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	Every war is a war against children. But it must never be accepted as an inevitability by Save the Children, War Child Alliance, agencies   Sep. 2026   “A single explosion can change everything,” Deputy UN relief chief Mohamed Yahya warns on harm to children.   Across different areas, from countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Lebanon to Myanmar to Sudan to Ukraine to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, civilians are being killed and maimed in their homes and in their communities.   Drones are increasingly carrying explosive weapons into populated areas, bringing the battlefield closer to people’s homes, schools and communities. And you see them everywhere, especially how drones have changed the conflict, but also how it has changed and impacted civilians.   Children are among those who pay the highest price. A single explosion can change everything. A parent killed, a child loses a limb, a family loses their home. But harm goes beyond those killed or injured.   You destroy a hospital, healthcare disappears. You destroy a water system and disease spreads. You destroy a school and children lose not only education, but a place of safety and normality.   Humanitarian access becomes very difficult. Aid workers have been pushed back from the front line, and you probably know in the last three years, we lost about 1,000 aid workers across these battlefields.   But schools and learning places are also being destroyed. When healthcare is damaged, treatment disappears, people die of preventable diseases.   And danger can remain long after the fighting ends. Explosive remnants contaminate homes, street, farmlands, playgrounds – and prevent families from returning home and rebuilding their communities. We know this. We know the consequences of explosive weapons. They’re documented. They’re foreseeable.   What makes this tragedy even more unacceptable is that it’s preventable. It’s man-made. It’s choices we make. That’s why the Secretary-General has repeatedly called for parties in conflict to avoid the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.   And that’s why States and parties to conflict must take all meaningful steps to change the ways military operations are conducted in towns and in cities. The tools already exist.   States have adopted the Political Declaration on explosive weapons in populated areas. Now we need action.   We need more States to endorse the Declaration. We need those commitments translated into military policy, planning and practice. We want to see all parties avoid the use of explosive weapons with in populated areas.   Arms transfers must not contribute to ever expanding patterns of harm to civilians. As drones and other technologies change how wars are fought, innovation must be used to minimize civilian harm and not multiply it.   What is really concerning when we talk about conflicts and harm, is that States are playing a disproportionate role in bringing these harms. It’s not non-State actors; it’s the State actors, which makes this issue even more urgent.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/30-years-protecting-children-affected-armed-conflict-commitment-impact http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1w/k1wn11n3rk http://media.un.org/avlibrary/en/asset/d366/d3666250 http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1r/k1r3004x76   Sep. 2026   Why is war more dangerous for children than ever – and what can States do about it. (War Child Alliance)   The world today is increasingly shaped by armed conflict – and children are bearing the greatest consequences.   More children than ever are living in conflict zones. And in each, children are being killed and maimed, displaced, denied humanitarian assistance, and cut off from school, health care and other services.   The scale of grave violations against children has reached unprecedented levels: The UN verified 38,558 grave violations against children in 2025 affecting 24,174 children. That’s the highest number of children affected since UN monitoring began nearly 30 years ago.   But size and scale are not the only problems. The way war is waged is increasingly creating unique and compounding risks for children.   1. Explosive weapons in populated areas put children in the crosshairs   The data cannot be ignored: when explosive weapons are used in cities and towns, civilians suffer the most.   Armed conflict is increasingly taking place in urban and populated areas. Neighborhoods become frontlines, and civilians are caught in the crosshairs.   While explosive weapons were designed for fighting in open spaces, they are now regularly used in towns and cities. The vast majority – 96% – of casualties of explosive weapons in populated areas are civilians. And explosive weapons are now the leading cause of death and injury to children in conflict settings.   Technological developments, including the growing use of drones and artificial intelligence, are increasing these harms while also having less oversight and accountability.   2. Children experience conflict differently than adults – with lifelong consequences   Children are particularly vulnerable to the physical and psychological effects of conflict. When it comes to explosive weapons, children are more likely to die or suffer life-threatening injuries. They are also more likely to sustain multiple injuries.   And for children who survive, the psychological impact can be devastating. Children can experience anxiety, PTSD, depression, fear, aggression, and emotional withdrawal, and these consequences can persist long after the fighting ends.   3. Destruction of infrastructure is disrupting childhoods   A house, school, hospital, water treatment centre – these aren’t just buildings, they provide the safety, security, services and resources that support children’s survival, development, and wellbeing.   Yet attacks on civilian infrastructure continue at an alarming pace. In 2025, the UN verified 2,493 attacks on schools and hospitals.   4. Aid is under attack   In 2025, 350 aid workers were killed in conflict – second only to the record 383 killed the previous year. Also in 2025, the UN registered 8,322 incidents of denial of humanitarian access to children, a figure that has steadily climbed in recent years.   5. States are investing in war, not peace   While governments are increasing military spending, they are cutting vital humanitarian, development and peacebuilding assistance. Humanitarian funding fell by 30% between 2022 and 2025, and development assistance dropped 23% in 2025 alone. These cuts have left children with even fewer resources to help ensure their survival and support their development.   6. Failure to hold perpetrators accountable has led to an era of impunity   Despite States’ responsibility to protect civilians and children affected by conflict, grave violations against children continue to rise – and States are now the main perpetrators.   In 2025, government forces were for the first time the main perpetrators of grave violations against children. And for the fourth consecutive year, state armed forces and associated armed actors were primarily responsible for the killing and maiming of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access.   When acting without consequence becomes the norm and attacks on children commonplace, we have failed.   So, what can States do? States have the ability – and the obligation – to reverse these trends and uphold their commitments to protect children in conflict. There are several ways for States to take meaningful action:   Renew commitments to uphold international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Endorse and implement applicable legal frameworks and political commitments and publicly reaffirm obligations for all parties to conflict to uphold international humanitarian law (IHL) and applicable international human rights law (IHRL) in all armed conflicts, including specific protections for children.   Avoid the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. States should endorse – and meaningfully implement – the Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA) Declaration and other commitments that are designed to strengthen protections for civilians and civilian infrastructure.   Strengthen and reinforce child and civilian protection throughout military preparation and operations. States should integrate child-specific standards in weapons development and military engagement, implement laws to regulate the use of new technologies – including AI – in warfare, and increase scrutiny of arms transfers and military assistance.   Ensure accountability for violations. Uphold obligations to pursue accountability for all serious violations of IHL and IHRL. States should defend and reinforce the independence and authority of the International Criminal Court and impose targeted sanctions against individuals and entities implicated in serious violations.   Strengthen independent monitoring, investigation, and reporting of grave violations against children, including by resourcing and supporting the UN Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism 227 to comprehensively and impartially track and report on grave violations against children.   Redouble investment in children’s protection and well-being by recognising and funding child protection, education and mental health and psychosocial support as life-saving interventions for children. Investment in evidence-based, integrated programming is critical to ensure limited resources have maximum impact.   