FORUM: "#ActforHumanity" World Humanitarian Day 2026. 2025 set another grim record for violence against aid workers, with 907 colleagues killed, injured or kidnapped, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today on World Humanitarian Day.
While the death toll decreased slightly to 350 last year, the overall level of violence did not ease: 322 aid workers survived attacks that left them injured while 235 were kidnapped, according to Humanitarian Outcomes’ Aid Worker Security Database.
With 186 humanitarians killed, Gaza remained the deadliest context for the third year running, followed by Sudan with 71 killed.
So far in 2026, 82 aid workers have been killed, 97 injured and 39 kidnapped across the world.
“More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable,” said Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. “But just calling it out will not protect the next aid worker. States must uphold international humanitarian law and use every tool to protect civilians and our colleagues. And for those who break the rules, there must be real consequences.”
Of particular concern is the proliferation of cheap and adaptable armed drones that are putting lethal power into ever more hands and sending more explosive weapons into towns and cities.
In Sudan, armed drones caused 80 per cent of civilian deaths in the first four months of 2026, hitting markets and health facilities.
In Ukraine, drones killed 80 civilians in April this year alone, while in the Russian Federation, civilians have been killed and civilian infrastructure damaged because of drone attacks.
In Colombia, attacks using weaponized drones quadrupled between 2024 and 2025.
Humanitarians are increasingly in the crosshairs of armed drones. In March this year, an aid worker was killed in a drone strike on a residential building in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In just one week in May, four humanitarian convoys were hit in Ukraine.
"Weaponized drones have become the new face of an old danger: the deliberate or reckless destruction of civilian life,” Mr. Fletcher said. “The technology may change, but the laws of war do not.”
This year’s global campaign, Act for Humanity, spotlights aid workers who have been killed, through interviews with their families. Behind every statistic is a family whose world has been torn apart. This year's observance is calling for greater protection of humanitarian workers and civilians, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, and accountability for attacks and violations of international humanitarian law. This year, the demand is clear: act early before warning signs become casualty lists. Stop the violence. Stop the obstruction. Investigate every attack. Prosecute those responsible. Support survivors and families. WHD is a campaign by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #ActForHumanity, #19August, #WorldHumanitarianDay, #humanitarian
On World Humanitarian Day, we honour the dedicated workers who provide life-saving aid to millions in need. We also confront an appalling truth: Serving others has become more dangerous than ever. More than a thousand humanitarians have been killed in the last three years. Most were local staff supporting their own communities. Countless others narrowly survived being shot at, shelled, bombed, kidnapped, or raped. Schools and hospitals are coming under fire. And new tools of war – including armed drones – are posing fresh risks. At the same time, disinformation is eroding trust. Humanitarian funding is being cut. And humanitarian access is being restricted. We see aid convoys blocked. Aid workers threatened, arrested, and detained. And people in desperate need left without support. Attacks on humanitarian workers are illegal. And the consequences are devastating. For families struggling to survive. Children waiting for food. Patients seeking urgent care. And so many more. The world has made commitments. Now it must act: To respect the rules of war; Ensure safe access; Hold perpetrators accountable; And provide sufficient resources. Humanitarian workers stand up for people in need. We must stand up for them. We must act for humanity – now.
Agenda Programme
World Humanitarian Day 2026 – Commemoration Ceremony.
Tuesday, 19 August 2026, 4 p.m.
Salle des Pas Perdus, 3rd Floor, Building A, Palais des Nations
4 P.M. OPENING OF THE EVENT
Master of ceremony: Ms. Alessandra Vellucci, Director, United Nations Information Service at Geneva
Wreath laying and candle lightning ceremony by the United Nations
Laying of flowers by the survivors and families of the victims of the attack against the United Nations Mission in Baghdad of 19 August 2003, and other UN offices
Laying of flowers by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Iraq to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva
Remarks by Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General, United Nations Office
at Geneva
Minute of silence
Remarks by Mr. Barham Salih, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Remarks by Ms. Awa Dabo, Deputy High Commissioner, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Remarks by H.E. Mr. Saywan Barzani, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Iraq to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva
Remarks by Ms. Shawbo Taher-Al-Talabani, survivor of the 19 August 2003 terrorist attack against the United Nations Mission in Baghdad
Remarks by Ms. Laura Johnson, Executive Secretary, UNOG Staff Union
Remarks by Ms. Gemma Connell, Officer-in-Charge, Humanitarian Sector Division, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
5 P.M. CONCLUSION OF THE EVENT.
Related Sites and Documents: World Humanitarian Day 2026.
Meetings & Events
Led by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the 2026 campaign theme under #ActForHumanity spotlights the grave dangers aid workers face—particularly from weaponized drones—and shares the personal stories of fallen humanitarians through their families.
Watch the Lowering of the UN Flag to half mast in observance of World Humanitarian Day 2026, and in honour of humanitarian personnel who have lost their lives
Meetings & Events
The commemoration of the bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad (Iraq) will be observed with a brief ceremony organized by the UN Staff Union's Standing Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service.
The ceremony also marks the observance of World Humanitarian Day designated by the General Assembly in 2008 to coincide with the date of the bombing in Baghdad.
The Day also honours humanitarian aid workers who have been killed or injured in the course of their work.
Confirmed attending survivors (in-person):Mr. Salim Lone, the spokesperson in Baghdad for Mr. Sérgio Vieira de Mello, the head of the UN mission in Iraq. Mr. Lone currently writes columns for a newspapers, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Sunday Nation (Kenya), and publishes on the Iraq war. More about Mr. Lone: Salim Lone - Wikipedia
Mr. Francis Mead, UN and BBC Filmmaker/Writer: He was working on the day of the bomb blast in the Canal Hotel - reporting on the situation in Iraq for the IRIN news service - which was then part of the UN. He is from the UK and worked for the UN for 25 years, mostly making documentaries, before retiring in 2023.
Mr. Darko Mocibob, Director, Political Affairs - Middle East Division, DPPA-DPO.
Mr. Romano Lasker, Manager, Humanitarian Development Peace, Crisis Bureau, UNDP.
Other survivors and family members of the victims will also join us live on UN Web TV.View less
Related Sites and Documents: Press release.
Meetings & Events
PUBLICATIONS:
- The UN Secretary General’s Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict; From UN Publication.
- The 2026 Aid Worker Security Report; From Humanitarian Outcomes.
- The Rapid support for aid workers at risk; From Protect Aid Workers.
CAMPAIGN: Despite repeated promises from the international community, humanitarians continue to come under attack, with over 1,000 aid workers killed in the past three years alone. On World Humanitarian Day, 19 August, join our call to end these violations and the impunity that allows them. #ActForHumanity.
