Wednesday, August 19, marks UN World Humanitarian Day. This year, the day draws attention to the dangers inherent in aid work. Together with other actors in the field, Finn Church Aid (FCA) calls for the protection of aid workers to ensure that assistance can reach the people who need it the most.

HUMANITARIAN AID work is often carried out in conditions that jeopardize the health and safety of the aid workers themselves—literally in the most difficult environments on earth. Recent years have been marked by an exceptional disregard for the principles of international humanitarian law. At the same time, the need for aid is unprecedented due to protracted conflicts and crises.

Humanitarian aid work is particularly challenging and dangerous in many of the countries where FCA operates. Myanmar, Ukraine, South Sudan, and the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza are among the most dangerous places in the world for humanitarian work. Yet, tens of thousands of employees from FCA and other humanitarian organizations go to work every day to help people living amidst crises and conflicts.

“Humanitarian aid means securing the basic necessities of life for people who have found themselves in the midst of, for example, a natural disaster or armed conflict. People who—in the worst-case scenario—have lost everything. Whether it is the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Myanmar, or the devastation caused by climate change in South Sudan, these are the places where the needs are the greatest and where our assistance is needed,” says Tomi Järvinen, Executive Director of Finn Church Aid.

Local staff bear the greatest risks

Aid workers deliver shelter and basic necessities — such as water, medicine, and food—to crisis zones. As situations become protracted, they also help children access education. More than 95 percent of Finn Church Aid’s (FCA) staff are professionals hired locally.

“Local staff often possess the best expertise regarding prevailing conditions, yet they also bear the greatest personal risk by being present in highly dangerous environments—like in the war in Ukraine,” says Järvinen.

A particularly worrying trend in recent years is that aid workers performing life-saving tasks have become targets of military action. In 2025, 350 aid workers were killed, 322 were wounded, 235 were abducted, and 280 were detained.

For World Humanitarian Day this year, the UN aims to send a strong message to decision-makers worldwide. The working conditions of aid workers must be secured; expressing concern about insecurity is not enough. Merely condemning attacks on aid workers in words is insufficient. Attacks on aid workers are war crimes for which the perpetrators must be held accountable.

“It appears that the disregard for rule-based norms is more prevalent. While clear violations of human rights or humanitarian law may be solemnly condemned in the media, but in reality, the violations are not properly investigated, nor do they lead to any consequences,” says Järvinen.

Long-term humanitarian aid funding literally saves lives

Järvinen also wants to highlight the vital importance of funding for humanitarian aid.

“When the President Trump of the United States withdrew funding a year and a half ago, the heaviest price was paid by civilians living amidst crises and disasters. This had a dramatic impact on FCA’s work in 2025 as well. Long-term, targeted funding literally saves lives.”

There are currently over 252 million people worldwide relying on humanitarian aid. The number of people in need is rising due to existing conflicts being prolonged and the emergence of new ones, compounded by crises driven by climate change.

The drastic decline in funding is having serious consequences. Even now, many UN agencies estimate that their budgets fall tens of percentage points short of what is required to assist the world’s most vulnerable populations.

“Countries like Finland also have a responsibility and an obligation to help those in distress. Unfortunately, in recent years, funding from Finland and other European nations has also decreased This is part of a troubling trend as the need for aid grows,” says Järvinen.

“After the Second World War, we received aid quickly. After a while an impoverished Finland began extending help beyond its own borders as well. Helping others was a core value. I would venture to say that, by any measure, we are more prosperous now than we were then. We can do our part,” says Järvinen.