The World Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Humanitarian Day

The world celebrates the 20^th anniversary of World Humanitarian Day by paying tribute to colleagues who have lost their lives in humanitarian service and to honor the thousands of aid workers who continue to provide much needed support to people suffering from conflicts or disasters across the world.

Twenty years ago, on August 19, 2003, the United Nations lost 22 colleagues in an attack on the UN in Baghdad, Iraq. The tragedy profoundly changed the way in which humanitarians operate – from being respected, to being targeted – and led to the creation of World Humanitarian Day (WHD).

2023 Campaign: #NoMatterWhat

Humanitarians are united by a shared mission to save and protect lives. They will never compromise on the humanitarian principles, and always strive to make the best decisions for the people they serve. However, Humanitarian work is difficult and dangerous, but we don’t give up on our commitment to overcome the challenges and deliver life-saving assistance to people in need, #NoMatterWhat.

Our core principles are humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. Join our campaign and learn more about these rinciples that guide their work. — United Nations

— UN Secretary-General, António Guterres

This year’s World Humanitarian Day reaffirms the United Nations commitment to the values and humanitarian principles that guide them and shows that we stand shoulder to shoulder with the communities we serve, no matter who, no matter who, no matter where and #NoMatterWhat. 

While August 19th is the specified day to honor all humanitarians, everyday should be humanitarian day. These heroes, men and women heroes have Socially Sparked® our lives and continue to do so. — We are Socially Sparked! Tweet us @sosparkednews