The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called on global leaders to ensure the safe and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid amid rising crises worldwide.
Acting Executive Director Ms. Diene Keita issued the appeal on Tuesday to mark World Humanitarian Day 2025, themed “Strengthening Global Solidarity and Empowering Local Communities.” She stressed the urgent need to protect humanitarian workers, safeguard health systems, and maintain lifesaving services as global needs reach unprecedented levels.
“Humanitarian action has never been more important, nor more imperiled,” Keita said, noting that aid workers and critical infrastructure are increasingly under attack. Between 2023 and 2024, violence against health facilities doubled, and 2025 has already surpassed the previous year in aid worker fatalities.
Keita highlighted that health facilities, including maternity hospitals and emergency wards, have been targeted in conflict zones such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, Haiti, Sudan, Ukraine, and Yemen, leaving doctors, midwives, first responders, and patients among the casualties. Sexual and reproductive health services have been particularly affected, with funding cuts worsening the situation for women and girls.
“For women and girls, the consequences have been dire,” she said. “Pregnant women are losing their lives when maternity wards are attacked or when they are forced to give birth without skilled care. Sexual violence continues to be used as a weapon of war, and survivors often lack access to treatment.”
Despite these challenges, UNFPA continues to support frontline partnerships that promote health, dignity, and protection for women and girls. Keita paid tribute to humanitarian workers risking their lives to uphold these principles and stressed that access to quality healthcare is a human right, even in times of conflict.
“Both those providing aid and those receiving it deserve safety and protection, as guaranteed under international law,” she said, reinforcing the global responsibility to safeguard humanitarian action.
