In its first year of operations, Protect Aid Workers supported over 100 beneficiaries across 11 countries.
Being an aid worker can be a dangerous job. In fact, in 2024, a record number of aid workers were killed. That’s why protection mechanisms are so important. These can ensure aid workers are protected from harm and are supported to recover when they do suffer a serious incident.
In February 2024, Protect Aid Workers was launched. This mechanism provides financial assistance and legal aid to humanitarian workers facing security incidents or immediate threats arising from their work. These include cases of violence, kidnapping, arrests, and more.
Grants of up to €10,000 are available for each eligible case. All funds are channelled through trusted organisations, rather than individuals. This ensures that all cases can be validated rapidly.
In its first year of operations, Protect Aid Workers supported over 100 beneficiaries across 11 countries. The full breakdown of the results is now available in the 2024 Snapshot Report. The Snapshot also includes case studies from Lebanon and Sudan.
“The first year of Protect Aid Workers has been a successful one,” said David Annequin, Programme Coordinator for Protect Aid Workers. “In the midst of the deadliest year for aid workers on record, we were able to support humanitarians who were attacked, wrongly imprisoned, and much more. We also supported the families of those who had been killed.
“A central focus for our first year was building recognition of Protection Aid Workers – through word-of-mouth, referrals and outreach. We hope that this first year’s results will raise awareness of the support available. That way, we can help even more aid workers in 2025.”
Protect Aid Workers was established by the Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF), Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), and other partners. It is funded by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO).
To learn more, you can contact the Protect Aid Workers team by email at hotline@protectaidworkers.org and by telephone on +33 7 77 98 71 69 (Monday to Friday – 9am-6pm CET).
If you have any questions about Protect Aid Workers for the GISF team, please contact Heather Hughes at heather@gisf.ngo. Press enquiries should be directed to Christian Kriticos at christian@gisf.ngo.
