We cannot accept a world where those who save lives are targeted by IFRC, OCHA, WVI, Save the Children, agencies   19 August 2026   UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls on Member States to respect humanitarian law and protect humanitarian workers around the world:   "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".   Aug. 2026   Why the world cannot normalize the killing of those who help. (IFRC)   A joint message from Kate Forbes, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross on World Humanitarian Day:   On World Humanitarian Day, we rightly celebrate the courage of humanitarian workers and volunteers. But honouring their bravery and commitment while aid workers are being killed in record numbers is not enough.   We must not allow the targeting of aid workers to become normalized. Today there is a real risk that the world comes to accept that humanitarian personnel will be attacked, injured or killed as “part of the job” or an inevitable feature of today’s crises.   The answer cannot be to ask our colleagues to be braver. The answer must be to make it possible for them to do their jobs safely.   Every day, somewhere in the world, a humanitarian worker sets out knowing they may not return home. They are medics, drivers, engineers and volunteers. Their courage is extraordinary. But courage does not stop bullets or guarantee safe passage.   The risks are also becoming harder to navigate. In an increasingly polarized environment, facts are contested, trust is fragile and falsehoods spread quickly. Political leaders, public figures, media and online platforms all shape the environment in which humanitarian action takes place.   Rhetoric that dehumanizes humanitarian workers, casts suspicion on impartial assistance or erodes trust in the emblems can make already dangerous work even more dangerous.   Harmful information campaigns deliberately targeted at aid workers often do not remain online. They can have real-world consequences in terms of the danger and hostility our teams face while carrying out their work.   The safety of our colleagues depends on governments and parties to armed conflicts upholding their obligations under international humanitarian law.   Expressions of support for humanitarian workers matter, but words must be matched by decisions from those with power and influence to uphold the rules, defend the space for humanitarian action and make choices that allow aid workers to reach people and return home.   Protecting humanitarian personnel is not a favour to our organizations. It is an obligation and, more importantly, a lifeline for every person who will one day depend on an ambulance that arrives, a volunteer who stays or an aid worker who is able to reach them because the world has preserved the space to do so safely.   Aug. 2026   World Humanitarian Day: National staff bear brunt of record violence against humanitarian workers - Save the Children International:   Nearly all attacks on humanitarian workers over the past five years –96% – were on national staff as parties to conflict flouted laws designed to protect aid workers and violence reached unprecedented levels, Save the Children said on World Humanitarian Day.   New analysis by Save the Children of data from the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD), found that between 1 August 2021 and the end of July 2026, about 3,496 national aid workers were victims of attacks, including deaths, detentions, kidnappings and attacks that result in serious injury, compared with 134 international staff which tend to bring more attention.   The findings come after the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers. In 2025, more than 1,180 aid workers globally were victims of major attacks, driven largely by the war in the occupied Palestinian territories, where 187 humanitarian workers were killed, 80 injured, 23 detained and two kidnapped.   Assessing the number of attacks on humanitarian workers so far in 2026, national staff account for greater share of victims, accounting for 98% of all attacks, their highest proportion since records began in 1997.   The majority of attacks this year have taken place in Lebanon, South Sudan and Sudan, making them among the most dangerous places to be an aid worker today.   The risks for aid workers are rising despite international law prohibiting attacks on humanitarian personnel, however, attacks on national staff too often go unreported and unnoticed.   Gabriella Waaijman, Save the Children’s Chief Operating Officer, said:   “National staff bear the brunt of attacks year on year. However, when a national aid worker gets killed, detained, injured or kidnapped, it rarely makes headlines. These are people brave enough to respond to the crises unfolding around them and are often directly affected by the crises themselves. Sometimes, they're among the displaced people they're trying to support, facing the same hunger and affected by the same bombs and bullets tearing through their communities.   “Every humanitarian worker killed, injured or detained is more than a number. They are a parent, sibling, friend, neighbour, or colleague. Their loss is felt not only by their loved ones, but by the communities and children they serve. When aid workers cannot safely reach communities, children die. They lose access to food, healthcare, education, protection and other services that they rely on for survival.   “The promise of respect and protection for aid workers under international humanitarian law is broken. We cannot accept a world where those who save lives are targeted for it. The laws are clear. Aid workers should never be a target.”   This World Humanitarian Day on 19 August, Save the Children is demanding urgent action, not simply expressions of concern:   1. International humanitarian law must be applied with children in mind at every phase of conflict, accounting for their unique vulnerabilities. This will reduce the irreparable harm to children and strengthen protection for all civilians.   2. Parties to conflict must respect international humanitarian law, facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, and protect humanitarian personnel and civilian infrastructure. As technology advances, from drones to artificial intelligence, so must our protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers.   3. States must use the diplomatic and legal tools and leverage they have to protect aid workers, prevent attacks, safeguard access, and ensure those responsible for any violations are held to account. Impunity only fuels further attacks.   Aug. 2026   Attacks on humanitarian workers surge under new armed conflict tactics, leaving children without life‑saving aid - World Vision International:   A child should not have to know the sound of a military drone. Yet for millions of children living through conflict, the buzz overhead has become as familiar as a school bell.   Drones can now be heard above hospitals in Sudan, over war-torn villages in Ukraine, along roads where aid convoys once moved, and near shelters, where children wait for food, medicine, clean water, and safety.   Their presence signals danger, causing panic and keeping families indoors. Drone threats close roads, empty clinics and prevent aid workers from reaching those who need assistance most.   This World Humanitarian Day, World Vision warns that humanitarian access, protection of civilians, and aid worker safety are being reshaped by the changing nature of conflict, including the growing use of drones and other emerging technologies, leaving children cut off from the help they need most.   In East Darfur, Sudan, a drone attack on Al-Daein Teaching Hospital reportedly killed at least 64 people, including 13 children and healthcare workers, and left 90 others severely injured. The hospital was rendered completely non-functional, cutting off life-saving healthcare services. Drone attacks are being reported across a widening area of Sudan, including UN-reported strikes in El Obeid that hit a power and fuel station, forcing medical facilities to close.   In Ukraine, families describe children hiding in basements, listening to drones above their villages. Some have been separated from their parents for months while seeking safety abroad.   "Technology may be changing how conflicts are fought but it cannot change our responsibility to protect human life and dignity. Every drone strike that closes a clinic, destroys a road or forces aid workers to turn back is also an attack on a child’s chance to survive. Humanitarian workers are not targets. Hospitals are not targets. Children are not collateral damage,” said Isabel Gomes, Global Lead, Disaster Management, World Vision International.   More than 1,000 humanitarian workers have been killed in the past three years, with 350 killed in 2025 alone, the second-highest number ever recorded. At the same time, the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack recorded at least 8,566 attacks on education in 2024 and 2025, more than a 40 per cent increase compared with 2022–2023, while the World Health Organization has verified nearly 1,900 attacks on healthcare facilities, personnel and services in 2026.   When aid workers are attacked or blocked from reaching people in need, children are left waiting for food, medicine and protection that may never come. Too often, those risking their lives to help are local people and members of the very communities caught in the conflict.   Last year, World Vision welcomed the "Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel", a commitment to uphold international law and take practical steps to protect humanitarian personnel. This was an important step towards safeguarding aid workers, defending humanitarian access, and strengthening accountability when those protections are violated.   This World Humanitarian Day, World Vision calls on governments and parties to conflict to:   Protect humanitarian workers, civilians, and civilian infrastructure in line with international humanitarian law. Guarantee safe, sustained, and unimpeded humanitarian access for children and families affected by conflict.   Ensure independent investigations, accountability, and consequences for attacks on humanitarian workers, healthcare facilities, and other civilian infrastructure. Address the humanitarian consequences of drones and other emerging military technologies, including their impact on humanitarian access, civilian protection, and children’s safety.   Protecting humanitarian workers is inseparable from protecting children. Every attack that prevents aid workers from reaching a community exposes children to hunger, disease, violence, exploitation, and despair.   “When humanitarian workers are attacked or prevented from reaching communities, children lose the people bringing food, medicine, clean water and protection. Governments must treat every such attack not simply as another statistic, but as a test of whether international law will be upheld,” said Gomes.   This World Humanitarian Day, the global #ActForHumanity campaign reminds us that every humanitarian worker killed is more than a number. It forces us to ask uncomfortable questions: How many more aid workers must die, how many more hospitals stop functioning, before expressions of concern are matched by accountability? Protection requires action, accountability, and consequences when international law is violated.   World Vision honours humanitarian workers who have lost their lives and those who continue to serve in the world’s most dangerous places. Remembrance must now be matched by protection, access, and accountability.   Aug. 2026   Briefing on World Humanitarian Day by Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:   1,000 aid workers killed, injured or kidnapped, and States dominating that violence against humanitarians. And behind it all, this sense we feel of impunity, of a lack of accountability for those who pulled the trigger, those who gave the order, those who supplied the weapon, those who created the environment in which it could be used in that way. I’ve been in the job now for almost two years, and I struggle to think of meaningful investigations into this litany of killing that we’ve seen.   This is a stain. It is the normalization of violence against our community, and we will not accept it. We do not accept it. We will not allow this violence, this killing of humanitarians, to be normalized.   I’m in Ukraine at the moment for World Humanitarian Day. I’ve been in Kherson for the last two days, which is a real epicentre at the moment – it’s saturated by use of drones against civilian areas. It’s become one of the places, I’m afraid, where you get to really understand this dystopian reality that lies ahead, potentially, for many of us, but is an existence day to day for people here and in so many of the crisis areas in which we work, from Somalia to Sudan to Gaza to Lebanon. A chilling alliance between technological ingenuity and modern warfare, and the victims are civilians and they are humanitarians.   I was really struck – I drove the road four times, actually, that Ukrainians call the "Road of Death," between Mykolaiv and Kherson, and until you see it and experience it, it’s hard to describe driving for miles and miles, kilometres, kilometres along these roads covered in netting to try and keep out as many of the drones as possible. That sense when you’re walking around of the constant threat, the alarms going on everyone’s phone incessantly, and the sense of collective anxiety that these drones create.   I’ve not been anywhere – and you know, I spend my time in pretty tough neighbourhoods – I’ve not been anywhere where drones are so much part of the conversation. Everyone – from the kids I met in shelters, civilians, humanitarians, my colleagues – can tell the difference between the sound of a first-person-view drone and a fibre-optic drone and the medium-range drones or the loitering munitions, which are such a threat to our work. And so these weapons have become part of life and part of the language of people here, and that’s pretty chilling.   I met, of course, civilians who've lost limbs to these first-person-view drones that are everywhere. And of course, the terrifying thing here is that the operator of that drone knows exactly what they’re doing. If they fly around the person selling fruit and vegetables in the market, or the humanitarian delivering food, they have a good look at them before they take the shot that will kill or maim them for life.   I visited a hospital where doctors told me around 70 per cent of their wounded patients have blast injuries from drones – 70, seven-zero, per cent – and where they’re moving the wards and the theatres underground to try and escape those drones. We had to run to avoid one example of that. You know, and the drone that had caused such damage to Kherson Hospital, you know, I handled that drone. It was a $300 drone. So, increasingly cheap and available munitions.   And I met the families who are trying to continue their lives in the face of these challenges: sleeping underground, learning online, desperately surviving day to day. And who keep going – they keep going despite those challenges. I met Serhii, who this morning, he delivers – an extraordinary humanitarian – delivers hot meals for his local humanitarian organization, and a drone attack cost him his leg. He turned up at the hospital and asked them to stick it back on. Went back to work within weeks, coordinating the teams delivering food to people who need it.   I met the doctors working around the clock in conditions of extreme danger. The volunteers evacuating people from the communities on the front lines. We were just a kilometre away yesterday from those front lines, and, as always, it’s the civilians who are doing the most to help their fellow civilians and local organizations on whom we depend. And I again pay tribute to their courage globally in the face of these challenges.   