United Nations, May 21 : One civilian was killed every 14 minutes in armed conflicts around the world last year, the chief of the UN global humanitarian response unit has said.

Edem Wosornu, director of operations and advocacy of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, on Wednesday (local time) revealed the figures to the Security Council during an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

"We know the real toll is far higher, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Sudan, in Ukraine, in the occupied Palestinian territory, and beyond," she added.

In a related statement released on Wednesday, principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee highlighted growing and blatant violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in hostilities around the world, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Across conflicts, civilians, including children, are killed, injured, and displaced at an alarming scale," they said. "Sexual violence is used as a tactic of war, overwhelmingly affecting women and girls and devastating lives. Homes, schools, places of worship, hospitals, including maternal wards, are destroyed or damaged, as are civilian infrastructure and assets, such as water systems, transport networks, markets, and food production."

The principals warned that conflict-driven hunger and famine are spreading, often linked to siege tactics and the deliberate starvation of civilians. They also highlighted the unprecedented toll on aid workers, with more than 1,000 humanitarian personnel killed in the past three years.

"Wars have rules that apply to all parties to conflict," the statement said. "The problem is not a lack of law. The problem is the failure to uphold them consistently, the erosion of accountability and inaction, even in the face of atrocities."

/IANS