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Austronesian explorers from what is now Taiwan may have leapfrogged to centers of influence, rather than simply advancing to the next nearest island.

At the heart of the global effort to diversify away from Chinese supply of critical minerals is the tension between friendshoring and strategic autonomy.

Das VBS hat seine Grossprojekte analysiert und sieht einen «leicht positiven Trend». Einzig die bodengestützte Luftverteidigung ist nicht auf Kurs.

Now Beijing needs to build domestic demand for recycled materials – and global rules for the trade.

The musical icon from Benin tells the BBC about why Africa and Africans are so important to music.

Marine Le Pen, David Lisnard, Mathilde Panot... Les réactions et inquiétudes des politiques se multiplient face à un taux d’emprunt record que connaît la France.

Prof. Dr. Sabine Zinn, Direktorin des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) am DIW Berlin, wurde vom Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend als Impulsgeberin und Mitglied in das Monitoring-Panel des Nationalen Aktionsplans (NAP) Kinderchancen berufen. Der Aktionsplan setzt ...

Dr. Smruti S. Pattanaik joins host Tushar Shetty to examine Bangladesh six months after its first post-uprising election.

Days after U.S. President Donald Trump showed his interest in meeting with the leader of North Korea, Pyongyang responded by launching short-range ballistic missiles and publishing a harsh statement.

The U.S. Department of State has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Qatar for purchase of KC-46A Aerial Refueling Aircraft and related equipment. The estimated total cost is $4.50 billion.

The Wisconsin Army National Guard concluded more than two weeks of state activation supporting storm recovery efforts in Winnebago County Aug. 15.

More than 13,000 residents evacuated communities north of Reno as three wildfires threatened thousands of homes, prompting the Nevada National Guard to deploy helicopters, security forces and other resources to support firefighting and public safety operations.

On August 20, 2026, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi held a strategic dialogue with National Security Adviser of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Wi Sung-lac in Seoul.

High heat, constant humidity, heavy rainfall, dense vegetation, dangerous animals and countless insects are what Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade endured at the Combined Jungle Training Center-South in Panama from June 13 through July 3.

More than 50 Soldiers and Airmen from the Massachusetts National Guard conducted a joint engineering mission with the Paraguayan Armed Forces to renovate critical infrastructure at military training sites near Asunción, Paraguay, July 13-26.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an observation mission for the 4 October general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, following an invitation from the national authorities and based on the findings of a pre-election needs assessment mission.

Education about religions and beliefs, together with interfaith and interreligious dialogue, can help counter prejudice and hostility that can lead to violence, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in a statement ahead of tomorrow's International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.

The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States of America, in Washington, D.C., to advance shared security priorities and reinforce the importance of the bilateral relationship at a time of significant geopolitical conflicts.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the 23rd Anniversary of the bombing of the United Nations Headquarters in Baghdad. Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten.

By Naureen Hossain
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 20 2026 (IPS)

World Humanitarian Day celebrates humanitarian workers and the life-saving services they provide under the most complex and often dangerous conditions.

This year, UN leaders are urging the international community to protect humanitarians working in conflict zones and to seek accountability for those who have been injured or killed in their line of duty.

In late 2008, the UN General Assembly designated August 19th as World Humanitarian Day, five years after the terrorist attack at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, where 22 UN staff members were killed, including the then Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres paid tribute to the fallen UN staffers on the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attack, remarking that their legacy “lives on in every humanitarian worker delivering assistance amid conflict, disaster and despair”.

Guterres also noted that international humanitarian laws meant to protect civilians and humanitarian workers are being violated “with alarming frequency and impunity”.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 2025 set a new record for violence against humanitarian workers, with 712 incidents recorded, in which 350 workers were killed, 322 were injured, 235 kidnapped, and 280 detained. This year alone there have been 136 major incidents, as reported in the Humanitarian Outcomes’ Aid Worker Security Database. It is only indicative of the growing number of incidents against humanitarian workers in recent years. This represents a jump from 300 reported attacks in 2022 to 471 in 2023 and then 634 incidents in 2024.

“Behind those grim numbers… are names. They are colleagues, they are our friends, they are families, and they are the best of us,” said Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefs reporters for World Humanitarian Day. Credit: Naureen Hossain/IPS

Fletcher spoke to reporters virtually from Ukraine, where he is visiting affected areas of the country, including those subjected to drone attacks in recent days. He warned of their increasing use against civilians and infrastructure. Fletcher described seeing many drones during his visit, including an incident in which he and his team had to run for cover because they were in the vicinity.

Drones are increasingly prevalent in areas with ongoing crises, like Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Somalia. These weapons, which are controlled by humans but can also be directed by AI, have shaped the way civilians lead their lives and affected humanitarians carry out their work.

They create “a sense of collective anxiety” among civilians and aid workers. Yet, there seems to be little to no impunity for drone attacks or for those who carry out these attacks, who would likely be aware of what they are targeting. Drone technology is also getting cheaper and easier to access, putting them in more hands as parties to conflict experiment with their use.

Fletcher acknowledged that they can be used by aid workers for good, such as delivering vaccines or identifying survivors in emergencies. But otherwise, much of their use in the context of conflict has been “inhumane and reckless”.

“I’ve not been anywhere where drones are so much part of the conversation. Everyone – from the kids I met in shelters, civilians, humanitarians, and my colleagues – can tell the difference between the sound of a first-person-view drone and a fibre-optic drone and the medium-range drones or the loitering munitions, which are such a threat to our work,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher called for the international community, and chiefly Member States, to uphold international humanitarian law and to seek accountability toward the parties involved in conflict, including state actors. Member states can and should take stronger measures to conduct independent investigations.

Fletcher made repeated calls for increased dialogue and reflection on international humanitarian law, including how to protect humanitarian workers from emerging technologies like drones. It should be up to member states and the companies behind these technologies to make sure that it “does not outpace humanity” and it “does not outpace accountability”. He also called for engaging in dialogue with the companies involved in manufacturing and distributing drones so they understand the risks they’re creating.

For those that believe in the United Nations or in the spirit of global solidarity, they also believe that member states still have the will to uphold their responsibilities toward international humanitarian law. “If the world has become so transactional and selfish and inward-looking that member states are no longer able or prepared to do this work, then we really are in a grim dystopian reality,” Fletcher told Inter Press Service.

He added that the public can in turn hold their governments to account. “We need a public demand of their leaders that we manage these risks before it’s too late. And for so many of the people that I work with, my fallen colleagues, for so many of the people who we’re here to serve, it is already too late, I’m afraid.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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