So you see this dystopian reality of these kill zones and kamikaze drones increasingly putting lethal power into the hands of more people, and all of that without the accountability that international humanitarian law demands.   We have a sense that it’s not just the killer who’s further from the victim, but that accountability and justice are further from the victim, and that the technology is changing every week as these drones become more sophisticated.   But what doesn’t change or must not change each week is international humanitarian law. The law is meant to protect us, meant to protect civilians from all weapons, however sophisticated they are. So we need investigations. We need accountability. We need the international community to uphold the law.   This isn’t just a Ukraine story. I’ve seen the way that armed drones are transforming war around the world. I was told in Somalia a few weeks ago by women that they were fleeing not famine or violence, but the drones that are following them round, as people are experimenting with cheaper and cheaper and more available technology.   So, from Sudan to Colombia to Gaza to Lebanon, these cheap armed drones are extending the reach of war and allowing people to kill at greater distance. A thousand civilians killed in Sudan in the first five months of the year. These numbers aren’t static – they are going up, including the numbers of kids killed.   We need States to uphold the law, and we need the companies who are manufacturing and supplying these weapons to understand international humanitarian law, to understand how these weapons are being used and to understand their obligations and responsibilities.   I fear, otherwise, that the death toll from these weapons will continue to rise, and we’ll be back again next year with another grim litany of statistics to share with you. Concern from Member States is not enough. We need action right now.   http://www.ifrc.org/article/why-world-cannot-normalize-killing-those-who-help http://www.savethechildren.net/news/world-humanitarian-day-national-staff-bear-brunt-record-violence-against-humanitarian-workers http://www.wvi.org/newsroom/attacks-humanitarian-workers-surge-under-new-armed-conflict-tactics-leaving-children http://alliancecpha.org/en http://www.rescue.org/press-release/aid-worker-deaths-near-record-high-2025-driven-gaza-and-sudan http://reliefweb.int/report/world/acaps-global-humanitarian-access-overview-access-conditions-crisis-affected-countries-july-2026 http://www.acaps.org/en/thematics/all-topics/humanitarian-access-overview http://www.unocha.org/news/world-humanitarian-day-un-relief-chief-says-violence-against-humanitarians-must-not-be http://worldhumanitarianday.org/ http://www.unocha.org/world-humanitarian-day http://www.un.org/en/observances/humanitarian-day http://www.unocha.org/latest/news-and-stories   http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/world-humanitarian-day-remarks-yasmine-praz-director-operations-icrc http://www.icrc.org/en/article/world-humanitarian-day-health-care-not-privilege-it-fundamental-right http://www.who.int/news/item/04-05-2026-joint-call-by-the-president-of-the-icrc--the-director-general-of-who-and-the-international-president-of-msf http://www.msf.org/latest-portal http://www.insecurityinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Executive-Summary-Still-Under-Attack-A-decade-of-monitoring-attacks-on-health-care-after-United-Nations-Security-Council-Resolution-2286.pdf http://www.inew.org/world-humanitarian-day-new-data-shows-impact-of-explosive-weapons-on-humanitarian-work/ http://www.icrc.org/en/article/icrcs-position-use-explosive-weapons-populated-areas http://explosiveweaponsmonitor.org/reports/9/explosive-weapons-monitor-2025/   http://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2026/08/unwavering-duty-protect-humanitarian-workers-and-civilians-world-humanitarian-day http://www.aidworkersecurity.org/ http://humanitarianoutcomes.org/AWSR_2026 http://ngosafety.org/latest/aid-under-arrest/ http://ngosafety.org/ http://protecthumanitarians.org/en/out-now-protect-humanitarians-and-legal-action-worldwides-report-on-justice-and-accountability-for-attacks-against-humanitarian-personnel/ http://reliefweb.int/report/world/children-and-armed-conflict-report-secretary-general-a80723-s2026357-enarruzh http://reliefweb.int/report/world/protection-civilians-armed-conflict-report-secretary-general-s2026390 http://docs.un.org/en/S/2026/390 http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2026/07/at-least-one-million-women-and-girls-lose-access-to-critical-support   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://civiliansinconflict.org/press-releases/joint-civil-society-statement-ahead-of-the-2026-open-debate-on-the-protection-of-civilians-in-armed-conflict/ Visit the related web page