http://www.warchild.net/latest/article/why-is-war-more-dangerous-for-children-than-ever http://www.warchild.net/latest/article/new-war-child-report-warns-aid-cuts-are-leaving-children-unprotected/ http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/reported-attacks-damaging-water-systems-conflict-triple-children-lose-access-safe   June 2026   Protecting Children in Conflict through a Child-Sensitive Application of International Humanitarian Law. (Save the Children)   In armed conflict, children suffer disproportionately - more acutely than adults, sooner, and with harms that persist long after hostilities end. Their smaller, still-developing bodies are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of explosive weapons, malnutrition, and disease. Their minds, still forming their sense of self, safety and understanding of the world, absorb trauma differently and more deeply.   Their survival and development depend on caregivers, specialist services, and functioning civilian systems in ways that go far beyond adult dependency.   These vulnerabilities are the reason children hold a distinct legal status under international law. They are entitled not only to the protections afforded to all civilians under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), but to special respect and protection, a deliberately higher standard, enshrined in the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols and reinforced by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by 196 States.   Yet by every available measure, warfare is becoming more dangerous for children, not less- in part as their special protections are not being given effect. In short, the gap between the promise and the performance of international law is widening, and children are paying the highest price.   The challenge does not lie in the law itself. IHL’s existing framework is sufficient, when properly applied, to afford children meaningful and differentiated protection. The problem lies in how the law is being interpreted and implemented.   Children are routinely treated as generic members of the civilian population, as just ‘mini-civilians’, without adequate consideration of their unique rights, risks, or needs.   Civilian harm mitigation frameworks are calculated on and calibrated to the most robust members of the civilian population, rather than the most vulnerable.   This is a fundamental inversion of the protective logic of international law. When the tools used to protect civilians are designed around adults, children fall through the gaps. That is not just a moral failure, rather it means children are being denied the protection the law already guarantees them.   Addressing this does not require new treaties or new codification. It requires existing law to be applied consistently, in full, and through a child-sensitive lens. Children’s distinct vulnerabilities should be accounted at every stage of conflict: from operational planning and the design, use, and legal review of weapons, through conduct of hostilities, to efforts to secure justice.   If implemented, this could prevent immeasurable harm, and its benefits would extend beyond children. Civilian harm mitigation frameworks modelled on the most vulnerable members of the population will raise the floor of protection for all civilians. Protecting children is therefore not a narrow ask - it is a path to preventing more civilian harm overall.   Children suffer disproportionately from both the direct and reverberating impact of conflict. Though often under-prioritised, the reverberating effects of conflict are not peripheral — they are often the harms that kill, maim, or permanently alter the trajectory of a child’s life.   This paper documents the distinct harms children face in conflict, outlines the legal obligations that already exist to address them, explores what meaningful protection for children looks like in practice, and sets out recommendations for action.   http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/document/protecting-children-in-conflict-through-a-child-sensitive-application-of-international-humanitarian-law   Mar. 2026   “Children were already paying the highest price in wars worldwide, and the escalating conflict in the Middle East is only deepening the crisis, with hundreds killed, thousands displaced, and millions living in fear.   As the world marks Annual Day on the Rights of the Child this year, bombardment, displacement, and terror are inflicting new wounds on a generation of children across the Middle East and wider region, many of whom already carry the physical and mental scars of years of violence, insecurity, or deprivation. What our teams are seeing and hearing is devastating.   More than 200 children have been killed in the first week, according to official and media reports. Across the region, children are terrified - unable to sleep as sirens sound or blasts shake the walls around them.   In Iran, children were killed in their classrooms. In Israel, where children have also died, rocket and drone attacks have forced thousands of children back into bomb shelters.   In Lebanon, families are fleeing for the second or third time. In Gaza, closures at crossings bring fears of prolonged siege and deprivation, and in the West Bank, checkpoint closures have prevented children from going to school. This latest escalation compounds harm upon harm.   In every conflict - from Ukraine to the Democratic Republic of Congo - children bear the heaviest burden. Children are seven times more likely to die from blast injuries than adults. When hunger sets in and malnutrition strikes, their developing bodies succumb faster, and preventable childhood illnesses become fatal.   The harms do not end when the hostilities do. The wounds of war follow children through their lives.   The current conflict in the Middle East and wider region is unfolding against the backdrop of a fracturing of the laws, norms, and institutions designed to protect civilians and uphold the rights of the most vulnerable. Children are among the intended beneficiaries of that system. They are also its most visible victims when it fails.   There was a record number of grave violations against children in armed conflict documented by the United Nations in 2024, with violations including killing, maiming, abduction, sexual violence, recruitment into armed groups, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access to children. These are not abstract statistics, but rather a record of our collective failure.   We have the tools to protect children. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Geneva Conventions, and the Children and Armed Conflict mechanisms are enshrined in international law and exist precisely to prevent what we are now witnessing.   Yet many in positions of power are failing to uphold these laws, and the broader international community is failing to ensure compliance.   Leaders have spent the better part of a decade perfecting the art of deep concern - releasing statements that are masterpieces of diplomatic posturing but that fall short of consequence.   When the law becomes a set of suggestions rather than a collective responsibility, children pay the price.   Last year, Sila, 17, from Idlib, Syria, addressed the United Nations Security Council, the body charged with overseeing international peace and security. Sila shared her powerful experience of growing up amidst conflict in Syria for almost her entire childhood:   “I am from a generation that survived physically, but our hearts still live in fear. Help us replace the word ‘displacement’ with ‘return’, the word ‘rubble’ with ‘home’, and the word ‘war’ with ‘life’.”   Today, Sila and more than 100 million children like her across the Middle East are once again living under the terrifying shadow of an expanding war. Her plea should echo in every chamber of power.   Over a century ago, Save the Children’s founder, Eglantyne Jebb, declared that “every war is a war against children.” That truth is as irrefutable today as it was then. But it must not be accepted as an inevitability. It is a choice.   Leaders must prioritise diplomacy over escalation, uphold international law, and ensure that all States renew their commitment to global stability and the mechanisms designed to protect children in armed conflict before erosion becomes irreversible and children around the world pay the highest price.   We must reject a global system that has decided children’s lives are acceptable geopolitical collateral. The stakes could not be higher - and the time for posture alone has long passed.”   http://www.savethechildren.net/news/every-war-war-against-children-it-must-never-be-accepted-inevitability-statement-save-children http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/document/stop-the-war-on-children-security-for-whom-2025 http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/child-casualties-rise-amidst-deepening-middle-east-conflict http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/remarks-unicef-deputy-executive-director-ted-chaiban-un-secretary-general http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/unhrc-statement-children-rights-armed-conflict http://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/en/news/year-unthinkable-suffering-record-number-children-conflict-victims-grave-violations-2025   http://eua2026.protectingeducation.org/ http://alliancecpha.org/en/child-protection-humanitarian-action-advocacy-resource-hub http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/urgent-action-needed-ensure-more-children-conflict-zones-are-vaccinated http://view-hub.org/topics/immunizationinconflict http://globalprotectioncluster.org/latest/publications http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/06/high-commissioner-turk-we-need-far-greater-accountability-war http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc6051-rights-child-and-violations-human-rights-children-armed   Annual Report of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid to the UN General Assembly.   