Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
World Humanitarian Day
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Security Council
Mauritania / Peacebuilding Fund’s Peacebuilding and Recovery Facility
WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY
Today is 19th of August, and since 2009 it has been marked as the day we observed as World Humanitarian Day. August 19th was chosen because it is also the day back on 19th August 2003 when 22 of our United Nations colleagues were murdered by the terrorists who attacked the UN headquarters at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad.
Earlier today, on behalf of the Secretary-General, the Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare, accompanied by survivors of the bombing, led a remembrance ceremony here at the UN Headquarters.
In a Message for the Day, the Secretary-General notes that humanitarian workers are the lifeline for over 300 million people caught in conflict or disaster. Yet, he says, funding for that lifeline is drying up, and those who provide humanitarian aid are increasingly under attack.
The Secretary-General points out that last year, at least 390 aid workers, a record high, were killed across the world, from Gaza to Sudan to Myanmar and beyond. On this World Humanitarian Day, he called on all to honour the fallen with action. Together, he adds, let us say in one voice: An attack on humanitarians is an attack against humanity.
For its part, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is calling for urgent action as attacks on aid workers hit another record.
OCHA points out that the 31 per cent surge in aid worker deaths in 2024 compared to the previous year was driven by the relentless conflicts going on in Gaza, where 181 humanitarian workers were killed, and in Sudan, where 60 lost their lives.
In Gaza, 520 aid workers – mostly staff from the the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) – have been killed since October 2023. It is the deadliest place for humanitarians.
Speaking a short while ago, Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that this is more than just a statistical spike. It is a stain – the normalization of violence against this community. He added that each attack on a colleague is an attack on all of us and we do not accept it.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Every day and every night, aid workers in Gaza courageously put themselves in harm’s way to keep others alive. At the same time, they also struggle to feed themselves and feed their own families. The world cannot look away while attacks on aid workers and on the very people they try to help have become routine.
The UN once again calls on leaders to find the political will to end this conflict and to end the suffering of the people.
Over the past 24 hours, the UN has received more reports of casualties in shooting incidents that occurred along routes designated for our convoys, where crowds often wait to take supplies from the back of trucks. Such shooting incidents have been reported in Israeli-militarized areas in North Gaza, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.
Meanwhile, the UN team on the ground also reports intense hostilities between Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups. Over the past 24 hours, this has included air strikes and shelling across five neighbourhoods of Gaza city, with reports of tanks and ground troops advancing.
Yesterday, the United Nations and NGOs officials working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory warned in a joint statement of the impact of the intensified offensive in Gaza city announced by Israeli authorities, which will result in mass displacement of human beings. They said that it will have a horrific impact on people already exhausted, already malnourished, already bereaved and displaced, and deprived of basics needed for their bare survival. Forcing hundreds of thousands to move south is a recipe for further disaster and could amount to forcible transfer.
The UN and NGOs stressed that their teams will remain in Gaza city to provide life-saving support as part of their commitment to serve people wherever they are. And they reminded parties of their obligation to protect civilians – including humanitarian workers and those who cannot or choose not to move – and safeguard humanitarian facilities and other civilian infrastructure.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=19%20August%202025