	Humanitarian action saves lives by OCHA, WHO, UNAIDS, agencies   Aug. 2026   The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is battling the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record, with United Nations officials warning that hunger is actively undermining efforts to contain the spread.   “Ebola feeds on delay, fear and hunger,” said Carl Skau, acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP). “Stopping this outbreak requires all hands on deck and communities at the centre.”   Declared in eastern DRC on 15 May, the Ebola outbreak is the fastest growing on record. Full-blown Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus is marked by severe bleeding and a fatality rate of around 40 per cent.   This is the largest Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus to date, according to the latest update from the World Health Organization (WHO). 48 health zones across five provinces in eastern DRC are affected: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo and Haut-Uele.   Ituri, the outbreak’s epicentre, remains one of the country’s most severe hunger hotspots, with 1.9 million people facing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse.   More than 2.65 million people in the 48 Ebola-affected health zones face acute food insecurity, including more than 628,000 people in emergency conditions, according to the UN-backed global monitor Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).   The UN World Food Programme (WFP) issued a stark warning that food assistance and logistics are critical to containing the outbreak.   “Food assistance is frontline Ebola containment,” Mr. Skau said. “It helps families stay home, supports safe isolation, builds trust with communities and keeps health teams moving. We know what works. What we need now is the speed and resources to scale it before this outbreak outruns the response.”   Such efforts also help reduce movement of people in search of food, supports safe isolation, lowers the risk of harmful coping strategies and creates the social conditions for health actors to operate safely and effectively, the agency said.   Speed and resources are among the main challenges, and every delay gives Ebola more room to spread, while gaps in logistics, food assistance and community support risk weakening containment efforts, according to WFP.   At the same time, insecurity, access constraints, community unrest and limited operational capacity in newly affected areas continue to complicate surveillance, supply movements and response scale up.   The DRC has now recorded 3,442 cases of the virus and 1,521 deaths, a government update said on Thursday. The data marks a 50 percent increase in the death toll over the past week, with authorities continuing to struggle to rein in the outbreak in the east of the country.   The fact the epidemic is unfolding in an area of active hostilities between armed groups, producing a shortage of public health resources, has helped to allow the virus to spread.   The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) added that delays in contact tracing, difficulties accessing affected areas, and mistrust from communities have hindered an effective response.   Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya said 63 percent of confirmed deaths in the last two weeks occurred outside treatment centres.   Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme says the outbreak in the DRC is reaching unprecedented levels. “Over the last few days, we’ve seen some of the highest numbers of new infections in a single day.”   Julien Harneis, the UN’s Senior Ebola Coordinator, said a critical driver for Ebola transmission is the fact that people are dying in their communities rather than in the care of a hospital or treatment center.   Funding to tackle the interconnected hunger and Ebola crisis remains critically underfunded. Mr. Harneis and Mr. Skau called for further action and to “scale up the Ebola response, three, four, five times of what we are doing now.”   http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/07/1168047 http://news.un.org/en/tags/ebola-virus-disease http://www.wfp.org/news/ebola-accelerates-eastern-drc-wfp-warns-food-assistance-and-logistics-are-critical-containing http://www.ipsnews.net/2026/07/dual-crises-in-eastern-drc-as-ebola-surges-and-hunger-deepens/ http://www.msf.org/ebola-response-needs-urgent-scale-after-two-months http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/dr-congo-ebola-child-deaths-pass-300-unicef-warns-outbreak-also-threatens-essential http://www.nrc.no/news/2026/dr-congo-ebola-outbreak-a-crisis-within-a-neglected-crisis http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/ebola-emergency http://reliefweb.int/disaster/ep-2026-000071-cod http://www.who.int/emergencies/situations/ebola-outbreak---drc-2026 http://www.who.int/news/item/06-08-2026-africa-cdc-and-who-call-for-urgent--community-led-action-to-contain-ebola-in-the-drc   27 July 2026   Humanitarian action saves lives. (OCHA)   Democratic Republic of the Congo: Widening Ebola outbreak puts pressure on response   OCHA reports that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to expand, with rising numbers of cases and deaths putting ever more pressure on health services and humanitarians’ efforts to respond.   As of 25 July, national health authorities had reported 3,200 confirmed Ebola cases across Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo provinces. More than 100 new confirmed cases have been reported for the second consecutive day.   The UN and its partners continue to support the authorities on surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing and patient care. The World Food Programme has provided more than 140,000 hot meals and food to over 23,000 patients, contacts and vulnerable people affected by the outbreak in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.   UNICEF and partners have also carried out more than 27,000 household visits to support the identification and follow-up of suspected cases in affected communities.   