World Humanitarian Day 2023

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

On August 19th 2003, a bomb killed 22 humanitarian aid workers at the UN Headquarters, in Bagdad, Iraq, including the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Bagdad. Five years later, on December 11th 2008, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 63/139. A resolution calling to strengthen the coordination of UN emergency humanitarian assistance worldwide, and in Article 26, designating:

“…  August 19  as World Humanitarian Day, in order to contribute to increasing public awareness about humanitarian assistance activities worldwide and the importance of international cooperation in this regard, as well as to honour all humanitarian and United Nations and associated personnel who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause and those who have lost their lives in the cause of duty…” [A/Res/63/139]

Thus, on August 19th 2023, the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDCs) have published the below educational poster, summarizing some of the most urgent humanitarian crises in the world, while the United Nations reminds everyone of how dangerous it is to carry out humanitarian missions. Indeed, in 2022, 444 humanitarian aid workers were attacked: 116 killed, 143 wounded and 185 kidnapped [UN WHD 2023]. Most of the violence took place in South Sudan, Mali and Myanmar.

References

United Nations Resolution 63/139 

https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N08/479/13/PDF/N0847913.pdf?OpenElement 

United Nations – World Humanitarian Day. 

https://www.un.org/en/observances/humanitarian-day

United Nations #NoMatterWhat - World Humanitarian Day 2023

https://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/  

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

https://www.unocha.org/

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)*

Copyrights © Françoise Herrmann

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), is the single most widely translated document. It has been translated into 500 languages. -- including such languages as Nahuatl, Tzotzil,  Maori and Hausa.

Adopted by the United Nations Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) outlines  30 basic human rights. For example, Article 26 reads as follows:

In English

1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. 2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. 3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

En français

1. Toute personne a droit à l'éducation. L'éducation doit être gratuite, au moins en ce qui concerne l'enseignement élémentaire et fondamental. L'enseignement élémentaire est obligatoire. L'enseignement technique et professionnel doit être généralisé; l'accès aux études supérieures doit être ouvert en pleine égalité à tous en fonction de leur mérite. 2. L'éducation doit viser au plein épanouissement de la personnalité humaine et au renforcement du respect des droits de l'homme et des libertés fondamentales. Elle doit favoriser la compréhension, la tolérance et l'amitié entre toutes les nations et tous les groupes raciaux ou religieux, ainsi que le développement des activités des Nations Unies pour le maintien de la paix. 3. Les parents ont, par priorité, le droit de choisir le genre d'éducation à donner à leurs enfants.

En español 

1. Toda persona tiene derecho a la educación. La educación debe ser gratuita, al menos en lo concerniente a la instrucción elemental y fundamental. La instrucción elemental será obligatoria. La instrucción técnica y profesional habrá de ser generalizada; el acceso a los estudios superiores será igual para todos, en función de los méritos respectivos. 2. La educación tendrá por objeto el pleno desarrollo de la personalidad humana y el fortalecimiento del respeto a los derechos humanos y a las libertades fundamentales; favorecerá la comprensión, la tolerancia y la amistad entre todas las naciones y todos los grupos étnicos o religiosos; y promoverá el desarrollo de las actividades de las Naciones Unidas para el mantenimiento de la paz. 3. Los padres tendrán derecho preferente a escoger el tipo de educación que habrá de darse a sus hijos.

Check out the 500 languages here. Choose an article and record yourself reading for the Database of voices reading the UDHR. To date (Aug 19, 2018)  1391 videos have been uploaded, in 76 languages, from 144 countries. 

References

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/  

Translated into 500languagess

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/SearchByLang.aspx

Add your voice, in your language and share the video

https://www.un.org/en/udhr-video/

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (French)

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=frn

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Spanish)

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=spn

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Nahuatl)

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=nhn

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Maori)

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=mbf

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Tzotzil)

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=tzc

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Hausa)

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=gej

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*In commemoration of World Humanitarian Day (Aug, 19, 2018 )

World Humanitarian Day

Copyright© Françoise Herrmann

On May 19, World Humanitarian Day (WHD), the UN celebrates the millions of people whose lives are shattered by conflict and disasters, as well as the humanitarian aid workers who are increasingly targeted in action.

