NEW YORK, 26 November (Department of Safety and Security) – In his first open briefing to the Security Council in five years, Gilles Michaud, Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, delivered an urgent appeal for enhanced protection of UN and humanitarian personnel who face escalating risks in conflict zones.
“This open session underscores the seriousness with which the Council views the safety of UN and humanitarian personnel, but it also reflects the gravity of the challenges we face,” Mr. Michaud stated, highlighting the critical importance of implementing Security Council resolution 2730 (2024). “Their safety is a moral imperative and essential to the success of the mandates entrusted to us.”
Mr. Michaud pointed to alarming situations in Gaza, where ongoing conflict has pushed risk levels to extremes, deeply affecting the psychological well-being of staff and their families; Haiti, where escalating urban violence severely hampers humanitarian operations; and Somalia, where local staff face immense personal risks, often concealing their UN affiliations even from loved ones.
He emphasized the urgent need for accountability and stronger international frameworks to address violence against humanitarian and UN personnel. Mr. Michaud urged Member States to ratify and implement the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel and its Optional Protocol; uphold the Convention on Privileges and Immunities and Host Country Agreements; and speak with moral clarity and ensure accountability for acts of violence by State and non-State actors alike.
Referring to the Department of Safety and Security’s upcoming twentieth anniversary, Mr. Michaud reflected on the evolution of the UN’s security management system. “This year, UN colleagues have faced unprecedented levels of violence, testing our resilience and resolve,” he said. “For those aiding the most vulnerable, once-unthinkable levels of insecurity have become the norm. This Council must reaffirm that this should not and will not be accepted.”
Mr. Michaud urged the international community to transform words into action, to ensure that those who bring hope and relief to the world’s most vulnerable populations can do so in safety.