Global overview of trends, emerging issues and challenges   Multidimensional conflicts, including across regions, protracted conflicts, the emergence of new armed actors and the use of new technology have continued to adversely affect the protection of children in conflict situations. Grave violations against children have continued to increase.   In 2024, for the third consecutive year, grave violations against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels, with a staggering 25 per cent surge compared with 2023. Children bore the brunt of relentless hostilities, indiscriminate attacks, failure to respect international humanitarian and international human rights law, disregard for ceasefires and peace agreements, and deepening humanitarian crises.   The United Nations officially verified 41,370 grave violations, of which 36,221 were committed in 2024 and 5,149 were committed in previous years but verified in 2024 only. Violations affected 22,495 children, one third of them girls. While non -State armed groups were responsible for nearly 50 per cent of these violations, government forces were the main perpetrators of the killing and maiming of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access.   A 17 per cent increase in the number of children subjected to multiple violations through the convergence of abduction, recruitment and sexual violence represented an alarming escalation in brutality.   United Nations data showed a persistent and blatant pattern of grave violations induced by a lack of respect for the special protections afforded to children by conflict-affected States and armed groups, compounded by the use of private security companies.   Warfare strategies included deliberate attacks on children, the deployment of increasingly destructive weapons, the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the systematic exploitation of children through their participation in hostilities.   Deliberate harm was inflicted on children, instilling terror among entire communities, affecting their mental health and recovery opportunities, and driving mass and prolonged displacement. The urbanization of conflicts and their intensification across borders, the climate emergency and regional insecurity increased the vulnerabilities of children.   State and non-State armed actors continued to commit grave violations with impunity, depriving children not only of justice and reparations but also of their fundamental rights to life, protection, education, health and a future.   The violations verified at the highest levels were the killing (4,676) and maiming (7,291) of 11,967 children, denial of humanitarian access (7,906), the recruitment and use of children (7,402) and abduction (4,573). The number of children detained for actual or alleged association with armed groups, including those that are currently under sanctions enacted by the UN Security Council, or for national security reasons surged from 2,491 in 2023 to 3,018 in 2024, further depriving children of their rights.   The highest number of grave violations were verified in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (8,554), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (4,043), Somalia (2,568), Nigeria (2,436) and Haiti (2,269). The sharpest percentage increase in violations was verified in Lebanon (545 per cent), Mozambique (525 per cent), Haiti (490 per cent), Ethiopia (235 percent) and Ukraine (105 per cent).   Children were killed and maimed in appalling numbers using explosive ordnance, including explosive remnants of war, mines, explosive weapons in populated areas and improvised explosive devices, and by crossfire between parties to conflict, often creating lifelong disabilities, if not death. The conflicts in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Sudan, Myanmar and Burkina Faso were the deadliest for children.   Denials of humanitarian access reached an alarming scale, with more humanitarian workers, including United Nations personnel, killed in 2024 than ever before and unprecedented numbers of children prevented from gaining access to basic and humanitarian services, including life-saving services.   Parties to conflict attacked aid convoys and personnel and water and sanitation facilities, arbitrarily detained humanitarian personnel, restricted humanitarian activities and movements, adopted bureaucratic and administrative barriers, and interfered with humanitarian operations, leaving children without access to healthcare, education, protection and life -saving assistance.   The destruction of critical infrastructure deepened crises and exacerbated malnutrition, preventable and non-preventable diseases, and the displacement of children. The highest numbers of denial of humanitarian access were verified by the United Nations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Afghanistan and Haiti.   Recruitment and use of children persisted at very high levels, with 7,402 children recruited and used by State and non-State actors, most commonly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Somalia. The violation was often compounded by other grave violations, such as killing and maiming, abduction and sexual violence. Abduction was the fourth highest verified violation in 2024, affecting 4,573 children. Nigeria, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo had the highest numbers of abducted children.   Rape and other forms of sexual violence increased by 35 per cent compared with 2023, with cases of gang rape increasing dramatically, underlining the systematic use of sexual violence as a deliberate tactic of warfare to enhance territorial control, displace populations and target the specific ethnicity or gender of children, among others. Girls were disproportionately affected by sexual violence.   The persistent underreporting of this violation due to stigma, risk of retaliation, harmful social norms, absence or lack of access to services, and impunity and safety concerns in a context of limited and eroding legal protections underscores the urgent need for age - and gender-sensitive responses and strengthened accountability mechanisms. The United Nations verified the highest numbers of cases of sexual violence in Haiti, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.   Attacks on civilian objects and infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, significantly heightened the vulnerability of children and increased by 44 per cent during 2024. A total of 2,374 attacks on schools and hospitals were verified, with most attacks verified in Ukraine, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Haiti.   Similar trends and patterns with regard to grave violations against children were observed in the first half of 2025. The drawdown of United Nations peace operations and the global decrease in humanitarian funding had a negative impact on child protection by significantly reducing the capacity of the United Nations to verify and respond to grave violations.   Sustained and reinforced funding for child protection should be prioritized at a time of unprecedented humanitarian and protection needs of children. Any further reductions in resources will have direct and devastating impacts on the lives of conflict-affected children, straining operations and protection capacities and limiting children’s access to life-saving assistance.   * Note: The United Nations officially verified statistics of grave violations against children cited in this report represent a minuscule fraction of the reality of the suffering children are experiencing in current conflict situations. Unicef reports that over 473 million children—more than one in six globally—now live in areas affected by conflict, with the world experiencing the highest number of conflicts since World War II. The percentage of the world’s children living in conflict zones has doubled—from around 10 per cent in the 1990s to almost 19 per cent today.   http://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/2025/08/protecting-children-from-conflict-an-unwavering-priority-amidst-surge-in-conflict-worldwide/ http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/not-new-normal-2024-one-worst-years-unicefs-history-children-conflict http://data.stopwaronchildren.org/ http://www.savethechildren.net/news/number-children-facing-malnutrition-conflict-fails-improve-global-goal-end-hunger-track http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/document/stop-the-war-on-children-security-for-whom-2025 http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/pdf/2511_SWOC_report_2025.pdf http://www.warchild.net/news/ http://www.forchildreninwar.org/press-release/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2025/09/even-times-conflict-childrens-rights-are-not-optional http://alliancecpha.org/en/annual-meeting-2026/background-paper   5 Dec. 2025   63 children killed in attack on kindergarten in South Kordofan, Sudan. (UN News, agencies)   Drone strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Ghadeer locality, Kalogi, South Kordofan, have killed at least 63 children aged between 5 and 7 years, inside a kindergarten yesterday.   “Killing children in their school is a horrific violation of children’s rights,” said UNICEF Representative for Sudan Sheldon Yett. “Children should never pay the price of conflict. UNICEF urges all parties to stop these attacks immediately and allow safe, unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to reach those in desperate need."   Repeated strikes on the kindergarten and a nearby hospital killed 114 people, including 63 children, and targeted parents rushing to help and the responders who were trying to get the wounded to safety, the World Health Organization said.   At least three separate drone strikes were reported in the town of Kalogi on 4 December, with two hitting the kindergarten and a third hitting a hospital where the injured were brought for treatment.   