A Call to #ActForHumanity

World Humanitarian Day | United Nations

On 19 August, we mark World Humanitarian Day — a time to honor those who step into crises to help others, and to stand with the millions of people whose lives hang in the balance.

This year the message is clear: the humanitarian system is stretched to its limits; underfunded, overwhelmed and under attack.

Where bombs fall and disasters strike, humanitarian workers are the ones holding the line keeping people alive, often at great personal risk. But more and more those who help are becoming targets themselves.

In 2024 alone over 380 humanitarian workers were killed. Some in the line of duty, others in their homes. Hundreds more have been injured, kidnapped or detained, and there is reason to fear 2025 could be worse.

Too often the world looks away, even when these attacks violate international law. The laws meant to protect aid workers are ignored. Those responsible walk free. This silence and lack of accountability cannot continue.

The system is failing not just humanitarian workers, but the people they serve. We’re not at a crossroads anymore. We’re standing at the edge. Needs are rising. Funding is falling. Attacks on aid workers are breaking records.

To pull us back from that edge, this World Humanitarian Day we’re relaunching #ActForHumanity with sharper urgency demanding protection, accountability and action.

It’s time to turn global outrage into real pressure on those in power, asking them to:

• Protect humanitarian workers and the civilians they serve

• Uphold international humanitarian law

• Fund the lifelines we claim to support

If we can’t protect the people who save lives, what does that say about us? If we let this continue, we risk losing not just a system but our sense of humanity.

Background

On 19 August 2003, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 22 humanitarian aid workers, including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Five years later, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day (WHD).

Each year, WHD focuses on a theme, bringing together partners from across the humanitarian system to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, and for the safety and security of aid workers.

WHD is a campaign by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).