Presenter urges United Nations member states to act after humanitarian workers killed

A presenter told the meeting that hundreds of humanitarian workers were killed in 2025 across 21 countries and that more than 1,010 have been killed over the last three years, and urged United Nations member states to do more to protect aid personnel.

The presenter said the victims died while distributing food, water, medicine and shelter, and noted these casualties occurred "in clearly marked convoys and on missions coordinated directly with authorities." The remarks emphasized that these were operational humanitarian efforts, not incidental or unmarked activity.

The speaker went further to say, "And too often, they were killed by member states of the United Nations," directly attributing many of the attacks to state actors rather than only nonstate groups. The presenter framed the issue as a legal and moral obligation, stating that "international humanitarian law was never and is not now an academic exercise."

The address called on member states to respond with "much greater conviction, consistency, and courage, protection, integrity, accountability," and challenged them "to uphold" commitments to safeguard humanitarian work. No formal actions or votes were taken during the remarks, and the presenter did not specify particular enforcement measures, timelines or responsible bodies.

The meeting record does not include responses to the presenter’s assertions or specific state rebuttals. The presenter’s call is framed as an appeal for stronger adherence to international humanitarian law and greater protection for aid workers going forward.