The killing and maiming of children, and attacks on schools and hospitals are grave violations of children’s rights.   Sudan Doctors Network, said the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces carried out the attacks, which the doctors condemned as a war crime. Earlier atrocities attributed to the R.S.F. include the massacre of thousands of civilians as they overran the city of El Fasher last month. Witnesses said the fighters shot hundreds of patients and civilians as they sheltered in the city’s maternity hospital.   http://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/2025/11/sudan-all-parties-must-act-now-to-save-children/ http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-executive-director-warns-deepening-protection-crisis-sudan-violence-and http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166529   Sep. 2025   On the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, the Inter-agency for Education in Emergencies (INEE) and the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (the Alliance) jointly condemn all forms of attacks on education and call for all parties to conflict to respect international humanitarian law, to protect schools from attack and military use, and to ensure children can continue their education in safe and protective school environments.   Schools, students, and teachers are not targets. From 2023 to 2024, and now into 2025 we have seen an alarming increase in attacks on education with schools deliberately targeted and destroyed. In this year’s Report of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict, grave violations against children increased by 25% from 2023 to 2024. Globally, 234 million school-age children are affected by conflict, with 85 million children completely out of school due to destruction, attack and displacement. This has to stop.   When education facilities are destroyed, it’s not just physical buildings that are lost, it’s the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of thousands of children; for many children affected by conflict and crisis, school is one of the few places they can feel safe and protected. It’s a place where they not only receive education, but also, psychosocial support, a chance to safely socialise with their peers and, in some cases, food, immunisations, and clean water and sanitation.   Quality education functions as a protective service, where child protection and education actors can work together. School can protect children from exposure to child protection risks, including violence and abuse, recruitment into armed forces, child labour, and early marriage. If schools are closed due to attack or military use, children lose the protection they provide.   In too many conflicts in the world today education systems are systematically targeted, from Palestine, to Sudan, to Ukraine, schools are attacked, students and teachers killed and children are denied their right to education.   In Gaza, all schools have been closed with nearly 97% of school buildings damaged or destroyed, meaning 625,000 students have nowhere to learn. In Sudan, attacks on education have increased fourfold year on year, with most schools closed and 18 million children out of school due to the conflict. In Ukraine 3,524 educational institutions have been damaged since the start of the full-scale invasion, with 360 completely destroyed.   These devastating figures are just some examples of the extent to which attacks on schools are increasing and how conflict is disrupting education around the world.   Together, INEE and the Alliance call on parties to conflict to ensure children’s rights are respected as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and that international humanitarian law is upheld, that schools remain safe from attack and military use, and students and teachers are protected as civilians.   We call on all states to use their influence to ensure this basic level of protection for children and education systems is enforced, and violators held to account.   We also call on states to recognise and endorse the Safe Schools Declaration and guidelines, now in their 10th year; they ask states to commit to keeping schools, teachers and students safe and accessible during conflict.   Finally, INEE and the Alliance call upon humanitarian leadership, donors, and governments to ensure integrated child protection and education responses are prioritised and funded for the growing number of children impacted by crisis and conflict so they can be better protected, and so education can continue safely.   http://alliancecpha.org/en/technical-materials/joint-statement-international-day-protect-education-attack http://eua2026.protectingeducation.org/ http://protectingeducation.org/news/education-under-fire/ http://reliefweb.int/report/world/invisible-crimes-lost-classrooms-addressing-under-reporting-and-impunity-attacks-girls-education-november-2025 http://protectingeducation.org/publication/invisible-crimes-lost-classrooms/ http://ssd.protectingeducation.org/   Sep. 2025   “The deliberate targeting or military use of schools is a disregard for one of humanity’s most vital institutions,” warned Farida Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on the right to education, presenting her report on education in armed conflict to the General Assembly today.   “States must treat attacks on education, protected facilities and personnel as serious violations of international law,” Shaheed said.   The Special Rapporteur noted that international norms protecting the fundamental right to education continue to apply in situations of armed conflict.   “The obligation to respect, protect and fulfill the right to education remains in force. Protections do not cease,” she said.   Shaheed said the collapse of education systems undermines entire societies, perpetuating cycles of violence and poverty. “In war, a functioning school can mean safety from recruitment, sexual violence, child labour, forced and early marriage and exploitation. It can offer psychosocial healing and preserve the continuity of communities,” she said.   Shaheed presented a policy brief on education in armed conflict and outlined eight policy actions to protect education in armed conflict, from prohibiting attacks and military use of schools and criminalising such acts under national law, to strengthening accountability, remedy and reparations, prevention of ideological manipulation of education, enhanced data collection and ensuring continuous, inclusive and quality education during crises.   She called on the international community to translate commitments into action: adopt national laws, prosecute perpetrators, fund education in emergencies and endorse and implement the Safe Schools Declaration.   The call comes amid an alarming rise in attacks on schools and protected civilian school personnel. She noted that global conflict has intensified, with nearly 130 armed conflicts recorded in 2024 and over 6,000 reported attacks on schools and universities, students and educators. Globally, an estimated 234 million school-aged children and adolescents, are affected by crises, including armed conflict. Alarmingly, this number has increased by at least 35 million in the past three years. More than 52 million children in conflict-affected countries were out of school last year.   “Education cannot be a casualty of war,” Shaheed said. “Protecting education is not only a humanitarian imperative, it is a legal duty and a moral test of our shared humanity. Every destroyed school is a wound to the future. Each child denied learning is a warning that peace is slipping away.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/education-during-armed-conflict-offers-lifeline-protection-stability-and http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5941-right-be-safe-education-report-special-rapporteur-right http://www.ohchr.org/en/events/forums/2025/2025-social-forum http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2025/11/24/aid-cuts-kids-caretakers-are-clear-about-what-save-education
	Humanitarian agencies are witnessing alarming human suffering due to a proliferation of conflicts by WVI, OCHA, Global Protection Cluster, agencies   June 2026   Conflicts between states at the highest level since World War II. (PRIO)   The report, Conflict Trends: A Global Overview, 1946–2025, documents eight interstate conflicts in 2025 – twice as many as the previous year and the highest number recorded since 1946.   “The return of interstate conflict at this scale is deeply worrying,” warned Siri Aas Rustad, Research Director at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and lead author of the report.   “For decades, civil wars dominated global conflict. Now we are witnessing a dangerous resurgence of direct confrontations between states, driven by geopolitical rivalry, border disputes and regional escalation, particularly in the Middle East.”   The conflicts include Russia’s war against Ukraine, renewed violence between India and Pakistan, escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, and multiple interstate confrontations linked to the expanding regional conflict involving Israel, Iran, Yemen and the United States.   The report is based on data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, and provides a global overview of state-based conflicts, non-state conflicts and one-sided violence.   2025 among the deadliest years since the Cold War   Beyond the rise in interstate conflict, the report finds that a staggering 245,000 people were killed in battle-related violence in 2025, making it the third deadliest year since 1989. The number of battle deaths increased from 188,000 in 2024.   The sharp increase was driven primarily by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war in Gaza and escalating violence in Sudan, including the siege and massacre of El-Fasher City.   