Today, 19th Aug, the entire globe commemorates #WorldHumanitarianDay,
honoring aid workers, who risk their lives to assist others in emergencies
around the globe. It is estimated that today more than 130 million people
worldwide require humanitarian assistance in order to survive.
Over the past two decades, 218 million people each year were
affected by disasters; at an annual cost to the global economy that now exceeds
$300 billion and every day, humanitarian aid workers stand on the front lines
of war and disaster to provide life-saving assistance to millions of people
worldwide.
Over half a million humanitarian workers, almost 40 per cent
of them women, stand on the front lines of war and disaster, braving dangers
and overcoming challenges to deliver assistance to millions of women, children
and men in need.
This #WorldHumanitarianDay2019 is honoring the
work of women in crises throughout the world. They are unsung heroes who have
long been working on the front lines in their own communities in some of the
most challenging terrains, from the war-wounded in Afghanistan, to the food
insecure in the Sahel, to those who have lost their homes and livelihoods in
places such as Central African Republic, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Women make up a large number of those who risk their own
lives to save others. They are often the first to respond and the last to
leave. These women deserve to be celebrated. They are needed today as much as
ever to strengthen the global humanitarian response. And world leaders, as well
as non-state actors, must ensure that they – and all humanitarians – are
guaranteed the protection afforded to them under international law.
Women humanitarians dedicate their lives to helping people
affected by crises. These people brave tremendous dangers and difficulties to
deliver assistance to those who need it most and it is fitting that we applaud
their absolute selflessness on this special day.
This year it's probably safe to assume that many people in
the business feel frustrated with the seeming inability of warring sides and
intermediaries to bring an end to the major conflicts, whether they be in
Yemen, Syria, South Sudan or eastern Ukraine.
And as they drag on, with it they kill, injure or bring
other harm to humanitarian aid workers. Lack of access for aid and aid workers
is another factor which limits the ability to bring relief to civilians caught
in conflict.
How to Observe World
Humanitarian Day
·
There are humanitarian organizations all over
the world, and pretty much all of them are in need of resources. If you
are able to donate your time to one of these organizations, that’s wonderful.
If you can’t, they sure could use some money to enable their workers to provide
resources to those who are suffering. .
·
Being a humanitarian doesn’t have to mean
traveling to a war zone—the point of humanitarian aid is to alleviate people’s
suffering and maintain human dignity. We’re willing to bet that there are
plenty of options for you to do just that somewhere in your community. Try
volunteering to help bring fresh food to some of the most vulnerable
members of our community.
·
Choose your preferred method of communication (a
phone call, a letter, a tweet) to let your elected leaders know how important
humanitarian crises are to you. Ask them to commit to any number of
actions to help bolster humanitarian causes in your community or country as
well as outside it.
Why World
Humanitarian Day is Important
·
Humanitarian aid workers are some of the most
heroic and honorable people alive: many of them put themselves at great risk by
traveling to conflict zones and disaster areas to help alleviate the suffering
of strangers, and are almost never acknowledged for it. 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 those who are out there doing the
work right now.
·
For the reasons outlined above, “humanitarian
aid worker” isn’t an extremely popular profession. Simply put, there can
never be enough humanitarian aid workers out there. Every year, millions of
people need humanitarian assistance as a result of disasters both preventable
and unpreventable. As much as we hope that some of the man-made conflicts that
result in suffering can be resolved, there is always going to be a need for
more humanitarian 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 in other
countries. Having international cooperation between countries is essential to
maintaining the safety of humanitarian aid workers while enabling them to help
those who are suffering.
Today is also a day for us to renew our commitment to turn
the humanitarian system on its head so that local actors—government and civil
society—are given:
·
Greater voice in the humanitarian action
conducted in their own countries,
·
Greater support to develop their own capacity,
and
·
Greater access to direct funding— so they are
able to lead humanitarian action in their homelands.
To this end, we must commit to continuing to support them in any way
they need by:
·
Providing technical support;
·
Ensuring they have a strong voice in our
partnerships;
·
Supporting their capacity strengthening;
·
Increasing our direct financial support;
·
Advocating alongside them to their governments;
and
·
Working with other international actors to lead
response efforts in conflicts and mega-crises where local actors may be unable
to do so.
Furthermore, every one of us has the power to inspire our
fellow human beings to join the action to make the world a better place. The
United Nations and the European Union have long been partners in delivering
life-saving aid when conflict, war and natural disasters strike, with millions
of lives saved every year.
Finally, this year’s campaign on Women Humanitarians supports the recognition that women deserve in the strengthening of global humanitarian response as well as in protection efforts under the international law. In other words, we are listening; we are standing in solidarity with you; and we honor you, today, and every day.
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