World Humanitarian Day is celebrated each year on August 19. It is a day dedicated to all those who bestowed and sacrificed their lives for humanitarian causes and the benefit of humanity. The theme of this year 2021 is “The Human Race”.The main aim is concentrating on the global action required to combat climate change and to stand in complete solidarity with the most vulnerable persons across the globe.
This day was observed in the memory of the bomb attack that occurred on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq which eventually killed 22 Iraqis including Sergio Vieira de Mello, an Iraqi UN diplomat, and humanitarian. It was first observed in 2009 when the UN officially formalized it as a day.
The German ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schlagheck took to his Twitter account and shared that Humanitarian aid is one of the most important pillars of German foreign policy. In 2020 Germany provided 2.5 billion dollars for projects in 64 countries including Pakistan, becoming the second largest provider of humanitarian assistance globally.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden stated that the humanitarian situation around the world is dire and is made worse by climate change. The brave and dedicated humanitarian workers saving the lives of people in times of crisis require utmost respect, support, and protection.
The four basic principles of World Humanitarian Day are humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. On this day, awareness campaigns through various sessions are organized to pay tribute to those people who are genuinely helping humanity in one way or the other or lost their lives during service.