In total, 65 state-based conflicts were recorded across 35 countries in 2025 – also the highest number since records began in 1946.   According to the report, the world has now experienced more than a decade of persistently high levels of violence. Every year since 2013 has been more violent than nearly every post-Cold War year that came before it.   The report also highlights a growing concentration of violence in a smaller number of countries. While 65 conflicts were recorded globally, they were concentrated in just 35 countries, with many experiencing several overlapping wars and insurgencies simultaneously.   Myanmar and Israel each experienced five separate conflicts in 2025, while Afghanistan, Cameroon, Mali, Nigeria and Pakistan all experienced multiple conflicts.   This increasing complexity creates major challenges for peacebuilding, diplomacy and aid operations.   “Conflicts today are increasingly interconnected,” said Rustad. “They involve more actors, overlapping fronts and greater regional spillover. That makes them far harder to resolve and significantly increases the risks of wider regional wars.”   The growing complexity of conflict is creating mounting challenges for diplomacy, peacebuilding and humanitarian operations.   Sudan records highest level of civilian killings since Rwanda genocide   The report documents a dramatic rise in one-sided violence against civilians. Over 76,000 people were killed in one-sided violence in 2025 – the highest number recorded since the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Most of the killings occurred in Sudan, particularly during the massacre of El-Fasher City in North Darfur in October 2025, when tens of thousands of civilians were killed.   Africa and the Middle East remain epicentres of conflict   Africa remained the region with the highest number of both state-based and non-state conflicts in 2025, while the Middle East recorded its highest number of state-based conflicts ever. Asia also reached its highest level of state-based conflict since the mid-1990s.   According to the report, these trends suggest that the rise in global violence is not confined to one region, but reflects a broader deterioration in international security. “The data points to a world moving in the wrong direction: more wars, more internationalized conflicts and far higher human costs,” said Rustad.   http://www.prio.org/news/3719 http://www.prio.org/events/9296   June 2026   Explosive Weapons Drive Persistent Civilian Harm Across Global Conflicts   Civilians around the world continued to bear the devastating consequences of explosive weapons use in 2025 amid a broader pattern of sustained harm, a new report by the Explosive Weapons Monitor has revealed.   The Explosive Weapons Monitor 2025 paints a concerning picture, where civilian suffering from the use of explosive weapons has become a routine feature of warfare rather than an exception.   For the third consecutive year, communities in many conflict-affected countries endured daily bombing and shelling of towns and cities, while new conflicts and emerging patterns of explosive weapons use further expanded the scope of harm.   “The devastating impact of explosive weapons on civilians is both foreseeable and preventable. Yet across numerous conflicts, their continued use has entrenched a pattern of civilian harm that is increasingly treated as routine rather than exceptional,” said Katherine Young, Research and Monitoring Manager of the Explosive Weapons Monitor.   “When explosive weapons are used in populated areas, civilians suffer. What is particularly alarming is that this harm has become persistent across conflicts worldwide, risking the normalisation of civilian suffering on a massive scale.”   More than 22,600 civilians were killed by explosive weapons in 2025 (based on officially verified casualty figures, the exact number is thought to be considerably higher. Tens of thousands more were injured).   Civilian deaths remained alarmingly high, with more than half of all recorded civilian deaths attributed to Israeli armed forces and rising fatalities linked to other state and non-state actors across multiple conflicts.   Civilian infrastructure and essential services also came under growing threat. The report found that the use of explosive weapons in attacks affecting humanitarian aid increased by 52 percent in 2025, placing aid workers and life-saving assistance at greater risk and further limiting access to populations in need.   “We have observed in multiple conflicts that communities have been driven into dependence on humanitarian aid after explosive weapons devastated local food systems through the destruction of agricultural land, water infrastructure, and markets,” said Christina Wille, Director of Insecurity Insight.   “When humanitarian workers responding to these growing needs are attacked and killed, life-saving assistance is disrupted at the very moment people need it most, deepening human suffering and leaving already vulnerable communities at even greater risk.”   The report also recorded a dramatic increase in attacks on education, where explosive weapons damaged or destroyed educational facilities, or killed students and teachers, 64 percent more frequently in 2025 compared with the previous year.   Beyond the immediate death and destruction, the report highlights the long-term humanitarian consequences of attacks on essential services.   In Gaza, a surge in attacks on infrastructure essential to humanitarian relief efforts and food production in 2025 severely undermined Palestinians’ ability to locally produce or access food, while increasing dependence on humanitarian assistance.   Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, more than 3,800 schools have been impacted by explosive weapons, severely disrupting children's access to education and forcing many schools to close or operate under emergency measures.   Attacks on water and related energy infrastructure in Lebanon severely disrupted access to safe water in at least 36 incidents, damaging critical supply systems and leaving many communities dependent on costly alternative sources.   The report findings come at a time of growing concerns over violations of international humanitarian law and increasing pressure on norms designed to protect civilians in armed conflict.   The report warns that the normalisation of such severe civilian harm risks weakening the international commitments that seek to prevent suffering and protect civilians.   The report therefore calls for renewed efforts to bring the 2022 Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences of the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas into effect. Doing so not only includes placing limits on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas but also taking action to reinforce and defend the Political Declaration’s norms and principles.   “States must refuse to normalise the devastating toll of explosive weapons on civilians. By signing the Political Declaration, states are sending a clear message that harm to civilians, and destruction of the infrastructure they need to survive, will not be tolerated,” said Alma Taslidzan, Disarmament and Protection of Civilians Advocacy Manager at Humanity & Inclusion. “The challenge then is to translate the Declaration’s commitments into concrete action that reduces harm."   This international agreement to protect civilians from the devastating effects of explosive weapons in urban areas has been endorsed by 91 countries so far.   http://explosiveweaponsmonitor.org/reports/9/explosive-weapons-monitor-2025/ http://www.hi-us.org/en/explosive-weapons-killed-more-than-22-600-civilians-in-2025-new-report-finds http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/document/children-and-blast-injuries-the-devastating-impact-of-explosive-weapons-on-children-2020-2025 http://www.inew.org/resources/ http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter-agency-standing-committee/statement-principals-iasc-protecting-civilians-armed-conflict-responsibility-member-states-and-un http://www.unocha.org/news/over-1000-aid-workers-killed-often-hands-member-states-un-relief-chief-demands-action http://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-tells-security-council-protecting-civilians-cannot-be-outsourced-postponed-or-diluted http://humanitarianaction.info/document/mid-year-review-global-humanitarian-overview-delivering-people-crisis-against-odds/article/trends-crises-and-needs-civilians-line-fire http://civiliansinconflict.org/press-releases/joint-civil-society-statement-ahead-of-the-2026-open-debate-on-the-protection-of-civilians-in-armed-conflict/   http://www.hrw.org/news/2026/05/29/global-failure-to-protect-right-to-health-in-conflict http://insecurityinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2025-SHCC-Annual-Report.pdf http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/icrc-ifrc-world-red-cross-red-crescent-day-call-uphold-protections-civilians-medical-personnel-humanitarian-workers-communities-depend-on http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/2026-ECOSOC-HAS-Panel-2-remarks http://globalprotectioncluster.org/publications/2474/communication-materials/advocacy-note/poc-advocacy-note-civilian-protection-2026 http://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/remarks_un_special_adviser_r2p_convening_7_8_may_2026.pdf http://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/15/global-surge-in-attacks-on-education-continues-rising-more-than-40-percent http://eua2026.protectingeducation.org/ http://www.rescue.org/report/watchlist-midyear-update-2026 http://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/   * Protection of civilians in armed conflict - Report of the Secretary-General: http://docs.un.org/en/S/2026/390 http://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/en/news/year-unthinkable-suffering-record-number-children-conflict-victims-grave-violations-2025 http://watchlist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-annual-report-press-release_final.pdf http://www.unicef.org/take-action/campaigns/children-under-attack http://www.savethechildren.net/news/every-war-war-against-children-it-must-never-be-accepted-inevitability-statement-save-children http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/unhrc-statement-children-rights-armed-conflict http://alliancecpha.org/en http://www.acaps.org/en/thematics/all-topics/humanitarian-access-overview   Dec. 2025   This statement is delivered on behalf of 108 Non Governmenmt Organisations, including humanitarian organisations with operations in countries covered by the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO):   We are witnessing unspeakable human suffering due to the proliferation of conflicts lacking political solutions and the normalization of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations. Indiscriminate attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers, the bombing of schools and hospitals, and the use of starvation and sexual violence as methods of warfare are devastating communities worldwide.   