Mr. President,
Members of the United Nations Security Council,
Since the beginning of this year, five health professionals have been killed every day in conflict zones — victims of attacks on healthcare facilities or direct violence. Five humanitarian workers lose their lives each day while trying to save others.
I write to you on behalf of these health professionals, and on behalf of all my fellow humanitarian workers — doctors, nurses, paramedics, and first responders.
My name is Dr. Mego Terzian. I am a pediatrician and humanitarian doctor, former President of Médecins Sans Frontières France, and currently the Director General of the NGO Mehad, which operates in conflict zones with the support of local health workers.
I have devoted my career to helping those deprived of healthcare, wherever the right to health is violated. I have worked alongside humanitarian health workers of extraordinary courage and dedication. Their safety has always been a top priority for our teams.
But for the past two years, their lives have been increasingly threatened by relentless and direct attacks on healthcare facilities and professionals. Since January 2024, a total of 2,632 such attacks have been recorded by the World Health Organization.
Since the beginning of 2025 alone, 412 attacks have taken place in Ukraine, 348 in Palestine, 42 in Syria, and 2 in Yemen — the countries where our NGO is active.
Health professionals, now often deliberately targeted, are being killed or injured while trying to rescue victims of conflict — in total disregard of international law.
These attacks not only endanger my colleagues but also severely undermine all our healthcare operations in the field, further restricting access to care for local populations whose health systems are already on the brink of collapse.
Mr. President, Members of the Security Council, you have repeatedly condemned attacks on humanitarian health workers.
But these statements — unaccompanied by action — are not enough to protect those who dedicate their lives to saving others.
Today, I urge you to turn your words into action by demanding:
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Respect for international humanitarian law, as enshrined in the Geneva Convention;
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Prosecution before international justice of those responsible for attacks on healthcare facilities and/or personnel;
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The unhindered continuation of humanitarian action.
Your commitment today is essential — and it must ensure this: that no more health professional loses their life for trying to save others.
To protect the lives of caregivers is to protect our shared humanity.
