World Humanitarian Day 2022: World Humanitarian Day is celebrated every year on August 19th to honour humanitarian aid workers all over the world. World Humanitarian Day commemorates the bombing of the United Nations Headquarters in Iraq.
World Humanitarian Day: History
Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, and 22 other humanitarian relief workers perished in a bombing on August 19, 2003, at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq.
Following this unfortunate event, the Sergio Vieira Mello Foundation and de Mello's family collaborated closely with the ambassadors of France, Switzerland, Japan, and Brazil at both the Geneva and New York tables, guiding the proposal to devote a special day through the General Assembly.
This led to the establishment of World Humanitarian Day in 2009 by the UN General Assembly.
World Humanitarian Day: Significance
This day is celebrated to remind us of all the people who make our lives much easier and safer and recognizes the efforts of aid workers who put their lives in jeopardy to help people during the global crisis.
It celebrates the valiant humanitarian aid workers like Sergio who selflessly labour every day to improve the globe and for those whose, homes and way of life are endangered by violence.
World Humanitarian Day 2022
World Humanitarian Day is observed by the UN every year on a specific theme. The goal of the subject is to improve and create awareness for the safety of humanitarian workers as well as for the survival, wellbeing, and dignity of people affected by disasters. It brings together all the stakeholders in the humanitarian ecosystem.
This year, the UN has chosen to relate this day to the upbringing of a child. The phrase "It takes a village" from the idiom "It takes a village to raise a child" was chosen as the 2022 theme. Society must play a part in the service of mankind, just as raising a young kid involves a great deal of work and consideration on the part of the entire family.
This slogan also points toward the world as a “Global Village” and we humans as its inhabitants. As a result, "humanity & humanitarian workers" is the new child that the entire global village must take care of. It exhorts everyone to participate in acts of kindness and raises awareness of the value of aid workers.
Every civilisation is built on this equilibrium, where a helpful hand also needs assistance in times of need. This theme commemorates and declares human rights workers to be heroes once more. These heroes are neither those portrayed in fiction, novels, or films nor those who believe in reaching their own objectives. These real-life heroes are people who serve humanity despite all circumstances.