Statement by First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy at a UNSC Briefing on the Protection of Humanitarian workers and UN Personnel in Armed Conflicts
Mr. President,
We would like to thank Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Ms. Joyce Msuya, and Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security Mr. Gilles Michaud for their reports on the implementation of UNSC resolution 2730, which addresses the protection of humanitarian workers and UN personnel. We have taken note of the statement delivered by civil society representative Mr. Nic Lee.
There is no doubt that in armed conflicts, humanitarian assistance serves as a lifeline for thousands and hundreds of thousands of civilians, and in some instances, we are talking about millions of innocent people, whose survival directly hinges on the support provided by humanitarian structures. At the same time, humanitarian action is fraught with colossal risks – humanitarian and medical workers, rescuers, volunteers and UN personnel themselves often teeter on the brink between life and death, between a need to extend help and threats to their own safety.
What they do is much bigger that just work, it is a feat, and today we wish to pay tribute to those who, under the most perilous and unpredictable circumstances, risk their lives to save those of others. Their courage, sacrifice and unbending resilience deserves particular recognition.
Mr. President,
Over the past two years, we have seen in full how perilous the work of humanitarians remains. 2024 became the deadliest year on record, having claimed the lives of at least 377 members of the humanitarian community. The current year, 2025, however, could hit this dismal record, and we are duty bound to prevent that. The “lion's share” of these losses is due to Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, which has been carried out with egregious violations of IHL. We discussed this issue in detail on March 28 at a closed UNSC meeting. Unfortunately, fresh updates continue to come from the region reagrding new casualties among humanitarian workers, including UN representatives. March 18 saw the death of Al-Awda Health Association staff member; just after that, on the same day, a representative of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was killed (he became the tenth MSF employee to fall victim to the Gaza conflict). Following a strike on the UN compound in Deir al-Balah of March 19, a UNOPS staff member was killed and his six colleagues, three of whom work for UNMAS, were seriously wounded. The last days of March witnessed the deaths of five UNRWA staff members, including a teacher, a doctor and a nurse. Just recently, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazarini reported two new casualties among the staff of the Agency under his authority.
Unfortunately, as we have heard once again from Ms. Msuya today, the most horrific fears about the fate of the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency medical workers have come to pass – these humanitarians were in the IDF military operation zone attempting to evacuate wounded Palestinians but they themselves were subject to shelling. Until recently, there was still a hope that these people were alive, but on March 31, reports came that the eight bodies had been found.
Mr. President,
On a separate note, we would like to dwell on the situation faced by UNRWA staff in the Palestinian territories. Since October 7, 2023, the number of fallen UNRWA staff exceeded 280 people. According to incoming reports, this morning the IDF carried out yet another strike targeting an UNRWA medical center in Jabaliya, which had been used as a refuge for 700 civilians. There are dead and wounded. Once again, we wish to recall the unacceptability of attacks on UN premises, which unfortunately are carried out regularly in Gaza. The situation surrounding UNRWA clearly illustrates that the protection of humanitarian personnel should not boil down to solely preventing acts of physical violence, but it should also include combatting many other forms of pressure, including psychological pressure. An unprecedented disinformation campaign has been unleashed against the Agency, which has triggered harassment, prosecution and intimidation of UNRWA staff – and it is these people who are compelled to work on the ground under enormous pressure, fearing for their own lives as well as for the lives of their families and loved ones.
Once again, we reiterate our support for UNRWA. And we do believe that the Agency's efforts are indispensable, especially amid the current catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, which is still gripped by a complete humanitarian blockade.
Mr. President,
We are increasingly hearing calls from representatives of certain States and various structures for new approaches to be crafted to ensure the safety of humanitarian personnel and accountability for those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law. However, in our view, the existing international obligations are more than sufficient – what matters now is scrupulous compliance with them.
We are referring primarily to the Geneva Conventions for the Protection of War Victims of 1949 and Additional Protocols thereto, which were adopted more than 75 years ago. It is with disappointment that we observe that even among the P5 there are States that have not acceded to these treaties. We are convinced that universal accession to these instruments and compliance with the provisions thereunder are the key to ensuring the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers.
There are other instruments, in particular the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel; however, unfortunately, this convention has not been universally acceded to either. What new instruments can we talk about if the Security Council or the UN General Assembly are unable to enforce the implementation of the earlier ones, which remain fully relevant as time goes by?
Nor should we factor out numerous specialized resolutions, through which the above-mentioned UN bodies regularly update approaches to ensuring the protection of humanitarian workers and UN staff.
UNSC resolution 2730, adopted last May, reaffirms the imperative of adhering to the norms of international humanitarian law, including those set out in the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols thereto. Russia fully supports this premise as well as a number of other provisions stipulated in resolution 2730. However, when the resolution was up for a vote, we had to abstain, since the document contained some language which is not fully accurate, and in some cases may even lead to distorted interpretations.
As regards the recommendations drafted by the UN Secretary-General on the protection of humanitarian personnel, we already commented on them last November during the relevant UNSC meeting. Some of these recommendations deserve support, while others, frankly speaking, we find contentious. Moreover, in our opinion, the report of the UN Secretary General has a number of shortcomings – for example, when listing the principles for delivering humanitarian assistance contained in UNGA resolution 46/182, no mention is made of the principle of consent and coordination with national governments. And yet it is precisely this principle that is one of the key factors for mitigating risks to the safety of humanitarian personnel. We are convinced that humanitarian agencies should bear maximum responsibility when it comes to the protection of their staff, and they need to foster close cooperation with the official authorities of the host country in order to minimize risks and develop the most efficient formats for providing assistance to those in need.
Mr. President,
In conclusion, I wish to note that none of us has any doubt that we need to do the utmost to prevent attacks and acts of violence against civilians, including humanitarian workers, in armed conflicts. At the same time, we must bear in mind that the soundest way to achieve this goal is through ensuring a ceasefire and prioritizing the quest for political and diplomatic solutions to conflicts.
Thank you.
