Number of civilian deaths in armed conflict soared 72% in 2023: OHCHR

GENEVA (WAM)

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said it pained him to start the global update with the cruelty of war, highlighting data gathered by the Office of the High Commissioner showing that the number of civilian deaths in armed conflict had soared by 72 percent in 2023.

He made this statement during the fifty-sixth regular session of the Human Rights Council, which opened on Tuesday and will run until July 12.

Horrifyingly, the data indicated that the proportion of women killed in 2023 doubled and that of children tripled, compared to the year prior.

There was an urgent need to find the way back to peace, in line with the United Nations Charter and international law.