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World Humanitarian Day 2021: History, theme and why it is observed
World Humanitarian Day also marks the day on which the then Special Representative of the secretary-general to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and 21 aid workers were killed in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad on August 19, 2003.
August 19 is observed as World Humanitarian Day every year in honour of all humanitarians going to extraordinary lengths to support various causes. On this day, people also remember those who lost their lives working for humanitarian causes.
World Humanitarian Day also marks the day on which the then Special Representative of the secretary-general to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and 21 aid workers were killed in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad on August 19, 2003. Five years later, the General Assembly adopted a resolution designating August 19 as World Humanitarian Day.
Every year, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs decides on a theme to encourage people to raise awareness about a prevailing crisis. This year, the world body is focussing on the climate crisis and its immediate human cost. With this, it aims to increase pressure on world leaders to take meaningful steps against climate change and save the world’s most vulnerable people.
"With most climate campaigns focused on slowing climate change and securing the planet’s future, World Humanitarian Day 2021 will highlight the immediate human cost of the climate crisis and pressure world leaders to take meaningful climate action for the world’s most vulnerable people," the UN said in the statement on its website.
The UN also highlighted that the climate emergency is wreaking havoc across the world at a scale that the humanitarian community and people working at the forefront of the issue cannot manage. "Time is already running out for millions of the world's most vulnerable people – those who have contributed least to the global climate emergency but are hit the hardest," it also stated.
