Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday 16 December 2025-
Sierra Leone has emerged as a founding member of the newly launched Group of Friends for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel, a United Nations–backed diplomatic platform aimed at strengthening global action to safeguard humanitarian workers operating in conflict and emergency settings.
The Group was officially launched last week at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, during an event co-chaired by Australia and Jordan, bringing together a broad, cross-regional coalition of UN Member States and humanitarian organisations committed to reversing the alarming rise in attacks on humanitarian personnel worldwide.
Representing His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, Ambassador Dr. Lansana Gberie, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the United Nations in Geneva, reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s leadership and commitment to the protection of humanitarian workers delivering life-saving assistance in some of the world’s most dangerous environments.
“We carry a moral responsibility to ensure their safety as they carry out their vital work,” Ambassador Gberie stated, drawing on Sierra Leone’s own experience of conflict, recovery and peacebuilding to underscore the indispensable role of humanitarian actors in saving lives and restoring hope.
The Group of Friends builds on the Political Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel, formally adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2025. The Declaration was the outcome of a year-long process initiated in 2024 by a cross-regional Ministerial Group comprising Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, in response to the sharp escalation of attacks on humanitarian workers globally.
Developed through extensive consultations with Member States and frontline humanitarian organisations, the Declaration translates political commitments into practical and implementable measures aimed at enhancing protection, accountability and operational safety.
To date, the Declaration has attracted 110 signatories, reflecting growing international consensus that attacks on humanitarian personnel undermine civilian protection, violate international humanitarian law (IHL), and severely restrict humanitarian access.
“In a world facing unprecedented levels of conflict, climate-induced disasters and complex emergencies, humanitarian personnel remain a lifeline for millions,” Ambassador Gberie noted. “They operate on the frontlines of human suffering, often at great personal risk.”
Ambassador Gberie further highlighted Sierra Leone’s substantive leadership, both as a member of the core Ministerial Group that shaped the Declaration, and as a member of the Advisory Group guiding the work of the newly established Group of Friends.
He emphasised that protecting humanitarian workers is fundamental to upholding the principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality that underpin the global humanitarian system.
He also reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s commitment to promoting the universalisation of the Declaration, particularly across Africa, and welcomed the establishment of a Secretariat—hosted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)—to support coordination and implementation ahead of the Declaration’s first anniversary in 2026.
Participants from across regions at the launch expressed deep concern over the record number of attacks and fatalities involving humanitarian workers over the past two years.
Delegations called for urgent action to close the gap between the legal protections afforded under IHL and the harsh realities faced by humanitarian personnel on the ground. Special attention was drawn to the heightened risks faced by local and national humanitarian workers, who account for the majority of casualties.
Humanitarian organisations, including the IFRC, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), delivered testimonies highlighting operational challenges, access constraints, and the urgent need for stronger protective measures.
The launch of the Group of Friends marks a significant milestone in global humanitarian diplomacy. As attacks on humanitarian personnel reach unprecedented levels, Sierra Leone’s active engagement underscores its enduring commitment to multilateralism, the protection of human dignity, and the strengthening of principled humanitarian action worldwide.
Sierra Leone will continue to work closely with UN Member States, agencies and humanitarian organisations to advance the objectives of the Declaration and ensure that humanitarian personnel, wherever they serve, can carry out their life-saving mandates safely and with the protection they deserve.
For further information, please contact:
Mohamed Sheriff
Information Attaché | Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone, Geneva