Meanwhile, preparedness efforts are under way beyond the provinces affected by Ebola. Today, the World Health Organization launched training for hygiene specialists at the General Reference Hospital in the province of Bas-Uele to reduce the risk of further spread.   Continued international support is critical to expanding treatment capacity, sustaining response operations, and containing the outbreak.   Occupied Palestinian Territory   Rising violence, restrictions across the West Bank endanger civilians   OCHA is deeply alarmed by the escalation of violence across the West Bank in recent days. Since Thursday, at least eight Palestinians – including one child – as well as two Israelis have been killed. Many others have been injured. Homes, mosques, agriculture structures have been set on fire or otherwise vandalized and, in some cases, destroyed. Palestinian families have been displaced in the course of the latest violence.   In parallel, Israeli forces have tightened their restrictions on Palestinian movements and access across many areas of the West Bank, preventing thousands of people from reaching essential services, such as emergency medical care, and the sources of their livelihoods.   Since the beginning of this year, OCHA has documented more than 1,330 incidents involving Israeli settlers that resulted in casualties, property damage or both. As of Saturday, 77 Palestinians – including 18 children – have been killed by Israeli forces or Israeli settlers in 2026. During the same period, three Israelis have been killed by Palestinians.   The humanitarian community continues to call for the urgent protection of civilians and strict respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Perpetrators must be held to account.   Sudan   Needs deepen as conflict, cholera spread   OCHA warns that ongoing conflict, displacement and disease outbreaks continue to drive humanitarian needs across Sudan.   In North Kordofan State, local sources report that 15 civilians were killed and seven others injured on Friday in an attack south of El Obeid.   Meanwhile, across the Darfur region, partners on the ground report that insecurity and intercommunal violence have recently displaced more than 20,000 people, with many in urgent need of support.   OCHA once again calls on all parties to protect civilians, and to facilitate rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access.   Cholera is also spreading in Sudan, with more than 2,000 suspected cases and 170 reported deaths since May – mainly in the Kordofan region.   Despite the challenges, humanitarian organizations are delivering life-saving assistance wherever and whenever possible. The UN and its humanitarian partners continue scaling up the cholera response, supporting nearly 80 surveillance sites, 16 treatment centres, eight oral rehydration points, and prevention activities for more than 270,000 people in the affected areas.   However, funding shortfalls are limiting the response.* OCHA continues to urge donors to commit additional funding. This year’s humanitarian appeal for Sudan is about 40 per cent funded, with US$1.1 billion received against the nearly $2.9 billion required.   Ukraine   Acting UN deputy relief chief warns that ongoing attacks imperil civilians   Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Indrika Ratwatte, told the UN Security Council this morning that civilians in Ukraine continue to be killed and injured as homes, energy and water systems, UN warehouses and humanitarian facilities come under attack.   He also expressed concern over reports of civilian harm in the Russian Federation, including reported attacks on logistics centres in the Moscow and Tambov regions that have claimed civilian lives, while noting that the UN cannot independently verify these reports.   Ratwatte said that communities in Ukraine are in a fourth summer under continued hostilities, with many already fearful of the winter ahead and humanitarian organizations adapting daily to reach people safely.   He underscored that practical humanitarian arrangements can save lives by enabling safe and voluntary evacuations and allowing life-saving aid to reach civilians in need.   Ratwatte reminded parties that their obligations under international humanitarian law remain “unchanged and unequivocal,” including the duty to protect civilians and humanitarians, spare civilian infrastructure, and allow relief to reach those in need.   “International law is not optional,” he stressed, adding that humanitarian determination “should not be confused with acceptance” of conditions that continue to endanger civilians.   http://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-occupied-palestinian-territory-sudan-democratic-republic-congo-rwanda-ukraine http://www.unocha.org/latest/news-and-stories   27 July 2026 (UN News)   The AIDS epidemic could stage a comeback amid unequal access to breakthrough prevention medicines and a sharp decline in global funding, according to a UN report released on Monday ahead of the opening of the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.   1.2 million people acquired HIV and 570,000 died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2025. 22 per cent of people living with HIV are still not receiving treatment. International HIV funding fell 18 per cent, the steepest decline in nearly 20 years.   