World Humanitarian Day
In the past decade, more than 700 humanitarian workers have been killed while providing life-saving assistance to millions around the world. In an effort to raise public awareness of humanitarian assistance, the General Assembly of the UN has designated 19th August as "World Humanitarian Day" (WHD).
"Humanitarian work and human rights are inextricably entwined. It is very often abuse of human rights that causes humanitarian crises in the first place. And without humanitarian aid, the basic human rights of millions of people - including the right to seek asylum from persecution, the right to education, and, most fundamental of all, the right to life - would be denied. Similarly, if human rights are ignored during a humanitarian crisis, the crisis will often deepen." UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay.
On 19th August 2003, a brutal attack destroyed the UN headquarters in Iraq, killing 22 people from the UN and the humanitarian community and injuring hundreds of others. Among those killed was Sergio Vieira de Mello, at the time UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Iraq. Symbolically, the General Assembly decided to establish the anniversary date of the bombing as World Humanitarian Day.
Every year, disasters cause immense suffering for millions of people - usually the world's poorest, most marginalised and vulnerable individuals. Humanitarian aid workers strive to provide life-saving assistance and long term rehabilitation to disaster-affected communities, regardless of where they are in the world and without discrimination based on nationality, social group, religion, sex, race or any other factor.
The majority of humanitarian workers come from the countries in which they work. Strong, professional and independent local partners are fully involved in all humanitarian responses. Humanitarian aid workers are national and international, male and female, and reflect all cultures, ideologies and backgrounds.
Humanitarian aid is increasingly being perceived as "Western" intervention, resulting in an increasing trend of targeted attacks on humanitarian personnel. This perception is entirely wrong, and only serves to harm the poorest, most vulnerable disaster-affected people.
Humanitarian aid is based on a number of founding principles, including humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. Humanitarian aid workers should be respected, and be able to access those in need in order to provide vital assistance.
Hazards such as floods and droughts become disasters when people are vulnerable because of poverty
ActionAid joins the international community in supporting World Humanitarian Day 2010.
ActionAid takes a proactive and holistic approach to emergencies and conflict, working with communities and partners to prepare for, and cope with, the impacts of disasters, lobbying authorities and governments to protect people's rights to freedom from fear and want and to be able to take action on their own behalf.
"ActionAid recognises that hazards such as floods and droughts only become disasters when people are vulnerable as a result of poverty and do not have adequate state support and capacity to prepare for and respond to them. If people are kept in poverty, they are more likely to be affected by disasters." Bijay Kumar, Head of Human Security in Emergencies and Conflict at ActionAid
Fact File
- ActionAid works in over 40 countries around the world.
- In the past five years ActionAid has responded to more than 80 natural disasters and conflicts in these countries.
- Every year around 250-300million people are affected by disasters.
- Prevention works:it is estimated that every US $1 spent on preparing for a disaster can save between US $4-7 in losses.