Protection of Humanitarian and UN Personnel
Expected Council Action
In April, the Security Council will hold its second annual briefing on the protection of humanitarian and UN personnel, in accordance with resolution 2730 of 24 May 2024. Representatives of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) are expected to brief.
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 (AWSD), 383 aid workers were killed in 2024—the most recent year for which verified figures are available—making it the deadliest year on record for humanitarian personnel. This continued a trend from 2023, during which 293 aid workers were killed, representing a nearly 150 percent increase from the year before. The war in Gaza has contributed to a large share of this increase: between October 2023 and December 2024, 344 aid workers were killed there, the majority of whom worked for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Other country situations with a high number of fatalities in 2024 included the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Lebanon, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine, with aerial bombardment and small arms fire the most prevalent means of attack. Across conflicts, national and locally recruited personnel accounted for more than 90 percent of victims.
At the time of writing, AWSD’s provisional data for 2025 indicated that 350 aid workers were killed last year—including 226 in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)—representing a slight decrease from 2024. This is most likely due to the current ceasefire in Gaza that went into effect in October 2025. Fatalities remain at historically elevated levels, however, while injuries and kidnappings also persist.
In addition to direct threats of physical violence, humanitarian personnel face a range of other obstacles to their work. According to the Secretary-General’s most recent annual report on the protection of civilians (PoC)—which was issued on 15 May 2025 and describes the state of PoC in 2024—these challenges include bureaucratic and administrative impediments imposed by host states; shortages of essential supplies; the politicisation of humanitarian operations; unintended effects of sanctions and counterterrorism measures; and targeted misinformation and disinformation campaigns.
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 humanitarian and UN and associated personnel—including national and locally recruited staff—as well as their premises and assets. It addresses direct threats such as the indiscriminate use of explosive devices, alongside indirect risks, including misinformation and the misuse of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to target humanitarian operations. It also condemns the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and the deprivation of civilians of essential objects, which hinder relief efforts and worsen conflict-induced food insecurity.
A central focus of the resolution is accountability and reporting. It urges states to conduct “full, prompt, impartial and effective” investigations into violations of IHL and international human rights law against humanitarian and UN personnel; prosecute those responsible; and cooperate with relevant domestic, regional, and international courts and tribunals. It further requests the Secretary-General to provide recommendations within six months on preventing and responding to such attacks, to brief the Council on this matter within 12 months and annually thereafter, and to report “swiftly” when “widespread issues” regarding the safety and security of humanitarian and UN personnel occur, signalling the Council’s intention to give such situations its “full attention”.
The Security Council received the Secretary-General’s recommendations in a latter dated 22 November 2024 and discussed them in a 26 November 2024 briefing. Among other measures, the Secretary-General 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 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.
On 2 April 2025, the Council held the first annual briefing required by resolution 2730. Members were briefed by Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya, Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security Gilles Michaud, and International NGO Safety Organisation Executive Director Nic Lee.
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. Despite the adoption of resolution 2730, the persistent high death toll among aid workers—particularly national and locally recruited staff—continues to raise 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 budgetary pressure on humanitarian operations, which face “funding cuts without historic precedent”, forcing some 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 at this month’s meeting. Additionally, Council members could adopt or 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 1994 Convention on the Safety of UN and Associated Personnel and its 2005 Optional Protocol.
As requested by resolution 2730, 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, which he apparently has not yet done. Additionally, 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.
Other options include encouraging humanitarian exemptions in counterterrorism frameworks—building on the cross-cutting humanitarian carve-out in UN sanctions regimes established by resolution 2664 of 9 December 2022—as well as strengthening risk management and duty-of-care provisions in UN mandates.
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 97 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 Council’s November 2024 and April 2025 briefings, members expressed general agreement on the need to ensure compliance with IHL and to ensure safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, notwithstanding accusations against some members for violating these obligations themselves. Many emphasised that attacks on humanitarian personnel constitute serious violations of IHL and may amount to war crimes, and called for stronger preventive measures, including effective deconfliction mechanisms and enhanced risk management. Several called for a recommitment to humanitarian principles and reinforced legal protections, emphasising that rhetoric must be matched by meaningful action. In this regard, most expressed support for the Secretary-General’s recommendations, particularly those related to survivor-centred approaches, countering misinformation, and strengthening duty-of-care frameworks.
At the same time, significant divergences persist on accountability and the attribution of responsibility in specific conflict situations. Several members—particularly elected members and some European countries—have stressed the need for independent investigations and, where appropriate, the use of international accountability mechanisms. By contrast, members such as China, Russia, and—especially under the current administration of US President Donald Trump—the US have been sceptical about the role of international courts, emphasising instead the primacy of national jurisdictions and warning against what they view as the politicisation of accountability mechanisms.
These divisions are particularly pronounced in discussions related to Gaza, which dominated the April 2025 meeting and where positions differed sharply on the attribution of responsibility and the appropriate response. The US emphasised violations by non-state actors such as Hamas, whereas most other members directly criticised Israeli military operations and called for stronger accountability measures.
| 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 | |
| 15 May 2025S/2025/271 | 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. |
| Security Council Meeting Record | |
| 2 April 2025S/PV.9889 | This was the first annual briefing on the protection of humanitarian and UN personnel held in accordance with resolution 2730. |
