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Dubai humanitarians say world has never been more dangerous for aid workers
Aid workers in Dubai marked World Humanitarian Day with a stark warning; over 300 million need help and funding is shrinking
- PUBLISHED: Wed 19 Aug 2026, 4:07 PM
The world has never been more dangerous for those trying to save it, said humanitarians in Dubai, as they gathered to hail the efforts of aid workers.
Speakers at a special gathering on World Humanitarian Day on Wednesday noted that more than a thousand humanitarians have been killed in the last three years, most of them local staff supporting their own communities. They have been shot, bombed, kidnapped and raped. Schools and hospitals have been set on fire. Humanitarian access has been blocked and aid convoys detained.
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Speaking to Khaleej Times, Sajeda Shawa, Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UAE Office explained what the reality looked like on the ground. "We're living in very difficult conditions," she said. "There are more than 300 million people in need of urgent humanitarian needs.”
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This is a stark increase from the 19 million that needed aid in 2019. Shawa noted that the world is grappling with more than 200 active conflicts and over 60 natural disasters simultaneously — a combination of man-made and natural crises where humanitarians are expected to respond at the same time.
The event, hosted by Dubai Humanitarian (DXBH), featured a special film and panel discussions that laid bare the brutal realities facing aid workers today. It brought together UN agencies, humanitarian organisations and partners and observed a minute of silence to honour the aid workers killed in conflict.
Shawa also pointed out that as needs rise, resources are shrinking. Funding cuts from major donors, politicisation of aid, diminishing respect for international humanitarian law and increased targeting of humanitarians are making an already impossible job even harder. "The numbers of people in need are not going down," she said. "What is going down is the availability of financial resources. We're running against the time, against all forces of nature and all forces of politics."
'I thought I was going to die'
The event also showcased deeply personal testimonies from humanitarian workers who have served in some of the most dangerous corners of the world. Tatiana Chiarella, who works with Médecins Sans Frontière, recalled her experience of being trapped in Gaza in 2021.
"We were trapped in the basement,” she said in a film that was screened at the event. “We were not able to evacuate anyone for 11 days. I think it was the first time I called my family because I really thought, okay, this is it. I think I'm going to die."
Another aid worker, Marwa Awad who works for World Food Program, shared the story of delivering food from 5km above the ground to the besieged Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor. Eventually, when the siege was lifted two years later, she went back to the city. "I'll never forget that moment," she said.
Some shared heartwarming moments they witnessed. Valentina Bernasconi, who has been working with the International Committee of the Red Cross for 25 years, recalled reuniting a mother with her daughter, years after the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea had ended. "After decades of years of sadness, this woman had tears of joy in her eyes," she said.
'Don't lose hope'
Despite the bleak picture, a message of hope ran through the event. Hanan Al Marzooqi, Director of Operations and Humanitarian Initiatives at DXBH, paid tribute to the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who believed in standing alongside people facing hardship.
Shawa echoed that sentiment, directing her appeal to the next generation.
"It's tough not to lose hope, but if we lose hope, it means we're losing the battle of humanity,” she said. “If we lose hope nobody will be able to help each other and the world will turn into a jungle. That's why we need the younger generation to carry the flag, to move on."
She urged individuals to take small but meaningful actions: volunteering, kindness, contributing to local campaigns, cross-checking figures, using reliable information and combating misinformation.
