The European Union is significantly reinforcing its efforts to protect humanitarian personnel operating in high-danger zones by allocating an additional €4.35 million to the ‘Protect Aid Workers' initiative. The decision comes at a time when the work of humanitarian personnel is becoming more and more dangerous. This new funding will support humanitarian staff who experience critical incidents in the line of duty, ensuring their safety and recovery. The primary focus will be on local humanitarian workers as they are more exposed to armed violence and threats to their lives.

The announcement comes as the Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management, and Equality, Hadja Lahbib, is hosting a side event to the Sakharov Prize ceremony to meet with the nominees for the prize, Palestinian Red Crescent Society and UNRWA, but also humanitarian workers from Afghanistan, Ukraine and Sudan who have benefitted from the Protect Aid Workers programme. 2024 was the deadliest year for humanitarian workers to date, with 385 aid workers killed on duty. For 2025, the figure stands at 326. Every day, thousands of humanitarian workers risk their lives helping people in conflict and disaster zones.

EU-funded Protect Aid Workers includes the allocation of grants to humanitarian organisations, to cover the cost of protection measures and post-incident support for staff. These grants also include legal fees to support aid workers who are threatened or have been threatened with arrest and detention. Since the launch of the Protect Aid Workers programme, the EU has supported more than 450* aid workers and their families.

The EU will continue to defend the normative framework for protecting aid workers and facilitate every year a dedicated resolution of the UN General Assembly on the safety and security of UN and humanitarian workers. This year's resolution on the “Safety and security of humanitarian personnel and protection of United Nations personnel”, was adopted on 10 December with a large majority. It follows the Political Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel, launched by Australia in the margin of UNGA in September 2025, and signed by Commissioner Lahbib on behalf of the EU 27.