At Least 326 UN Aid Workers Killed in 2025: UN Humanitarian Chief

The killings last year took place in 21 countries, Tom Fletcher told a Security Council meeting on protecting civilians in armed conflict.

At least 1,010 UN aid workers were killed over three years, "almost tripling the death count" of 377 from the previous three years, he said.

"This is not an accidental escalation -- it is the collapse of protection," Fletcher said, noting that the killings were sometimes carried out by UN member states.

"These humanitarians were killed while distributing food, water, medicine, shelter. They died in clearly marked convoys and on missions coordinated directly with authorities."

Fletcher continued: "These trends, alongside the collapse in funding for our lifesaving work, are a symptom of a lawless, bellicose, selfish and violent world. Killing humanitarians is part of the broader attack on the UN Charter and on international humanitarian law."

Fletcher challenged the Council on why such killings were continuing to take place.

"Is it because member states see these numbers as collateral damage, part of the fog of war? Or worse, are we now seen as legitimate targets?"

Places where aid workers were killed in the past three years include Gaza and the West Bank (560), Sudan (130), South Sudan (60), Ukraine (25) and DR Congo (25).