The world observes August 19th as World Humanitarian Day commemorating the selfless sacrifices made by humanitarian workers and organisations for the distressed people across the globe in times of despair. The United Nations designated this as World Humanitarian Day in memory of the 22 UN and relief agency staff who lost their lives in a Baghdad bombing on this day 13 years ago. It is an opportunity to pause to honour the brave men and women who have died serving others, while celebrating the humanitarian spirit that mobilises help for those who are suffering. The comments from The Secretary General of United Nations reminds us the importance of the Humanitarian works and the sacrifices made by the Humanitarian workers, "World Humanitarian Day is an annual reminder of the need to act to alleviate the suffering. It is also an occasion to honour the humanitarian workers and volunteers toiling on the frontlines of crises. I pay tribute to these dedicated women and men who brave danger to help others at far greater risk." World Humanitarian Day was designated by the United Nations in December of 2008 in an effort to honor the sacrifices of humanitarian workers. It is celebrated annually on August 19, a day that commemorates the 2003 bombing of the UN Headquarters in Iraq. Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people in need. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need belong homeless, refugees, victims of natural disasters, wars and famines. The primary purpose of humanitarian aid is to save lives, reduce suffering and respect to human dignity. Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disasters and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity. It may therefore be distinguished from development aid, which seeks to address the underlying socioeconomic factors which may have led to a crisis or emergency. Humanitarian assistance is generally accepted to mean the aid and action designed to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain and protect human dignity during and in the aftermath of man-made crises and natural disasters, as well as to prevent and strengthen preparedness for the occurrence of such situations. What marks it out from other forms of aid and foreign assistance is that it should be guided by the principles of:Some thoughts on World Humanitarian Day
The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity
Masihul Huq Chowdhury
The world observes August 19th as World Humanitarian Day commemorating the selfless sacrifices made by humanitarian workers and organisations for the distressed people across the globe in times of despair. The United Nations designated this as World Humanitarian Day in memory of the 22 UN and relief agency staff who lost their lives in a Baghdad bombing on this day 13 years ago. It is an opportunity to pause to honour the brave men and women who have died serving others, while celebrating the humanitarian spirit that mobilises help for those who are suffering. The comments from The Secretary General of United Nations reminds us the importance of the Humanitarian works and the sacrifices made by the Humanitarian workers, World Humanitarian Day is an annual reminder of the need to act to alleviate the suffering. It is also an occasion to honour the humanitarian workers and volunteers toiling on the frontlines of crises. I pay tribute to these dedicated women and men who brave danger to help others at far greater risk. World Humanitarian Day was designated by the United Nations in December of 2008 in an effort to honor the sacrifices of humanitarian workers. It is celebrated annually on August 19, a day that commemorates the 2003 bombing of the UN Headquarters in Iraq. Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people in need. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need belong homeless, refugees, victims of natural disasters, wars and famines. The primary purpose of humanitarian aid is to save lives, reduce suffering and respect to human dignity. Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disasters and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity. It may therefore be distinguished from development aid, which seeks to address the underlying socioeconomic factors which may have led to a crisis or emergency. Humanitarian assistance is generally accepted to mean the aid and action designed to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain and protect human dignity during and in the aftermath of man-made crises and natural disasters, as well as to prevent and strengthen preparedness for the occurrence of such situations. What marks it out from other forms of aid and foreign assistance is that it should be guided by the principles of:
Humanity saving human lives and alleviating suffering wherever it is found
Impartiality acting solely on the basis of need, without discrimination between or within affected populations
Neutrality acting without favouring any side in an armed conflict or other dispute where such action is carried out
Independence the autonomy of humanitarian objectives from the political, economic, military or other objectives that any actor may hold with regard to areas where humanitarian action is being implemented.
Humanitarian aid spans a wide range of activities, including providing food aid, healthcare or protection. The majority of aid is provided in the form of in-kind goods or assistance, with cash and vouchers only comprising 6 per cent of total humanitarian spending. However, evidence has shown how cash transfers can be better for recipients as it gives them choice and control, they can be more cost-efficient and better for local markets and economies. Ranging from man made calamities like war to the natural calamities, the importance of the workers and the organisations engaged in humanitarian activities are growing. Saving lives is getting harder to do as crises and conflicts grow in complexity, strain scarce resources, and often put aid workers in grave danger. The numbers tell a grim story: a record 130.5 million people are in need across 40 countries; more than 65 million people have been forcibly displaced by conflict and violence by the end of 2015the highest figure ever recorded. Violence and insecurity in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, and Yemen are still driving massive internal and cross-border displacement. This World Humanitarian Day, the UN and its partners are calling for global solidarity with the more than 130 million people around the world who need humanitarian assistance to survive. Under the theme of One Humanity, World Humanitarian Day will highlight how the world came together in Istanbul for the World Humanitarian Summit earlier this year, and made commitments to support people affected by crisis and ensure that aid workers can safely and more effectively deliver to those in need.
