World Humanitarian Day 2021 :#TheHumanRace

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 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.

World Humanitarian Day 2021

#TheHumanRace

A global challenge for climate action in solidarity with the people who need it most

This year’s World Humanitarian Day is devoted to dealing with the climate crisis, the single biggest health threat facing humanity. This day is a crucial milestone in the lead up to the COP26 summit in November when leaders from 196 countries will meet to agree action to get climate change under control. 

This year, WHD highlight the immediate human cost of the climate crisis by pressuring world leaders to take meaningful climate action for the world’s most vulnerable people. WHD is a campaign by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and humanitarian partners.

Source of info: UN, WHO & https://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/

Recommended readings

• Infectious Disease and Climate Change Forum 2021
• National Climate Change Policy, 2076 (2019)
• Collateral Threats of COVID-19 and Climate Change