World Humanitarian Day: courage of aid workers often comes at a terrible cost
The European Union is determined to stay the world’s largest humanitarian donor, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib said ahead of World Humanitarian Day, celebrated on 19 August.
In a joint statement on behalf of the EU, Kallas and Lahbib honoured the courage of aid workers “who put themselves in harm’s way every day to deliver food, water, shelter, and medical care to people in desperate need”.
“Their courage often comes at a terrible cost. Aid workers continue to be targeted, kidnapped, and killed at an alarming rate. So far in 2026, 82 aid workers have been killed, 39 kidnapped, and 97 wounded,” the statement reads. “Attacks on humanitarian personnel, hospitals, and civilian objects are not accidents; they are violations of international humanitarian law. And the law is clear: the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers, is not optional. Impunity only fuels further atrocities.”
The statement also reminds that in Ukraine, Russia’s war of aggression has created humanitarian needs that reverberate far beyond the country’s borders, disrupting food supply chains and pushing vulnerable communities deeper into crisis across Africa and the Middle East.
Kallas and Lahbib also said that the funding alone was not enough and that the EU must continue its humanitarian diplomacy to advocate for rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, so that aid workers can reach those in need.
The statement also highlights the EU’s Protect Aid Workers rapid-response programme, through which the EU provides immediate support to local humanitarian workers under attack. In 2025, the programme has assisted 782 aid workers across 25 countries.
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