Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has released a report indicating that attacks on human rights defenders, journalists, and trade unionists have reached record levels over the past year. Preliminary data for 2025 shows that approximately 950 such individuals were killed or forcibly disappeared worldwide—more than double the count from a decade earlier.
The Human Rights Count 2026 report states that since 2015, at least 5,995 human rights defenders have been killed. The dataset documents alarming trends, including civilian deaths in conflicts, widespread discrimination, and conditions within institutions responsible for protecting human rights.
Coinciding with the report's release, the UN Economic and Social Council held its annual humanitarian affairs segment. At its opening, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher highlighted the challenges humanitarian organizations face, including escalating needs, shrinking funding, and difficulties delivering aid in contested areas.
Fletcher stressed that respect for international humanitarian law and protection of aid workers are critical for effective humanitarian action. He emphasized that the future of such efforts depends on coordinated action from Member States, conflict parties, donors, development partners, and the private sector.