Climate shocks, economic fragility, and protracted conflict are exacerbating humanitarian needs, leading to unprecedented levels of displacement and an escalating global hunger crisis.   Boundary-setting and narrower definitions of people in need are resulting in a highly prioritized 2026 GHO. With limited complementarity with development and other actors, it is unclear who will target those left behind. Despite exceptional prioritization efforts, humanitarian funding lags behind and Overseas Development Assistance cuts impact both humanitarian action and development gains.   We must turn the tide together in 2026. We urge donors to fully fund the 2026 GHO and to provide quality funding as early as possible in the year to enable flexible, timely, and principled humanitarian action.   The catastrophic effects of IHL violations – including on children, women, and people living with disabilities – urgently require donors’ re-commitment to the traditionally underfunded sectors of gender and Gender Based Violence, education and child protection in emergencies, and the stepping up of funding for hunger and forced displacement.   We call for a substantial increase in the volume and quality of funding to local and national actors, including Women’s organizations, whose essential leadership in humanitarian response must be recognized. This should be rooted in accountability to - and meaningful participation of affected people.   All stakeholders must redouble efforts to prevent and resolve conflict, and we urge humanitarian, development, peace and climate actors to work together to make nexus programming a reality and foster resilience. This requires increased Overseas Development Asistance (ODA) directed to fragile settings.   Nothing will reduce humanitarian needs unless civilians are protected. The 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions is also a year of unconscionable IHL violations. We urge parties to conflicts to abide by their obligations, and we call on governments to leverage their influence and ensure that the consistent application of IHL is a top priority.   http://www.wvi.org/newsroom/emergencies/nogs-call-action-and-funding-global-humanitarian-overview http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026/article/trends-crises-and-needs-world-breaking-point http://humanitarianaction.info/document/mid-year-review-global-humanitarian-overview-delivering-people-crisis-against-odds   As the UN and partners launch the new 2026 global humanitarian appeal today – aiming to support 135 million people in 50 countries – Islamic Relief has joined 89 NGOs and networks to issue this collective statement (Extract):   This has been a year like no other for millions of people enduring unimaginable hardship amid escalating conflicts, hunger, displacement, climate disasters and inequality. The number and intensity of conflicts worldwide are at their highest since modern records began in 1946, threatening global peace and security. The political pushback against inclusion and gender equality is already reversing hard won gains and threatening women and girls’ rights worldwide, especially in conflict settings.   Violations of international humanitarian law – meted out with savage cruelty – are met with barely more than a shrug. Aid is obstructed, and humanitarian and healthcare workers are being killed or injured in record numbers. War crimes and crimes against humanity, including the use of starvation and gender-based violence as weapons, draw condemnation but little or no concrete action to protect civilians, fuelling the crisis of trust and legitimacy our sector is facing. Women of all ages, children, people living with disabilities, and older persons are among the hardest hit.   The humanitarian crises we are called to address result in large part from a lack of political leadership. Despite much-publicised peace deals, there is no political will to maintain peace or hold perpetrators of international crimes accountable. Many crises have persisted for decades, with a total failure to address the underlying causes.   Brutal cuts to humanitarian assistance have plunged communities deeper into poverty and deprivation, stripping resources from local and national organizations that are first responders. In March, nearly half of women-led organisations feared they would have to shut down. A more recent UN Women survey of civil society and women’s rights organisations found nearly 100% were affected by aid cuts; for three-quarters, the impact was significant.   The Feminist Humanitarian Network has documented a disproportionate impact on organisations led by women with disabilities, young women, and indigenous women. Child protection capacity has also been drastically affected, with over half of surveyed local and national organisations losing 40% of child protection budgets. Even before this year’s cuts, ODI research has shown that refugee-led organisations received a pittance in funding, just USD 49 million in 2024.   The scale of suffering is impossible to capture, but some examples provide a window into the horror:   The number and intensity of conflicts have more than doubled since 2010, reaching the highest number since 1946. Existing conflicts are more protracted, and new conflicts loom on the horizon. Spending on weapons has surged; revenues from sales of arms and military services reached a record USD 679 billion in 2024, 18 times the amount that was spent on humanitarian aid in the same year.   Between 2023 and 2024, the number of women and children killed in armed conflicts quadrupled compared with the previous two years. More than 1 in every 5 children now lives in a conflict zone. This year’s annual report on children and armed conflict recorded a 45% increase in grave violations against children in 2024, compared with 2022. Widespread impunity allows violations against civilians to continue undeterred.   Famine was declared in the Middle East for the first time under the IPC system, as civilians in Gaza were deliberately starved. Famine has also been confirmed by the IPC in Sudan, and is again a risk in South Sudan, while Haiti, Mali, and Yemen are hotspots of highest concern. Millions of people in Afghanistan, Myanmar, and elsewhere are at emergency levels of acute food insecurity.   Climate change continues to devastate communities across the world, fuelling conflicts and displacement.   Forced displacement has doubled in the past 10 years, but is met with decisions by states to cut funding and implement efforts to deter migration, externalise asylum procedures, reduce refugee protection space, and renege on their burden-sharing responsibilities. These policies and the lack of legal pathways for migration also contribute to the rise in human trafficking.   Women of all ages and girls in conflict settings, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and Sudan, who are often at the forefront of community-led response, face unacceptable gender-based violence, including horrific sexual violence.   Women and girls are affected by high levels of reproductive violence, including deliberate destruction or blocking of sexual and reproductive healthcare. In 2023, 58% of maternal deaths, 50% of newborn deaths, and 51% of stillbirths occurred worldwide in 29 countries with humanitarian crises. This is expected to worsen, as many women of all ages and girls face life threatening consequences from the loss of access to quality health services.   The decline in funding that followed the COVID-19 response along with the progressive prioritisation, tightening, and boundary-setting, including the “hyper-prioritisation” of the 2025 GHO, have already left millions behind. The 2026 GHO edition has been tightened further.   We appreciate the continued investment in evidence-based identification of both the full number of people in need of assistance, those most in need, and those to be targeted. But we warn that we have reached the limits of “severity of needs analysis”. As the Emergency Relief Coordinator noted, “the cruel math of doing less with less” comes down to an impossible choice of who lives, who does not and between “saving lives today and giving people any chance at a future tomorrow”.   The loss of thousands of staff across the sector directly impacts communities. We have less capacity to coordinate, and to assess and meet the needs of people requiring assistance.   Even with reduced capacity, what we do know is that needs are at unacceptable levels and continue to grow.   