World Humanitarian Day (19/08)

«Aid workers — are the messengers we send to show our solidarity with the disadvantaged. They represent the best that is in human nature. But their work is dangerous». 8th UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

In December 2008, the UN General Assembly, by its resolution (A/RES/63/139), declared August 19 as World Humanitarian Day.

By introducing this date into the calendar, the United Nations has set the goal of — raising public awareness of humanitarian assistance activities around the world. In addition, the establishment of Humanitarian Aid Day recalls the importance of international cooperation in this area, and also pays tribute to everyone who has worked and continues to work in it.

Every year, disasters cause enormous suffering to millions of people. Typically, the victims are the poorest, disadvantaged and vulnerable people.

Every day, through perils and adversity, humanitarian workers help millions of people in countries that are at war or in natural disaster. Their work — is a clear illustration of the fact that assistance to those in need should and can be provided regardless of religion, race or gender, the UN resolution emphasizes.

According to experts, over the past decades, the ability of the humanitarian community to quickly and effectively respond to various types of crises and disasters caused by natural or human factors, as well as to anticipate them, has noticeably increased. This happened largely thanks to the dedicated work of many thousands of people who chose to work in the field of humanitarian assistance.

Everyone can be a humanitarian worker. People affected by natural disasters are often the first to provide direct assistance in their community.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and the UN have been cooperating in the field of emergency humanitarian response since 1993. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation (as of 2022), during this time the department has carried out more than 500 humanitarian emergency operations abroad. Over 30 years, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has provided humanitarian assistance to more than 80 countries.

A variety of information and educational activities are held on World Humanitarian Day. In addition, on this day, the world community remembers people who lost their lives saving others to pay tribute to them. One of them is — UN employee Sergio Vieira de Mello, who died in the explosion of the UN headquarters in Baghdad. This happened on August 19, 2003 — and in honor of this sad event, a date was chosen for World Humanitarian Day.

According to the UN, 460 humanitarian workers were attacked in 2021: 140 — were killed (a record figure since 2013), 203 — were injured, 117 — were kidnapped. The UN condemns any attacks on humanitarian personnel.

Each year, World Humanitarian Day is dedicated to a theme in which humanitarian partners join forces to rescue people affected by crises, ensure their well-being and respect for their dignity, and ensure the safety of humanitarian workers. The campaign for World Humanitarian Day is being conducted by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).



Postcard «August 19 — World Humanitarian Day»

1262