A Tribute to Humanity

Today is the day to pay homage to the Humanitarians who have kept others lives much ahead of their own comfort, life and family.

Today, 19th August is celebrated as World Humanitarian Day. The day pays tribute to the thousands of humanitarian workers who gave their lives and suffered injuries in the course of their work.  It is a day to remind us that these are the people who make our life much easier and safer, and recognizes the efforts of aid workers who put their lives on the line to help affected people during times of global crisis. 

It was 19 August 2003, when a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 22 humanitarian aid workers, including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Five years later, the General Assembly of UN adopted a resolution designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day (WHD) and since then it has been. Sérgio was born and raised in Brazil and worked day and night for three decades to aid victims of armed conflict by bringing them relief and making sure their plight was heard globally and worked relentlessly to bring a more humanitarian approach to viewing wars, focusing on the innocent human lives who struggled to survive and were caught in conflicts they had no desire to be a part of. 

World Humanitarian Day was established in 2008 by the United Nations General Assembly and was first officially celebrated in 2009. 19th August is designated as World Humanitarian day. Each year the is celebrated on different themes, bringing together partners from across the humanitarian system to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, and for the safety and security of aid workers. In 2018, the theme was #Not A Target, to highlight the outrage of targeting those who provide aid in conflict. In 2021, it was #The Human Race against the climate control crisis clock.

This year the day is for celebrating the importance, effectiveness and positive impact of humanitarian work. The 2022 WHD campaign radiates lights on the thousands of volunteers, professionals and crisis-affected people who deliver urgent health care, shelter, food, protection, water and much more.

This day, let us commemorate all those great humans who continue their services to provide support and protection to people in need, their dedication and commitment to serving humanity. Our kudos to them.

Born as human is a blessing which we receive naturally as we are born, being a Human is a blissful journey, an achievement. Why can’t we promise to work together for being a part of this journey today, if not have done yet? Why can’t we all contribute towards making this world a better place for living for the future generations?

@Sanchita Roychowdhury

GOPSAI AVINANDAN SANGHA

Editor