Secretary-General António Guterres has released the “Safety and Security of Humanitarian Personnel and Protection of United Nations Personnel” report, which analyzes the global security environment and impact on United Nations and humanitarian personnel in 2019 and the first half of 2020.
The report indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing global challenges, further exposing underlying causes of insecurity and inequality.
It highlights how violent extremist and criminal groups exploited the COVID-19 pandemic in most regions, and the spread of disinformation campaigns, including targeting the UN. The Secretary-General, in this report, expresses deep concern about the systemic disrespect for international humanitarian law.
In the past 12 months, eleven UN Personnel died from violent acts, including five as a result of violent extremism. Direct attacks against United Nations premises soared in 2019, including attacks on United Nations vehicles.
Most of the attacks occurred in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan (Darfur).
The number of reported sexual assaults against personnel also rose.
Furthermore, crimes affecting United Nations personnel increased slightly in the past eight years.
The Secretary-General is urging governments to bring to justice those responsible for such violations and calls on the international community to maintain its resolve to protect United Nations and humanitarian personnel, with a reinvigorated commitment to multilateralism in tackling the wide-ranging impacts of the pandemic and addressing the root causes of?insecurity.
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