WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY: The World Needs More

August 19th marked World Humanitarian Day – a day set aside to celebrate humanitarian personnel and those who have lost their lives whilst working for humanitarian causes. It also marks the day then Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Iraq, Sérgio Vieira de Mello and 21 of his colleagues were killed when a bomb went off at the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. The first World Humanitarian Day was commemorated on 19th August 2009; this year marks the fourth anniversary since its inception and the 10th anniversary of the death of the twenty-two workers in Baghdad.

When two elephants, fight it’s the ground that suffers. When wars are fought families are displaced, women and children get caught in the crossfires and thousands are injured with little or no access to food, shelter or health care. However, in this bleak world there remain others who dedicate their lives to alleviating the pain and suffering of others by providing the much needed healthcare, helping displaced people reunite with their families, helping build tents and temporary structures for shelter and working tirelessly to make food supplies accessible to displaced victims at the peril of their lives.

The International Red Cross Society was formed in the aftermath of the Crimean war and the Battle of Solferino with the purpose of providing medical aid and relief to the wounded soldiers and civilians without discrimination. This remains the guiding principle of humanitarian work. Other organisations have been formed over the years in response to the increasing number of causalities wars continue to claim. Notable among them is Médecins Sans Frontières (doctors without borders) which was formed in the aftermath of the Nigeria-Biafra civil war. Others include Save the Children, Oxfam and the Peace Corps. Individuals and corporate institutions donate money which goes into the running of these organisations but the biggest ‘donation’ is the hundreds and thousands of volunteers worldwide who dedicate their lives and skills to be the ray of sunshine that breaks through the dark clouds.

In recent years humanitarian efforts have not been limited to only victims of war but also victims of natural disasters, places where medical care is lacking or inaccessible and also peace-building efforts in places where it is needed. Examples include Médecins Sans Frontières work in Cambodia during a malaria outbreak in 1999 where qualified medical personnel were lacking and the Asian tsunami of 2004 which also saw Médecins Sans Frontières and the Red Cross Society going on the ground to give the necessary assistance just to mention a few.

Under the Geneva Conventions, health facilities must be treated as neutral premises and aid workers are classified as non-combatants and are not to be subjected to attacks. Yet, they are often kidnapped and or killed in the line of work; health facilities sometimes attacked. According to Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD), as at 2011, 86 aid workers were killed, 127 were seriously wounded, and 95 were kidnapped.

World Humanitarian Day is an opportunity to celebrate the spirit that inspires humanitarian work around the globe aside remembering those who have died years since. “Every year on August 19th we mark World Humanitarian Day in honour of aid workers, who have lost their lives in the line of duty. We commemorate their sacrifice and reaffirm our commitment to the lifesaving work that humanitarians carry out around the world every day, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances, where others cannot or do not want to go,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has said.

 The world needs more humanitarianism and less wars, injustice and poverty.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “The World Needs More…” 
To get involved and to learn more about the campaign visit www.worldhumanitarianday.org