Riyaz Patel
As part of this year’s World Humanitarian Day (WHD) commemorations, the UN and its partners are launching the #WomenHumanitarians global campaign to pay special tribute for the work women do to save lives and alleviate human suffering.
Across the globe, 250,000 aid workers are women – a figure that amounts to more than 40 percent of the humanitarian workforce, the UN said.
The day is commemorated each year on 19 August, the date back in 2003 when the UN headquarters in Baghdad was targeted by a large terrorist truck bomb, killing 22 people, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN’s most senior representative in Iraq.
The attack sixteen years ago on UN Headquarters in Iraq was one of the most lethal in the Organization’s history, and marked a turning point in how the UN and aid groups operate in the field
Marking the tenth anniversary of WHD Monday, the UN said it is honouring the contribution of tens of the thousands of women humanitarian aid workers who provide life-saving support to vulnerable people caught up in crises in some of the world’s most dangerous places.
“From supporting civilians caught up in crisis to addressing disease outbreaks, women humanitarians are on the front lines.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
This year’s focus salutes the efforts of women humanitarian workers across the world who rally to people in need and are often the first to respond and the last to leave.
“From supporting civilians caught up in crisis to addressing disease outbreaks, women humanitarians are on the front lines,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
These unsung heroes operate in some of the most difficult terrains across the globe – from the war-wounded in Afghanistan, to the food insecure in the Sahel, to those who have lost their homes and livelihoods in places such as Central African Republic, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
“Their presence makes aid operations more effective by increasing their reach,” said the UN chief.
“It also improves the humanitarian response to gender-based violence, which increases during emergencies.”
Since August 2003, more than 4,500 aid workers of all genders have been killed, injured, detained, assaulted or kidnapped while carrying out their work, the UN pointed out.
“Across the globe, 250,000 aid workers are women – a figure that amounts to more than 40 percent of the humanitarian workforce.”
UNITED NATIONS
That averages out to five attacks per week. Moreover, women humanitarians are at particularly high risk of robbery, sexual assault and other violence.
The UN emphasized that under international law, all humanitarian workers must be safeguarded.
“World leaders, and all parties to conflict, must ensure that humanitarians are protected from harm, as required under international law,” Guterres stressed.
And yet, serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law continue around the world, which “must be investigated and prosecuted… always”, he added.
“This World Humanitarian Day, we showcase the commitment and drive of some truly amazing women in the humanitarian community,” said UN Humanitarian Chief and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock.
“The dedication of these women to help the world’s most vulnerable people is admirable, particularly those women who are often the first to respond in their communities when faced with a crisis,” he added.
The campaign aims to tell the stories of 24 women over 24 hours, to show the range and diversity of their roles in humanitarian action.
They include a driver in the Central African Republic who brings food to people in need; a woman who provides legal advice to refugee women and children from Somalia; and a midwife in Liberia who has cared for mothers and babies for three decades and has more than 800 girls named after her.
