Patents on the soles of your shoes...: World Humanitarian Day 2023

Saturday, August 19, 2023

World Humanitarian Day 2023

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.