More violence and fewer resources: humanitarian aid, at the limit

Barcelona"We are just people helping other people. We are not heroes or martyrs." Raquel González, coordinator of Doctors Without Borders in Spain, thus summarizes the reality of humanitarian personnel, who increasingly work in more dangerous contexts and with increasingly bare hands. This August 19, as the world commemorates World Humanitarian Assistance Day, the day arrives marked by a context of growing violence against humanitarian personnel while resources are running out.

Since the beginning of 2026, the WHO has counted a total of 916 deaths among medical workers, humanitarian workers, and patients. During 2025, violent attacks caused 1,996 deaths of this type, double that of 2024. Gaza is the deadliest scenario, with 186 humanitarian workers killed in 2025, followed by Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where incidents have also increased. Violence persists also in Ukraine, Ethiopia, Syria, Haiti, Chad, Cameroon, and other places on the planet.

The figures hide a particularly worrying reality: states are the main perpetrators of this violence. In 2024, more than 80% of attacks against health personnel were attributed to state actors. González explains that states have a much greater capacity to cause harm with bombings, artillery, and explosives. Furthermore, they almost always go unpunished: "There is no political cost," she denounces.

The coordinator of Doctors Without Borders in Spain also warns of an erosion of international humanitarian law. While states used to apologize for attacks on medical facilities, today the trend has changed radically. "We have even become suspects," she explains, referring to accusations against humanitarian organizations, which some governments link to terrorist groups to justify attacks.

All this reinforces the shrinking of humanitarian space. Organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to access certain conflict zones and maintain their activities there. And this not only affects the ability to distribute food, medicine, or water. It also limits the ability of aid workers to bear witness to what is happening on the ground. The main victims of this are local workers, who continue to work when international organizations have to reduce their presence and account for 98% of humanitarian personnel killed between 2021 and 2025.

Less money for more crises

This escalation of violence is compounded by another threat: the reduction of funding. Development aid has not disappeared, but it has suffered the sharpest decline in its history. During 2025, OECD donors gave more than 150 billion euros, 23.1% less than the previous year. This is the second consecutive year of decline and places aid levels at figures similar to those at the beginning of the 2030 Agenda.

Despite the enormous cutback that the Trump administration made in the programs of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the US continues to be one of the main global donors: in 2025 it contributed almost 27 billion euros. This figure represents a drop of 56.9% compared to 2024, the largest annual reduction ever recorded by a country.

Manel Rebordosa, humanitarian worker for Oxfam, speaks of a "generalized cutback," affecting vehicles, ambulances, drinking water, personnel, and, above all, the response capacity. And to this decrease in funds is added the coincidence of multiple humanitarian crises competing for the same resources. "The competition is very high," he assures.

Violence and lack of resources thus fuel a difficult-to-break cycle: where there is more insecurity, more resources are needed to maintain aid, but it is precisely where funds are decreasing. In a world with more conflicts and needs, the question is no longer whether development aid will survive, but what will happen to the people who depend on this aid.