UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- More than 140 aid workers were killed in 2021 while in the line of duty, the highest number of aid worker fatalities since 2013, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Friday.
All but two of the aid workers who died were national staff, highlighting the perils that national aid workers often face, the UN humanitarian agency said in a press release.
In addition, 203 aid workers were injured and 117 were kidnapped last year.
So far this year, 168 aid workers have been attacked, leading to 44 fatalities, OCHA said, citing data from Humanitarian Outcomes, a non-governmental organization which the UN partners annually to provide these statistics.
On Friday, OCHA launched a one-week campaign to mark the upcoming World Humanitarian Day, which is commemorated annually on Aug. 19.
Under the theme #ItTakesAVillage, the campaign focuses on how aid workers come together in a collective effort to alleviate extreme need.
The public are invited to follow #ItTakesAVillage on social media, to share, like and comment on the posting, and to use every occasion to show solidarity with people who need aid and appreciation for those who work to deliver it.
Humanitarian needs are at an all-time high, and aid workers are working in ever more dangerous environments, noted Martin Griffiths, the UN emergency relief coordinator and undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs.
"As we celebrate World Humanitarian Day, we pay tribute to all humanitarian workers who often work in dangerous conditions to help others in need, and we commemorate those who have lost their lives in the line of duty," he said in a statement. ■
