World Humanitarian Day

HISTORY

The General Assembly designates 19th August as « World Humanitarian Day »

The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted in its Plenary Session on 11th December 2008, the Swedish sponsored Omnibus Resolution on “Strengthening of the Coordination of Emergency Humanitarian Assistance of the United Nations”, that carried the historic decision by the world body, to designate the 19th August as World Humanitarian Day to honor all humanitarian and the United Nations and associated personnel who have lost their lives in the cause of duty and those who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause. The Resolution invites all Member States, the United Nation system, within existing resources, as well as other international organizations and non-governmental organizations to observe the day annually in an appropriate manner. This is a major historic landmark for the Humanitarian Sphere and a great gain for all victims of armed conflict.

As a background to this landmark resolution, the family of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the late Special Representative of the Secretary General in Iraq, deeply moved by the tragic bombing of the Headquarters of United Nations in Baghdad on 19th August 2003 that killed Sergio and 21 of his humanitarian colleagues, resolved to work towards having the day recognized as a befitting tribute to all humanitarian personnel. In 2004 Madame Annie Vieira de Mello the widow of Sergio initiated discussions with key personalities in the United Nations and a number of governments to designate the day as the World Humanitarian Day. Based on this concept, in early April 2008 the Board of the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation prepared a draft Resolution to be sponsored and adopted by the General Assembly designating 19th August as World Humanitarian Day. France, Switzerland, Japan and Brazil, contacted with the draft Resolution, agreed to co-sponsor it. They led its long and extensive debate and revision in the General Assembly. The family of Sergio and the Board of the Foundation remained engaged with following up the process. Eventually the draft Resolution was folded by the co-sponsors into the omnibus Swedish draft Resolution that was adopted by the General Assembly on 11th December.

The family of Sergio Vieira Mello supported by the Board of the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation is deeply grateful to all the Member States for adopting the historic Resolution and to the Governments of France, Switzerland, Japan, Brazil and Sweden for co-sponsoring the Resolution. The Board is committed to working closely with all governments, the United Nations, International Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations to give the day a meaningful observance every year.

2009 EDITION

+   Editorial page   News - August 12, 2009
+   Leaflet   [PDF - 843 ko]
+   Program in Geneva   [PDF - 618 ko]
+   UN Press release   [PDF - 170 ko]
+   OCHA website   http://ochaonline.un.org/whd

Commemorations

Commemorations on the inaugural World Humanitarian Day were held in more than 50 countries around the world. The following countries held conferences and events to promote the humanitarian work : Belgium, Canada, Central African Republic, Tchad, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Fiji, Indonesia, Iran , Irak , Kenya, Latin America (Regional Office, Panama), Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Switzerland, Thailand (Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, Bangkok), United States, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Press releases

• Mr Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations - Press release
[PDF - 51 ko]
YouTube Link

• Mr. Sergei A. Ordzhoni kidze, United Nations Under-Secretary-General, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva
[PDF - 51 ko]

• Mrs Annie Vieira de Mello, Vice-President of the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation - La Tribune de Genève
[PDF - 56 ko]

• Mr Eric Schwarz, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, United States
YouTube Link

• Mr Laurent Vieira de Mello, President of the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation - Washington Post
[PDF - 86 ko]

• Mrs Hillary Clinton, United States Secretary of State - Press release
[PDF - 76 ko]

• Feuille d'Avis Officielle
[PDF - 1.05 Mo]

• Mr Imogen Foulke, local correspondent of the BBC in Geneva - BBC News

“Last year 122 international aid workers were killed, a death toll that was higher than that for UN peacekeeping troops. […] Aid workers are increasingly being targeted by armed groups. [...] Killing or kidnapping them has become for some a legitimate tactic.[...] The UN hopes the day will serve as a reminder that aid work is based on a very simple principle: to bring impartial humanitarian relief to all those in need”

• Mr John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, UN - Dailystar

“Today is the first ever World Humanitarian Day, an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come toward the ideal that everyone in need should be helped – regardless of their nationality, race, religion or politics. It is a remarkable achievement that when crisis strikes today, it is taken for granted that aid workers will be on the scene within hours. […] But I am most of all saddened and increasingly horrified by the rising attacks on aid workers. While humanitarians have always recognized the difficulties and dangers of what they do – the risk of being caught up in events, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time – the attacks on them are increasingly targeted.”

• Mr Antonio Gutteres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, former Prime Minister of Portugal - Dailystar

“There is no justification for attacks on aid workers dedicated to the protection and care of the world’s most vulnerable people. […] Ensuring staff safety must be a top priority of every humanitarian organization and the United Nations as a whole. This is non-negotiable. [...] And yet, with the evolving nature of armed conflict and the changing attitudes of some belligerents, the deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers has increased, establishing a tension – and in some situations a contradiction – between the imperatives of staff safety and humanitarian action.”

• Mr Abdul-Haq Amiri, Director of OCHA for Middle-East, North Africa and Central Asia - The National

“In our region, you may remember this year alone in Pakistan four officers lost their lives. We had 17 attacks in Afghanistan on humanitarian convoys; some 42 tons of food was lost as a result. ??“We are all facing serious challenges.” […] “At the same time we have a huge security situation here where workers are constantly, if not targeted, caught up in security incidents. We had a bomb blast where we lost five colleagues in Peshawar about six weeks ago, in a five-star hotel, and six more critically injured. Then we had one shooting at a camp four weeks ago, where we lost one officer.”?[…] “Losing colleagues around you demoralizes you, the whole operation suffers but you cannot take a break, cannot take a pause, because you have to respond because the needs are still there. It becomes very challenging. You do question why you’re doing this if you’re not appreciated.”