Global Affairs Canada reaffirms protection for aid workers, funds security research

Author Sharlene Gandhi

Canada has endorsed a Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel along with more than 100 countries. 

The declaration, spearheaded by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, reaffirms countries’ commitments to international law safeguarding humanitarian and emergency aid workers. 

Signatories also commit to countering mis/disinformation that could further risk the lives of humanitarian aid workers. 

In addition, Global Affairs Canada is committing $400,000 to support the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD), which is managed by Humanitarian Outcomes. 

Last year went down as the deadliest year on record for humanitarian aid workers: according to the AWSD, 385 aid staff were killed last year globally. A further 125 were kidnapped, and 308 wounded. Of those deaths, 185 were in Palestine. 

Canadian aid organizations working in Palestine have previously criticized the federal government for putting the onus for humanitarian worker safety completely onto organizations. 

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  • Sharlene Gandhi is the Future of Good editorial fellow on digital transformation.

    Sharlene has been reporting on responsible business, environmental sustainability and technology in the UK and Canada since 2018. She has worked with various organizations during this time, including the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, AIGA Eye on Design, Social Enterprise UK and Nature is a Human Right. Sharlene moved to Toronto in early 2023 to join the Future of Good team, where she has been reporting at the intersections of technology, data and social purpose work. Her reporting has spanned several subject areas, including AI policy, cybersecurity, ethical data collection, and technology partnerships between the private, public and third sectors.

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