World Humanitarian Day | 19 August
“World Humanitarian Day is a day to acknowledge the extraordinary dedication and courage of our colleagues who face adversity and danger on a daily basis while helping those in need. The humanitarian challenges we face today are greater than ever before as we work in increasingly complex security environments with an unprecedented number of displaced people.” - Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Every year on 19 August, World Humanitarian Day (WHD) recognizes aid workers who risk their lives in order to provide humanitarian assistance to people around the world. This campaign has gone from its inception in 2008 as a day to recognize humanitarian personnel and those who have lost their lives working for humanitarian causes into a global campaign celebrating the spirit of humanitarianism, and mobilizing people to advocate for a more humane world. There are 65 million people displaced worldwide. An unprecedented number of people are being forced to migrate to escape war, poverty, the impact of climate change and persecution. The humanitarian system is overwhelmed by the number and scale of humanitarian emergencies and conflicts. Indeed, a world with millions uprooted is itself a crisis.
The theme of this year’s World Humanitarian Day is ‘One Humanity’. This theme highlights the importance of our shared humanity - building connections across divides and creating a sense of shared responsibility for addressing displacement. The theme of “One Humanity” should inspire us to mobilize further our common resources to ensure that crisis-affected populations have a second chance.
On this World Humanitarian Day, humanitarian actors and global citizens working together is critical to delivering life-saving assistance in the aftermath of a crisis, in ending displacement and finding durable solutions. #ShareHumanity