The United Nations plans to improve protection for civilian workers operating in war zones and other high-risk locations.

The deputy UN Secretary-General, Louise Frechette, told the Security Council that nearly two-hundred 184 staff members had been killed since 1992 -- more than half of them 98 were murdered.

She said only two people had been brought to justice.

The head of the UN's World Food Programme, Catherine Bertini, called for penalties against governments which failed to investigate or prosecute crimes against humanitarian workers. The meeting was told that a full-time security coordinator would probably be appointed to ensure that civilian workers were made as security-conscious as their military colleagues.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service