The beginnings of organized international humanitarian aid can be traced to the late 19th century. One of the first such examples occurred in response to the Northern Chinese Famine of 1876-brought about by a drought that began in northern China in 1875 and lead to crop failures in the following years. As many as 10 million people may have died in the famine. A simultaneous campaign was launched in response to the Great Famine of 1876-8 in India. A Famine Relief Fund was set up in the United Kingdom and had raised 426,000 within the first few months.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) was founded in 1919 in Paris in the aftermath of World War I. The war had shown a need for close cooperation between Red Cross Societies, which, through their humanitarian activities on behalf of prisoners of war and combatants, had attracted millions of volunteers and built a large body of expertise. A devastated Europe could not afford to lose such a resource. The Red Cross idea was born in 1859, when Henry Dunant, a young Swiss man, came upon the scene of a bloody battle in Solferino, Italy, between the armies of imperial Austria and the Franco-Sardinian alliance. Some 40,000 men lay dead or dying on the battlefield and the wounded were lacking medical facilities. The Red Cross was born in 1863 when five Geneva men, including Dunant, set up the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, later to become the International Committee of the Red Cross. Its emblem was a red cross on a white background: the inverse of the Swiss flag. The following year, 12 governments adopted the first Geneva Convention; a milestone in the history of humanity, offering care for the wounded, and defining medical services as neutral on the battlefield. John Henry Dunant was born on 8th May 1828 in Geneva. He formed YMCA in 1852 and World Alliance of YMCA in 1855.
The passion for humanitarian activities among the artists are very much visible now a days. It was Concert for Bangladesh which was the first of its type in the world. The concert was the collective name for two benefit concerts organised by George Harrison and Ustad Ravi Shankar. The concerts were held at 2:30 and 8:00 pm on Sunday, 1 August 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The shows were organised to raise international awareness and fund relief efforts for refugees from the then East Pakistan. The performers included Harrison, fellow Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joanna Baez among others. Ravi Shankar and Akbar Ali Khan both of whom had ancestral roots in Bangladesh performed an opening set of Indian classical music. Decades later, Shankar would say of the overwhelming success of the event: In one day, the whole world knew the name of Bangladesh. It was a fantastic occasion ... It was attended by a total of 40,000 people, and raised close to USD 250,000 for Bangladesh relief, which was administered by UNICEF.
Live Aid, a 1985 fund-raising effort headed by Bob Geldof induced millions of people in the West to donate money and to urge their governments to participate in the relief effort in Ethiopia. Some of the proceeds also went to the famine hit areas of Eritrea.
The observers have noted that basic humanitarian principles are under siege from all sides. Governments and the UN often want to co-opt humanitarian response into other political objectives. For example, governments, such as the US, see humanitarian response as part of a larger war on terror or in pursuit of specific political objectives. The UN is increasingly using integrated missions in which humanitarian response is coordinated with peacekeeping and political negotiations. On the other hand, humanitarian ideals have been challenged by increasingly vociferous critics who point to the ways in which humanitarians have not only failed but how they have often made the situation worse and prolonged conflicts. And there are difficult issues from the field which challenge humanitarian actors every day: how to balance security of humanitarian staff with neutrality? How far to negotiate with non-state actors to ensure humanitarian access? Some have suggested that the days of principled humanitarianism are over and that a more pragmatic humanitarianism is necessary. Perhaps the most obvious response is that the humanitarian crowd, and particularly from actors which are not exclusively humanitarian actors.
World Humanitarian Day seeks to recognize the compassion and bravery of humanitarian workers. The day also serves to gain international cooperation to meet the needs of humanitarian work around the world. Humanitarian workers provide life-saving assistance consisting of first aid, nutrition, shelter and help rebuild after disaster has struck. These workers often battle violence, local diseases and hunger while attempting to save lives and provide relief to those most in need. Let us take this opportunity to show our deepest respect to these modern day heroes and their selfless
contribution to make the world a better place to live.
The writer, a banker by profession, has worked both in local and overseas market with various foreign and local banks in different positions
