Humanitarians honoured on inaugural Day
Yesterday marked the inaugural World Humanitarian Day, designed to honour the services of aid workers around the world, including those who have lost their lives in helping others.
The date was chosen to mark the sixth anniversary of the death of United Nations diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, who served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Iraq.
Vieira de Mello and 21 others were killed when bombs hit the UN building in Iraq on August 19, 2003.
“World Humanitarian Day allows us to reflect on the contribution aid workers make to alleviate the suffering of the world’s poorest, and the ultimate sacrifice made by some,” said Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith.
“In 2008, 260 aid workers were killed, kidnapped or seriously injured in the line of their work. The vast majority of aid workers killed in that period came from the communities they were trying to help. Australia is working actively within the United Nations to achieve greater protection for humanitarian workers.”
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