The United Nations’ World Humanitarian Day is held on August 19 each year. The day honors all humanitarians who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause, and those who have lost their lives in the cause of duty. It aims to increase public awareness about humanitarian assistance activities worldwide and the importance of international cooperation.
World Humanitarian Day was established by the General Assembly of the UN in December 2008 and was first observed in August 2009. This day was held in memory of the August 19, 2003 bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, that killed 22 people, including the chief humanitarian in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. To pay tributes and recognize the efforts by people who risk their lives for humanitarian causes, in 2009, the United Nations General Assembly formalized the day as World Humanitarian Day.
The day is the outcome of the relentless efforts of the Sérgio Vieira de Mello Foundation and his family working closely with the Ambassadors of France, Switzerland, Japan, and Brazil in both Geneva and New York to the table and steer the draft Resolution through the General Assembly.
Humanitarians provide life-saving assistance to millions of people worldwide. They place their own lives at risk to help others in conflict zones and areas of natural hazards. More than 700 humanitarian workers have died or experienced the most dangerous situations while trying to help those in need. Humanitarians provide support for different world challenges such as hunger, gender-based violence, refugees and displaced people, help for children, as well as clean water and access to sanitation.
2019’s campaign on Women Humanitarians supported the recognition that women deserve in the strengthening of global humanitarian response as well as in protection efforts under the international law.
Humanitarian aid workers are some of the most heroic and honorable people alive, putting themselves in harm’s way by traveling to conflict zones and disaster areas to help alleviate the suffering of strangers. Despite this great work, these workers are rarely acknowledged publicly, sometimes for their own safety. World Humanitarian Day is a sobering reminder of how many lives have been lost in the name of this valiant cause, as well as a celebration of the workers currently doing this necessary but often, dangerous work.
A big part of World Humanitarian Day is drawing importance to the need for international cooperation on humanitarian issues. Humanitarian aid workers might be helping people in their home countries, or they might be dispatched to help those in need elsewhere. International cooperation is essential to maintaining the safety of humanitarian aid workers while enabling them to help those who suffer.
This year, WHD comes as the world continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Humanitarian workers are overcoming unprecedented access hurdles to assist people in humanitarian crises in 63 countries. Real Life Heroes focuses on what drives humanitarians to continue to save and protect lives despite conflict, insecurity, lack of access, and risks linked to COVID-19. The campaign presents the inspiring personal stories of eight humanitarians — all of them from the Global South and many from countries in crisis themselves. They are treating and preventing COVID-19; administering vaccines; providing food; setting up safe spaces for women and girls; and containing locust invasions despite the pandemic.
Due to lockdowns
and restrictions on movements imposed by governments across the world the
health and aid workers are facing hurdles in providing treatments and foods for
the destitute, safe spaces for women and girls, delivering babies, fighting
locusts, running refugee camps etc. Therefore, WHD of this year (to be observed
on Wednesday) is dedicated to those real life frontline heroes who are showing
a great commitment to save and protect the people in need of humanitarian
assistance defying all odds hurled by the pandemic.
Globally the number of people requiring humanitarian assistance is increasing
in proportion to human-induced disasters like conflicts and violence and
natural disasters like climate change and infectious diseases. In some cases,
human-induced disasters coupled with natural disasters are intensifying the
crises several times. In this trying time we see a huge number of humanitarian
workers dedicate themselves to the cause of the people in dire need of
humanitarian assistance. Even the death threat of the Covid-19 could not tilt
their indomitable spirit and deviate them from the path of humanitarian
activities.World Humanitarian Day will be a perfect occasion to pay homage to
these stalwarts of humanity who are showing the excellence of altruism. It is
also an opportunity to encourage people around the world to work for
humanitarian cause.
