Today, we face record levels of humanitarian need. Never have so many crises converged, including conflicts, the climate emergency, a global pandemic, hunger and displacement. Our world is under enormous stress, and the most vulnerable people can no longer cope.
However, every hour of every day, humanitarian work continues around the world, and it saves lives.
This year's WHD campaign highlights the importance of humanitarian action by building on the saying 'It takes a village to raise a child,' because, similarly, it takes a village to support a person in a humanitarian crisis.
"This village is made up of affected communities themselves, who are always first to respond when crisis strikes, backed up by a support system of national emergency services, local businesses and civil society, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), UN agencies, and the Red Cross and Red Crescent family,'' said Martin Griffiths, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs in his op-ed for the campaign.
However, humanitarian workers are operating under increasingly dangerous circumstances. According to data from Humanitarian Outcomes, more than 140 aid workers were killed in 2021 while helping others -- the highest number of aid worker fatalities since 2013. You can read more about the safety of humanitarian workers in our WHD Press Release for this year.
*"Far from the spotlight and out of the headlines, humanitarians work around the clock to make our world a better place. Against incredible odds. Often at great personal risk, they are suffering in some of the most dangerous circumstances imaginable,'' *said António Guterres, The Secretary-General of the United Nations, on his video remarks for the day.
On World Humanitarian Day, we invite everyone to follow #ItTakesAVillage on social media, to share, like, and comment on the posts, and to use every occasion to show solidarity with people who need aid and appreciation for those who work to deliver it.
The world may feel fractured right now, but this humanitarian action is evidence that unity and solidarity are still alive and strong. As individuals, our impact is limited, but together we have tremendous power.
On behalf of the UN OCHA and everyone whose heart beats for humanity, I thank you for adding your voice to our efforts.
Kirsten Mildren,
Chief, Public Advocacy & Campaigns
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.