.
The resolution also established or expanded several reporting requirements for the Secretary-General. It asked him to submit to the Council, within six months, recommendations on measures to prevent and respond to attacks against humanitarian and UN personnel and to brief the Council on this matter no later than 12 months after the adoption of the resolution and on a yearly basis thereafter. Additionally, the resolution requested him to report “swiftly” to the Council when “widespread issues” regarding the safety and security of humanitarian and UN personnel occur, expressing the Council’s intention to give its “full attention” to such situations.
The Secretary-General transmitted his recommendations to the Security Council in a letter dated 22 November 2024. Among other measures, he urged member states to reaffirm their obligations under international law, uphold humanitarian principles, and facilitate safe and unhindered access through streamlined procedures and humanitarian exemptions in counterterrorism frameworks. He also called for consistent condemnation of all attacks, strengthened oversight and accountability mechanisms, and responsible arms export practices. Additionally, he stressed the importance of survivor-centred approaches, including psychosocial support, contingency planning, and access to justice—particularly for national and locally recruited staff—and recommended integrating safety and security mechanisms into UN mandates and peace operations, including during mission transitions. The Council held a briefing on these recommendations on 26 November 2024.
Key Issues and Options
A central issue for the Council is how to reverse the sharp deterioration in the safety and security of humanitarian and UN personnel amid intensifying armed conflict, politicised humanitarian access, and a global erosion of respect for IHL. The unprecedented death toll among aid workers—particularly national and locally recruited staff—raises urgent questions about accountability, protection, and support systems, including mental health and survivor assistance. Another key concern is the growing use of misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech to delegitimise humanitarian work, compounding access restrictions, and heightening the risk to personnel. A further issue is chronic underfunding, which has brought the humanitarian system close to a breaking point as shrinking budgets force organisations to choose between staff safety and the delivery of life-saving assistance.
To address these challenges, Council members may wish to express support for the full and prompt implementation of resolution 2730 and the Secretary-General’s recommendations. They could issue a presidential statement or press statement reaffirming core principles—such as the obligation of all parties to comply with IHL and to protect humanitarian and UN personnel—and urging universal accession to international instruments such as the Convention on the Safety of UN and Associated Personnel and its Optional Protocol. Some members may propose a separate Council product condemning recent violence against aid workers in specific conflict situations and calling for investigations that meet the criteria of independence, impartiality, transparency, and effectiveness.
Members may also urge the Secretary-General to report to the Council on situations in which there are “widespread issues” regarding the safety and security of humanitarian and UN personnel, as requested by resolution 2730. They could invite survivors of attacks to participate in the Council’s annual briefings on the resolution, as the Secretary-General encouraged in his recommendations. Additionally, members might advocate for integrating security risk management, staff mental health support, and survivor assistance into the mandates and budgets of UN operations, especially in high-risk and transitioning mission settings. Members could also consider measures to strengthen implementation of resolution 2664 of 9 December 2022, which established a cross-cutting humanitarian exception to UN sanctions regimes.
Council and Wider Dynamics
Most Council members agree on the need to enhance the protection of humanitarian and UN personnel. Resolution 2730 garnered wide support, receiving 14 votes in favour and 90 co-sponsorships from the wider UN membership, demonstrating broad international concern about this issue. Russia abstained on the resolution, however, objecting to its reference to international courts, its proposed parameters for ensuring humanitarian access, and its gender-related language.
At the November 2024 briefing, most members welcomed the Secretary-General’s recommendations and emphasised that all parties to conflict must respect IHL and facilitate humanitarian access. Many also welcomed the proposed survivor-centred approach and urged stronger action to combat misinformation and impunity. Several called for a recommitment to humanitarian principles and reinforced legal protections, emphasising that rhetoric must be matched by meaningful action. In this regard, some members stressed the urgency of addressing the targeting of UNRWA staff and the weaponisation of aid access in the Gaza Strip.
However, divisions remained on accountability mechanisms, the role of international courts, and the attribution of responsibility in specific contexts—particularly in relation to Gaza. The US supported calls for greater protection of humanitarian personnel and raised concerns about Israeli military conduct in Gaza, but stopped short of endorsing measures involving international accountability mechanisms, and it has since expressed full support for Israeli military operations after President Donald Trump returned to office and the ceasefire agreement between the parties collapsed. Russia affirmed the importance of humanitarian protection and the Geneva Conventions, but reiterated its scepticism about references to international courts in the Secretary-General’s recommendations, arguing that these mechanisms are politicised. It also criticised the omission of language on coordination with host governments and “unilateral coercive measures” in the Secretary-General’s letter.
| Security Council Resolution | |
| 24 May 2024S/RES/2730 | This was a resolution on the protection of humanitarian personnel and UN and associated personnel and their premises and assets. |
| Secretary-General’s Report | |
| 14 May 2024S/2024/385 | This was the Secretary-General’s annual report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. |
| Security Council Letter | |
| 22 November 2024S/2024/852 | This was a letter from the Secretary-General transmitting recommendations on measures to prevent and respond to attacks, violence, and threats targeting humanitarian personnel and UN personnel, as requested by resolution 2730 of 24 May 2024. |
