In May 2024, the Security Council voted UNSC 2730(2024) almost unanimously, acknowledging the increased targeting of aid workers and buildings belonging to humanitarian organisations, the repeated denials of access to humanitarian aid, and the limited investigations and prosecutions of the international humanitarian law and human rights violations and abuses committed.
The objective of this side event was to gather the perspectives of donors and organisations at the forefront of concrete efforts to translate UNSC 2730(2024), the Political Declaration, and other policy commitments, into concrete action to prevent violence against aid workers and promote their protection worldwide.
When: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Where: Salle Montreux, CICG, Geneva (hybrid format)
Time: 9.00 – 10.30 CET
Moderator: Olivier Vandecasteele, Founder and Director, Protect Humanitarians
Speakers:
- Dorota Kaczuba, Regional Programmes MENA, South-West Asia and Arabian Peninsula, DG ECHO
- Jeanne Frangieh, Chief Executive Officer, Himaya Daeem Aataa (online)
- David Annequin, Director, Protect Aid Workers
- Kate Norton, Operations Director, Legal Action Worldwide
- Amjad Saleem, Manager Strategic Engagement: Youth, Peace and Fundamental Principles, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Session Outcomes
The high-level event on the protection of aid workers brought together member states, NGOs, and initiatives to examine how commitments made under UN Security Council Resolution 2730 and related efforts can translate into tangible protections for aid workers in the field. The session was opened by H.E. Mrs. Emily Roper, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative and Chargée d’affaires a.i., Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva.
Speakers highlighted record-high levels of violence against aid workers in 2023 and 2024, with 97% of those killed being local or national staff. Discussions reinforced the need to centre survivor voices, uphold International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and deliver practical, field-ready mechanisms for protection and care.
Jeanne Frangieh of Himaya Daeem Aataa gave a moving account of a recent airstrike on her organisation. Support from the Protect Aid Workers initiative provided rapid, holistic assistance from hospital costs to psychosocial care. Testimonials from Médecins du Monde and others echoed these experiences and called for more predictable and inclusive support.
Panellists from Protect Aid Workers, Legal Action Worldwide, and the IFRC’s Red Family Fund explored current initiatives and lessons learned. They stressed that while global advocacy is essential, real change requires investment in operational tools — particularly for local actors — including legal aid, mental health services, security capacity, and systems for data collection and response.
An interactive discussion explored how to address underreporting, discrimination, gaps in duty of care, and the rising criminalisation of humanitarian action. Participants also reflected on the growing need for digital risk management and solidarity-based mechanisms to counter trauma and loss.
In partnership with the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Protect Aid Workers, Protect Humanitarians, Legal Action Worldwide, the Global Interagency Security Forum, Action Contre la Faim, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
