Civilians ‘trapped and terrorised’: UN sounds alarm over collapse of critical protections (UN News)

With more than 36,000 civilian deaths recorded in conflict zones in 2024 and sexual violence surging, senior UN officials warn that the international framework designed to protect civilians is collapsing. Speaking at a high-level open debate in the Security Council on protection of civilians in armed conflict on Thursday, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher described a grim picture of accelerating harm, disintegrating norms and growing impunity. “The scaffolding built last century to protect us from inhumanity is crumbling,” he said. “Those who will die as a result need us to act.”

Civilians ‘trapped and terrorised’: UN sounds alarm over collapse of critical protections | UN News