Today is World Humanitarian Day. This international event came around as a result of the events of the 19th August 2003, whereby a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 22 humanitarian aid workers, including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Five years later, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day (WHD).
Each year, WHD focuses on a theme, bringing together partners from across the humanitarian system to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, and for the safety and security of aid workers. For this year’s WHD, we show the importance, effectiveness and positive impact of humanitarian work.
There is a saying that goes: "It takes a village to raise a child. Similarly, it takes a village to support a person in a humanitarian crisis." With record-high humanitarian needs around the world, this year’s World Humanitarian Day (WHD) builds on this metaphor of collective endeavour to grow global appreciation of humanitarian work.
This is why the 2022 WHD campaign has adopted the #ItTakesAVillage slogan and aims to shine a light on the thousands of volunteers, professionals and crisis-affected people who deliver urgent health care, shelter, food, protection, water and much more.
Don't forget to keep an eye out for more posts today over on our Facebook page and feel free to share your thoughts using either #WorldHumanitarianDay, #ItTakesAVillage or #NotATarget.
