Global conflicts in 2023 resulted in a 72 percent increase in civilian fatalities, with three times more children and twice as many women killed compared to the previous year, the UN reported. Warring parties were accused of disregarding human rights and international law, leading to daily killings and destruction of infrastructure.
In Gaza, more than 120,000 people, mostly women and children, were killed or injured as a result of intense Israeli offensives since the conflict escalated after an attack by Hamas. Over one million Palestinians were forcibly displaced, and humanitarian access deteriorated.
UN rights chief Volker Turk highlighted other conflicts in Ukraine, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Syria, as well as the more than year-long civil war in Sudan, where parties have ignored the rights of their own people. Humanitarian funding fell short by $40.8 billion, with appeals funded at only 16.1 percent, compared to $2.5 trillion spent on global military expenses in 2023. War, he emphasized, not only causes human suffering but also comes with a high cost.
