At Least 991 Humanitarian Aid Workers Killed İn Attacks Since 2003

The United Nations celebrated World Humanitarian Day on Tuesday by paying tribute to hundreds of aid workers from around the world who lost their lives in the line of duty.



Calling them humanitarian heroes the UN Secretary General said the UN "remembers their sacrifices."



"And we recognize the millions of people who count on humanitarian workers for their very survival," said Ban Ki-Moon in New York during his annual address dedicated to this day.



Aug. 19 is dedicated to the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad that killed 22 UN staff members, including special envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello from Brazil.



This year's observance comes with it the highest ever recorded number of aid workers killed, wounded or kidnaped.



In 2013, the deadliest to date, 251 separate attacks on civilian aid operations resulted in 460 casualties. A total of 155 workers were killed, 171 wounded and 134 were kidnapped, according to a report published Tuesday by Humanitarian Outcomes Organization based in the United Kingdom.



A 66 percent increase in the number of victims was recorded in 2013 compared to 2012, according to the report.



The aid workers, mostly staffers of national NGOs and Red Cross or Red Crescent societies were badly affected in "escalating conflicts and deterioration of governance" in Gaza, Syria and South Sudan, the report notes.



And, "over half of all violent incidents occurred in the context of an ambush or roadside attack," according to the report and information based on the Aid Worker Security Database, which compiles information on major attacks on humanitarian workers worldwide.



The research for the report was based on interviews with members of 21 organizations including UN aid agencies. They include donor and UN agencies belonging to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Humanitarian Affairs.



High price paid



"One aid worker killed in the line of duty is one too many." Valerie Amos, the Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs said, according to a UN statement issued in London.



She numerated nurses, engineers, logisticians and drivers among others who are working in extremely dangerous and difficult circumstances, and risking they lives daily.



Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF said humanitarian workers "risk harm to save lives," to rebuild communities after "conflicts and catastrophes" which have mushroomed worldwide "in both frequency and complexity."



"So, too, has the risk to humanitarian workers and the death toll among them has risen accordingly," said Lake.



The UN emphasized – their humanitarian aid workers and staffers have lost their lives in Gaza as well while "providing critical care to the sick, the wounded, and the dying, and comforting families of the dead."



Health workers dealing with the deadly Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea have also pledged their lives to rescue the sick, and some of them paid with their lives.



"The loss of these heroes is a loss to the entire humanitarian community and the world," Lake said.



"On World Humanitarian Day, we mourn their deaths and mark their sacrifice," he added. - New York