New medicines such as lenacapavir are nearly 100 per cent effective at preventing HIV infection. 20 million people need access to antiretroviral-based prevention to make a meaningful impact on the epidemic. Generic versions of lenacapavir could cost as little as $40 per person per year, but they will remain unavailable in many countries.   By the end of this decade, more than three million people could become infected with HIV, yet the tools to stop this crisis already exist, from groundbreaking prevention medicines to community-led interventions with a proven track record. What is missing is sustained financing.   This growing funding gap is already forcing countries to cut essential services and close community organizations, according to UNAIDS, the agency working to end the epidemic by 2030. Unless urgent action is taken, the agency warns, the world is on course for a resurgence of the epidemic.   With a new generation of medicines now offering protection against HIV comparable to that of a vaccine. There is a growing concern that these breakthroughs will remain out of reach for millions because they are priced too high and controlled by pharmaceutical patent holders.   The true measure of success is not whether medicines exist, but whether the people who need them can actually obtain them and at an affordable price, said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “Innovation without access is not innovation; it is injustice,” she said.   UNAIDS estimates that 20 million people need access to antiretroviral-based prevention if the world is to reduce new HIV infections.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/07/1168033 http://www.unaids.org/en http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/jul/21/trumps-hiv-funding-cuts-having-severe-and-devastating-impact-around-the-world   June 2026   A ‘perilous moment’ for the response to HIV warns UNAIDS   A new report released by UNAIDS shows that external funding cuts, a strong push back on human rights and under investment and under prioritization of HIV prevention and community services are threatening to reverse years of gains in the AIDS response.   “There's no question that this is the most serious disruption in the HIV response since the world came together to fight this disease,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “The funding cuts, combined with the reduction in civic space and the further criminalization of marginalized populations have come together to create the biggest storm the HIV response has ever seen.”   Dramatic cuts in aid that highly burdened, low-income countries depend on for their HIV response have had a devastating impact. Global development assistance from multiple countries fell by 23% in 2025—the sharpest drop on record—and HIV programmes have been hit hard.   HIV testing programmes fell by 22% in high-burden settings between 2024 and 2025. Meaning people are unable to access treatment and the virus continuing to spread. Funding for condoms has been cut by more than 90% in some cases. PrEP (daily medicine to prevent HIV) uptake dropped sharply falling by 38% between 2024 and 2025 in 62 countries reporting to UNAIDS.   HIV prevention is being dismantled at the very moment the world needs to take it to scale, especially with new, revolutionary, long-acting prevention innovations coming to market.   Prevention was already underfunded at just 11% of total HIV spending in 2024—and that limited investment is now shrinking further with no signs that domestic funding will fill the gap.   The HIV response has been the most successful story in global health over the last 25 years, AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 56% from 1.3 million in 2010 to 570 000 in 2025. New infections have been reduced by 43% since 2010 to 1.2 million, and 78% of the 40.9 million people living with HIV are now on treatment (32.1 million).   But this success is fragile—nearly 9 million people are not on treatment. At a time when external funding is reducing, treatment gains are extremely fragile. Western and central Africa, for example, is around 90% dependent on external funding for its HIV treatment programmes. Without sustained external financing and increased domestic resources, there is a serious risk of treatment interruptions—which will mean rising deaths and rising new infections.   Progress remains highly uneven—some regions are improving, while others are seeing rising infections (eastern Europe and central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa and Latin America have seen rising new HIV infections since 2010). And every week, 3000 adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa acquire HIV—this is one of the clearest signs the world is failing to reach some of the most vulnerable populations.   A recent community-led study of 79 community-led organizations across 47 countries and three continents (Asia Pacific, Latin America and Africa) showed a 50% drop in community support services for people living with HIV..   http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2026/june/20260612_PR_global_aids_brief http://www.iasociety.org/blog/aids-2026-key-takeaways http://www.iasociety.org/news-events http://www.hhrjournal.org/2026/08/01/the-anti-rights-movement-is-organised-are-we/ Visit the related web page
	View more stories