World Humanitarian Day 2024: #ActForHumanity

World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is celebrated every year on August 19 to raise awareness about crisis-affected communities and pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives to support them. This day commemorates the 19 August 2003 bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 people, including the chief humanitarian in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. The United Nations General Assembly formalised the day as World Humanitarian Day in 2009.

This year, the WHD campaign, led by UN OCHA, aims to confront the normalisation of attacks on humanitarians, civilian suffering, and impunity under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and other international agreements. The core message is that 2023 marked the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers, and 2024 is on track to be even worse. These facts highlight a glaring truth: the world is failing humanitarian workers and the people they serve. The campaign urges global leaders to end these violations and impunity, and to #ActForHumanity.

VOICE will join the #ActForHumanity campaign on different communication channels, especially on X and LinkedIn. Do not forget to follow VOICE on X and LinkedIn to amplify our messages and those of our humanitarian partners!

We encourage everyone to join efforts in promoting principled humanitarian aid during the campaign. Stay tuned!