Decline in development funding, in disarmament and peace efforts, and failure to limit the impacts of climate change mean that root causes remain unaddressed. Worryingly, states are withdrawing from multilateral agreements, such as the Ottawa Treaty, that were developed with the goal of better protecting civilians.   Despite broad public support for aid in most donor countries, politicians pander to anti-aid actors, adopting narratives and policies that create a sense of “us versus them” for their constituencies. We urge donors to resist these narratives and fully fund the 2026 GHO with timely, quality funding that reaches local and national organizations as directly as possible, including those led by women, which are often best placed to respond.   Humanitarian suffering anywhere is a concern for us all. We call upon all nations and additional stakeholders, including private sector, Multilateral and International Financial Institutions, to contribute principled and quality humanitarian funding.   Political action to prevent and end conflict is paramount. We need more ODA, including development and peace funding, directed to fragile and conflict-affected settings.   We need political action to firmly defend humanitarian norms and values. We welcome initiatives to improve compliance and accountability, such as the Global Initiative to Galvanise Political Commitment to IHL and the Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel. Such efforts remind us that the law is clear. What is lacking is the political will to respect it.   Violations must end. Parties to conflicts must uphold their obligations, and all governments must use their influence and fulfil their responsibility to end impunity and ensure consistent adherence to international law.   http://reliefweb.int/report/world/year-no-other-ngo-statement-launch-new-un-2026-appeal http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026/article/under-fire-and-under-pressure-what-happens-when-humanitarian-action-hindered http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026/article/humanitarians-action-delivering-2025-amid-extreme-challenges http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026   http://www.icrc.org/en/article/humanitarian-outlook-2026 http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-calls-urgent-investment-life-saving-services-children-global-humanitarian http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-prioritize-feeding-110-million-hungriest-2026-global-hunger-deepens-amidst-uncertain http://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/despite-funding-cuts-unhcr-responded-multiple-complex-emergencies-last-year http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/december/2026-millions-in-need-will-not-get-aid-unless-global-solidarity-revived http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2025/12/11/abrupt-transitions-global-humanitarian-overview-pushes-dangerous-trend http://www.rescue.org/press-release/irc-emergency-watchlist-2026-new-world-disorder-driving-unprecedented-humanitarian   The State of Protection in 2025. (Global Protection Cluster)   This note aims to support Member States in aligning political, financial and operational support with realities on the ground. This year’s context is shaped by two major shifts: the deepening of protection risks in large-scale conflicts and protracted crises – from Gaza, Sudan and eastern DRC to Myanmar, Ukraine and multiple contexts across the Sahel and the Americas – and the restructuring of the humanitarian system under the Humanitarian Reset, which prioritises life-saving outcomes and simplified coordination amid significant funding cuts.   Global Protection Trends   The global protection landscape in 2025 is marked by a scale and severity of civilian harm that surpasses previous years. According to the Global Protection Update of October 2025, an estimated 395 million people in 23 countries are exposed to protection risks (including 254 million in Africa, 78 million in Asia, 28 million in the Americas, 20 million in MENA and 15 million in Ukraine).   This number reflects individuals and communities facing direct, often life-threatening threats from violence, coercion and deliberate deprivation. The estimate is based on extensive monitoring of protection risks at subnational level undertaken by Protection Clusters, complemented by 24 national and subnational Protection Analysis Updates published in 2025.   The analysis confirms that the most severe and recurrent protection risks include attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, abductions, arbitrary detentions, severe movement restrictions and forced displacement, all driven by conflicts and by the growing disregard for and violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and the lack of accountability for it.   Gender-based violence, impediments to and denial of legal identity, and intensifying psychosocial distress, compounded by the denial of essential services and opportunities, are consistently reported at severe levels, further highlighting the impact of these risks on crisis-affected individuals.   Harm to civilians is increasingly heightened by social, psychological, and economic threats that extend beyond physical dangers. These are driven by societal norms, misinformation, and failures within legal systems, exploiting vulnerabilities such as social exclusion, limited awareness of rights, and economic instability.   This year’s trends show clearer, group-specific patterns of harm: for example, men and boys remain heavily affected by abductions and illegal detention, while children face persistent risks of family separation and forced recruitment (especially boys). Women and girls continue to be disproportionately impacted, with early and forced marriage and other gender-based harms.   These patterns highlight an increased stratification of protection risks. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myanmar, the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt - Gaza & West Bank), Sudan, and Ukraine face the most extreme situations.   This year, the deterioration was most visible in Gaza, where the crisis has deepened into famine amid continued bombardment and the destruction of civilian infrastructure and lives. In Sudan, particularly in El Fasher, civilians remained trapped in siege-like conditions for more than 500 days followed by horrendous rapes, killings and other abuses.   In the eastern DRC, the rapid escalation of the M23 offensive in January resulted in the capture of Goma and Bukavu within three weeks, the killing of an estimated 3,000 people, and the displacement of over one million additional people, bringing total internal displacement to 6.4 million.   Myanmar continues to experience widespread rights violations, with more than 19,900 people arrested since the 2021 coup and 7,100 still in detention, including humanitarian workers. In Mozambique, escalation of attacks on civilians and civilian objects, and destruction of property has led in recent weeks to forced displacement of nearly 100.000 people.   The number of people displaced by gang violence in Haiti doubled from September 2024 to October 2025, while killings, kidnapping and sexual violence are being used as tactics to extort and terrorize communities.   Other crises reflect a similar pattern of risk concentration. In Venezuela, the collapse of public institutions, combined with extreme economic decline is driving families into negative coping mechanisms such as child marriage, child labour and trafficking.   Across the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, armed group activity, forced recruitment, displacement, sexual violence and denial of services continue to dominate the protection landscape, while growing insecurity further constrains humanitarian access.   A coordinated subnational analysis by the Protection Cluster and partners covering 2,673 administrative areas in 23 countries, shows that in every country assessed, many communities are living in areas where multiple severe or extreme protection risks overlap. All countries in the analysis have at least one area facing combined severe or extreme protection risks.   Overall, 32% of all assessed areas across the 23 countries face extreme or severe levels of violence, coercion and deprivation.   For example, in Afghanistan, some districts are exposed to eleven severe or extreme risks at the same time. Communities in Burkina Faso. South Sudan, Niger, Somalia, Myanmar and Colombia see overlapping patterns of violence, deprivation and limited access leaving populations with almost no protective options.   Given the current humanitarian context – marked by significant service gaps and limited response capacity – it is essential to identify specific geographic areas where the combination of violence, coercion, and deliberate deprivation is not only acute and harmful, but at clear risk of further escalation.   This situation is highly worrying and leads to further deterioration when communities are hit by natural hazards or the impacts of climate change. In areas where protection risks already overlap, contingency planning and preparedness are extremely difficult, and natural hazards become far more devastating, creating new protection risks, and increasing humanitarian needs.   Recent examples include severe flooding in South Sudan, Nigeria, Venezuela and earthquakes in Myanmar and Afghanistan, which have displaced large populations, exposed them to heightened protection risks (19.9 million in Myanmar and 1.2 million in Afghanistan), disrupted essential services and worsened pre-existing vulnerabilities.   In these contexts, individuals face the combined effects of environmental hazards, conflict and exclusion – an interaction that greatly increases the risks of exploitation, violence, loss of property and family separation.   