The World Humanitarian Day is commemorated annually on the 19th of August to embrace the need for the safety and security of aid workers. It brings together partners from across the humanitarian system to advocate for the survival, well-being and the dignity of people affected by crises.
The day was set by the United Nations General Assembly through a resolution after the 19th of August 2003 bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, that killed twenty-two (22) humanitarian aid workers, including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
This year, it was focused on the importance, effectiveness and positive impact of humanitarian work with the theme NoMatterWhat. Despite the work being difficult and dangerous, humanitarians accept the challenges with a commitment to overcome and deliver life-saving assistance to the people in need.
“It is imperative that the government invests in disaster management and disaster risk reduction to enable the national and provincial governments to adequately respond to a nationwide-scale emergency,” United Nations Resident Coordinator in PNG, Richard Howard said.
Mr Howard acknowledged the Disaster Management Team Members, development partners; World Bank, DFAT, EU, Japan, MFAT, USAID, and the Red Cross Movement, World Vision, Caritas, PNG Council of Churches, ADRA, CARE, MAF, ChildFund, Equal Playing Field, MSF, Oxfam, Plan and Save the Children, for their continued humanitarian worked in Papua New Guinea.
