BRUSSELS /PNN /

The European Union said that 2023 was the deadliest year on record for aid workers, and 2024 is likely to follow the same harrowing trend.

A joint statement issued by EU High Representative/Vice-President, Josep Borrell, and Commissioner, Janez Lenarčič, on the occasion of 2024 World Humanitarian Day stated that: “When disasters strike, crises erupt and conflicts arise, humanitarians are among the first ones on the spot delivering emergency assistance to those affected. This selfless calling to bring relief – but also hope – to the most vulnerable must be honored and protected.”

“Yet we cannot forget the acute danger facing humanitarian workers as they carry out their duties in war zones and environments where their own security is not ensured,” added the statement.

The statement read: “We have stated year after year that humanitarian workers must be protected at all costs, without exceptions. But in this increasingly volatile world, words alone are not enough.”

They underscored the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip which they stressed has been ‘unfolding before our eyes over the past 10 months’. “In places such as these, where every day is a struggle for survival for every civilian, the life-saving work of the humanitarian community makes a huge difference.”

“We have seen a devastating trend by a number of States in recent years towards blatant disrespect for the basic norms of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in the conflicts they are engaged in. This calls for decisive action by the international community as a whole in defense of IHL as part of the bedrock of the rules-based international order.”

On August 9, the UN relief agency (UNRWA) announced that 205 humanitarian aid workers have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since 7 October, 2023.