On World Humanitarian Day (August 19), an article on Al Jazeera warns that the global humanitarian system is weakening as governments increasingly disregard international law, turning the protection of civilians into a 'commodity' to be bargained over, discarded, or selectively applied.
According to the article, in the past, binding international agreements regarded protecting children in need of food or health workers caring for the sick as fundamental rights. However, today that consensus is gone. Many governments no longer steadfastly uphold the rules-based order they once created, openly violating international law or applying it with bias, while many others remain silent in the face of violations.
The consequence is growing impunity, which encourages violators to break the rules meant to keep everyone safe. The article emphasizes that humanitarian crises do not arise in a vacuum but are the direct result of transactional political choices.
Statistics show the severity of the problem: at least 1,000 aid workers have been killed in the past three years, nearly three times the number in the previous three-year period. In 2025 alone, according to the United Nations, 350 aid workers were killed, 322 injured, and 235 abducted.
Oxfam reports losing five staff and partners in eight years, with over 1,300 people experiencing at least 1,200 security incidents. Many killings of aid workers occur in places where warring parties are armed, funded, or sheltered by the very governments that finance relief efforts.
Additionally, governments impose unnecessary restrictions that hinder relief operations. In December 2025, the Israeli authorities demanded that Oxfam and 36 other international organizations provide personal information about their staff to continue operations in Gaza and the West Bank. All 37 organizations refused and were deregistered, severely affecting their ability to reach people and transport goods.
Funding is also drying up. This year, G7 countries cut development aid by nearly a third compared to 2024, while humanitarian needs are worsening, such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is experiencing its fastest-ever Ebola outbreak, and Sudan, which faces famine.
The article calls for attacks on aid workers to be investigated independently and prosecuted when crimes are committed, as required by UN Security Council Resolution 2730 two years ago. The selection of the next UN Secretary-General is seen as a test of collective responsibility, demanding real accountability for those who violate international law.
