World Humanitarian Day: Calling from a crisis

People working to save lives should never be a target for attacks. But more than 1,000 humanitarian workers were killed between 2023 and 2025 – most of them national staff supporting their own communities through crisis.  

Local and national organisations increasingly deliver assistance in the world’s most dangerous settings, but they still don’t receive an equitable share of the international resources needed to protect their staff.  

Providing sexual and reproductive health care can bring even greater risks, with health workers exposed to harassment, surveillance and violence. In the last year, IPPF Member Associations have faced targeted attacks on clinics, and staff members have been detained.  

We have to move beyond celebrating courage and resilience. National organisations, like IPPF’s Member Associations, must be given the funding, resources and authority to keep their staff safe.  

This World Humanitarian Day, frontline workers from some of the world’s most volatile conflict zones have called to tell us what working in an emergency is really like, and what support they need from the international community to continue their life-saving work. 

Lebanon

Sarah, a midwife, is calling from Lebanon, where more than 4,300 people have been killed in hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah since March. Sarah and her team from the Lebanese Association for Family Health (SALAMA) are based in the Bekaa Valley, in Eastern Lebanon – a region that has been facing almost daily airstrikes.  

With an estimated 11, 600 pregnant women at risk in the country Sarah’s work is more important than ever. SALAMA’s doctors and midwives are visiting shelters to ensure pregnant women displaced by the conflict receive continuous care. The team are also distributing dignity kits, providing vital emergency contraception and antiretroviral therapy, and abortion counselling.

Palestine

Shorouq is calling from Al Fawwar Refugee Camp in Palestine, where the destruction of health facilities, severe restrictions on movements, and raids and attacks on communities have left Palestinians with little to no access to healthcare.  

A Project Coordinator for the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association (PFPPA), Sharouq is working under extreme conditions. Last year 231 humanitarian workers were killed in Gaza alone - tragically this number includes Shorouq’s colleague Dr Thabat, who was killed in an airstrike in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp.  

Despite these challenges, PFPPA continue to deliver essential sexual and reproductive health care to even the most hard-to-reach areas of the West Bank, as well as delivering services to 59,000 people in Gaza.

Sudan

Taher Suleiman Kasem is calling from Sudan – the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis and one of the deadliest country’s to be a humanitarian worker.  Since the beginning of Sudan’s civil war, over 120 humanitarian personnel have been killed – nearly all of them Sudanese and many in targeted attacks.  

Taher is the Assistant Director of Emergency Response and Humanitarian Interventions, for the Sudan Family Planning Association (SFPA), which has faced directs attacks on clinics, and the abduction of healthcare workers.

As conflict, mass displacement, and the collapse of essential services have left over 33 million people without access to maternal healthcare, contraception, and care for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence – his team’s work is vital.

Through a network of 11 mobile and 26 static clinics and telemedicine platforms, SFPA reached 13.7 million people with life-saving sexual and reproductive health services in 2025.

Syria

Qusai Roman, an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, is calling from Syria, where clashes between armed groups, Bedouin fighters and government forces in the south of the country have led to the collapse of essential services and widespread displacement.  

Approximately 60% of the country’s population is currently in need of humanitarian assistance. The Syrian Family Planning Association is maintaining life-saving sexual and reproductive health services across the country through fixed clinics, mobile health teams and community outreach.

As a Federation, the safety and security of Member Associations (MAs) is paramount. IPPF supports MAs through Security Risk Management Training, ensuring colleagues are equipped to respond effectively during crises. We also recognise that female humanitarian workers, LGBTQI+ staff, people with disabilities and those from marginalised communities face distinct risks. We work to strengthen risk awareness and resilience, particularly for MAs operating in increasingly hostile, anti‑rights environments.