Humanitarian Workers Under Threat from Disinformation

Welcome to IWPR’s Frontline Update, your go-to source to hear from journalists and local voices at the front lines of conflict.

 THE BIG PICTURE  

Last year was the deadliest on record for humanitarian personnel, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The deaths of 281 aid workers were recorded globally, with many more suffering serious physical or psychological harm.

And malign information campaigns – which thrives on the fear and vulnerability of a crisis environment – pose a growing danger to them. A 2024 UN Security Council resolution warned of “the increasing threat of disinformation campaigns and misinformation that undermine trust” and increase risk to humanitarian workers.

 VOICES FROM THE FRONTLINE 

Nadia Samet-Warren, IWPR’s country director for the Middle East and North Africa, writes this week on the impact of such campaigns, from the civil defence in Syria to NGO workers in the South Caucasus and female activists in the Middle East.

“These misrepresentations can put individuals and groups in harm’s way by putting the operations and staff of the humanitarian organisations at risk and tarnishing their reputations and at times disrupting access to services,” she wrote. “Perpetrators can use disinformation to target any vector of a person’s identity to disgrace and degrade either them or their communities.”

Arguing that a holistic approach to combating information was essential, she continued, “Building informational resilience and supporting ethical, professional journalism are key to building the trust that civil society relies on to be effective.”

 WHY IT MATTERS 

Whether delivering essential aid or collecting evidence that could be used in future accountability efforts, media workers and civil society play a vital role in supporting the vulnerable during times of conflict. But this also makes them key targets for powerful actors who know that disrupting their work can cause sometimes catastrophic harm to the wider society.

 THE BOTTOM LINE 

Humanitarian work relies on trust, and propaganda campaigns that delegitimise their work are designed to impact on this.  

IWPR continues to work with grassroots activists and independent media around the world to support their frontline efforts to drive change.