The UN resolution, designating the date of Aug. 19 as WHD, also commemorates the terrorist attack on the UN Headquarters in Baghdad on Aug. 19, 2003, where the Special Representative, and former UN High Commissioner for Human rights, was killed.  

The theme for WHD 2017 is the hashtag campaign #NotAtarget. The #NotATarget campaign specifically stands up for the protection of civilians, civilian infrastructures, patients, patient facilities, medical staff and medical facilities in conflict areas. Indeed, on the occasion of WHD 2017, the UN Secretary General stated: “We are here to tell the world that: Civilians in conflict are not a target.” [UN Secretary-General, Aug. 18, 2017] 

 The reported #NotATarget toll for 2017 (Jan-March) is 88 attacks, 80 deaths, and 81 injuries. On October 3, 2015, the Medecins sans frontières (Doctors Without Borders) Kunduz Trauma Center in Afghanistan was destroyed following a US airstrike, killing 42 people (24 patients, 14 staff, and 4 patient caregivers), even though the coordinates of the facility were known.

References

UN World Humanitarian Day

http://www.un.org/en/events/humanitarianday/index.shtml

UN - Greening the Blue – World Humanitarian Day

http://www.greeningtheblue.org/

UN – WHO – World Humanitarian Day

http://www.who.int/emergencies/attacks-on-health-care/en/

UN- WHO Attacks on Health Care Dashboard

http://www.who.int/emergencies/attacks-on-health-care/attacks_dashboard_2016_updated-June2017.pdf?ua=1

UN-WHO  Report on Attacks on Health Care in Emergencies (2014-2015)

http://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/attacksreport.pdf?ua=1

UN- Secretary General Remarks on the occasion of WHD 2017

https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2017-08-18/secretary-generals-remarks-stand-together-event-mark-world

UN- World Humanitarian Day

http://worldhumanitarianday.org/en

Médecins sans frontières - #NotATarget Campaign

http://www.msf.org/en/notatarget-%E2%80%93-join-our-social-media-action 

World Humanitarian Day

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann 

This year, the theme for World Humanitarian Day is set to One Humanity, and in particular the estimated 130 million people worldwide, thrown into impossible situations of conflict and disaster, who depend on humanitarian aid to survive. 

World Humanitarian Day was founded seven years ago, with an August. 19 celebration date selected to commemorate the bombing of UN Headquarters in Baghdad, Irak, in 2003.

This year’s celebration punctuates a landmark year of action because of the first World Humanitarian Summit that was held in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 23-24.  Indeed the selected theme, One Humanity, echoes the Secretary General's report One Humanity: Shared responsibility, (Feb. 2009), calling for the world to come together at the Summit to take action that bridges all the divides.

Today also, the UN-WHO has launched the Humanitarian Impossible Choices social media campaign to raise consciousness in regards the sorts of crises situations that exist.

Here are a few humanitarian facts and figures used to inform the Impossible Choices humanitarian campaign :

•        In 2014, 80% of landmine casualties were civilian
•        92% of people killed or injured by explosive weapons in populated areas are civilians.
•        El Nino has affected more than 62 m people, including about 32 million is Southern African.
•        The average length of displacement due to civil strife is 17 years
•       More than 26 million people have been displaced due to disasters arising from natural causes since 2009.
•        In Yemen, 14 million people do not have access to clean water.
•        60% of maternal deaths take place in humanitarian crises areas.
•        75 million women and children are caught in the crises.

References

Agenda for Humanity -  One Humanity: Shared responsibility – Report of the UN Secretary General for the World Humanitarian Summit (Feb. 2016)

https://consultations.worldhumanitariansummit.org/bitcache/e49881ca33e3740b5f37162857cedc92c7c1e354?vid=569103&disposition=inline&op=view

UN – World Humanitarian Day

http://www.un.org/en/events/humanitarianday/

UN – OCCHA – Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid

http://www.unocha.org/whd2016
UN - WHO Impossible choices humanitarian campaign

https://impossiblechoices.org/en