The key facts

  • Tom Fletcher said he is forced to 'hold in his arms children who will probably not survive' because of UN budget cuts.
  • He called Sudan and Gaza an 'atrocities lab', where new weapons are tested amid suffering.
  • Around 1,000 humanitarian workers have died over three years, with, in his words, almost no accountability or investigations.

Warning about the consequences of cuts

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher warned of a deteriorating situation in conflict zones against the backdrop of the organization's budget cuts. According to him, he 'holds in his arms children who will probably not survive because of the cuts I am forced to make.' Fletcher called the situation 'horrifying'.

'Atrocities lab'

Fletcher described Sudan and Gaza as an 'atrocities lab', where new types of weapons are developed and tested amid large-scale human suffering.

Deaths of humanitarian workers

He also condemned the deaths of around 1,000 humanitarian workers over the past three years, noting, in his words, an almost complete absence of accountability: 'No accountability, no investigations — never.'