Protection risks remain high in countries experiencing accelerated transition, where changes in humanitarian presence and programming create additional vulnerabilities.   In Cameroon, the Far North, Southwest and Northwest regions face high levels of abductions, kidnappings, unlawful detentions and killings. In Colombia, an estimated 167 municipalities face at least four of the 15 protection risks at severe or extreme levels.   In Nigeria, 11 Local Government Area (LGAs) face a similar combination of risks. Across several operations (Afghanistan, DRC, Syria) massive return movements have occurred – sometimes under adverse circumstances – underscoring the critical need for sustained protection support to ensure that people can return in safety, dignity, and with their rights upheld.   Emerging protection challenges are increasingly shaped by both deliberate tactics of harm and rapid technological change. In several crises, the weaponization of food, the use of famine as a method of warfare, and siege tactics are being employed to exert control over civilian populations, cutting off access to essential goods and services and exacerbating vulnerabilities.   The continued, and at times increasing, use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war to exert power and control, deny and destroy the lives and dignity of women, children and also men remain worrying.   At the same time, technology is transforming the protection landscape: while digital tools can improve early warning, communication, and access to assistance, they also introduce risks such as surveillance, data exploitation, misinformation, technology facilitated violence, and exclusion of those without digital access. Together, these dynamics demand adapted protection strategies that address both intentional deprivation and the evolving digital threats facing affected communities.   The use of new methods of warfare – particularly drones – by state forces, armed groups, and gangs is outpacing existing prevention, protection, and response capacities, creating new and poorly regulated risk environments for civilians.   The use of explosive weapons in populated areas is only adding to an already dire situation.   The rapid concentration of humanitarian assistance in a limited number of locations, combined with widespread service reductions, is shifting disproportionate responsibility and risk onto local NGOs and frontline actors – often without the resources, security guarantees, or institutional support required to operate safely and effectively. Together, these trends point to a global protection environment where conflict-driven risks, discrimination, deliberate deprivation and institutional collapse increasingly overlap.   The deterioration is widespread, multi-dimensional and advancing faster than the humanitarian architecture, even after the Reset, can adapt to.   Large segments of the population are now directly exposed to severe violence, coercion and deprivation, driven by the flagrant disregard and violations of IHL and human rights law and lack of accountability for it.   These harms are further compounded by discriminatory norms, misinformation, weak legal systems, limited awareness about rights and economic instability.   Protection in the Context of the Humanitarian Reset   The Humanitarian Reset, announced in March 2025, represents a system-wide effort to reform humanitarian action, improve efficiency and sharpen the focus on life-saving activities. For the protection community and in light of the protection situation across the globe, the Reset has reinforced a core message: most humanitarian crises are fundamentally protection crises – stemming from repeated violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, deliberate deprivation and systemic exclusion.   The Reset is taking place amid historic funding cuts that threaten the continued delivery of essential protection services. In 2024, protection actors received US$1.9 billion (53% of the US$3.6 billion required). By 30th November 2025, the Protection Cluster and its AoRs have received 34% of its US$3.5 billion requirement, with projected shortfalls of up to 66% across major crises.   Financial resources for protection are not necessarily evenly distributed across crises. For instance, emergencies in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Myanmar, and Haiti have particularly large protection funding gaps (less than 25% funded), while several protracted crises remain chronically underfunded (Somalia, Yemen, the Sahel and the Americas). The 10 most underfunded protection crises this year are El Salvador, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Honduras, Guatemala, Mozambique, Somalia, Venezuela, Haiti.   The hyper-prioritisation exercise launched in June 2025 provides a stark illustration of this growing gap between needs and available resources. Across all operations, 168 million people were identified as in need of protection; however, only 24.7 million people – 14.7% of the total – could be prioritised under the hyper-prioritised plans. This left 143.3 million people unreached, despite high levels of exposure to harm.   Meeting the protection needs of even this reduced caseload required US$1.2 billion in urgently mobilised resources. Funding gaps are growing faster and becoming larger.   Protection actors have long had to adapt and work together to keep the most critical services going. What is different and more worrying this year is the impact these gaps are having on how protection is delivered. Protection programmes were forced to scale down or stop altogether in multiple countries, increasing the risk of exposure to violence and exploitation.   A shrinking humanitarian footprint is also weakening early warning and protection monitoring in many contexts, shifting away from prevention. Loss of experienced protection staff has weakened survivor-centered care and the delivery of specialized services.   If funding pressures continue, reduced protection presence on the ground will mean more violations undetected, delays in critical response, and greater exposure of civilians to escalating threats.   Women-led and survivor-led organisations were disproportionally impacted by the funding cuts and report shrinking civic space and growing operational constraints. The closure of Women and Girls Safe Spaces and Child Friendly Spaces, case management and other essential services is already happening in numerous operations, eroding hard-won gains in Child Protection and Gender Based Violence prevention and response and community led engagement.   Meanwhile, the Reset is accelerating the transition of humanitarian coordination structures in countries such as Cameroon, Colombia, Eritrea, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Careful planning and adequate resourcing are needed to mitigate protection gaps in contexts where national systems have limited capacity to take on these responsibilities.   The transition process and planning must be grounded in a robust protection analysis that systematically consider remaining protection risks and resulting needs that may be exacerbated by, or result from, changes to the coordination of the humanitarian response, and population groups at risk of being left behind.   Protection must be recognised, resourced and supported as central to life-saving action. Without this recognition, the narrowing of the humanitarian response footprint risks amplifying the very protection risks the Reset seeks to address.   Uphold international law and demand protection of civilians.   Member States should press all parties to immediately cease violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, including combating impunity and holding those responsible for violation accountable.   This includes preventing forced displacement, siege-like situations, attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, conflict related sexual violence, child recruitment and the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. They should ensure communities retain access to essential services, resources, and assistance.   Sustaining protection requires long-term support to community-based structures, women-led and survivor-led organisations, organisations of persons with disabilities, and other frontline actors. Donors should provide flexible, multi-year funding that enables these organisations to operate safely, maintain services, and participate in coordination and decision-making.   Protection outcomes cannot be achieved through humanitarian action alone. Member States should advocate for embedding protection-risk reduction and measurable outcomes as accountability benchmarks across financing, reporting, and oversight mechanisms, and ensuring protection risk analysis and conflict prevention systematically informs diplomatic, peacebuilding, and development decision-making.   Member State representatives should work closely with protection actors to ensure that protection considerations shape humanitarian policies, high-level negotiations, and operational planning. Protection risks reduction must remain a core objective across inter-agency coordination mechanisms, leadership and pooled funding decisions, and transition processes.   http://globalprotectioncluster.org/index.php/publications/2393/communication-materials/advocacy-note/high-level-humanitarian-donors-briefing http://globalprotectioncluster.org http://alliancecpha.org/en/technical-materials/impact-funding-cuts-children-and-their-protection http://alliancecpha.org/en/annual-meeting-2026/background-paper http://theglobalobservatory.org/2026/10/bottom-lines-on-protecting-civilians/ http://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/2026/03/statement-by-ms-vanessa-frazier-special-representative-of-the-secretary-general-for-children-and-armed-conflict/ Visit the related web page
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