United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the international community to mobilize to overcome the humanitarian crisis that threatens several parts of the world.
“It takes a whole village to help people in the throes of a humanitarian crisis,” he said in a message on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day celebrated on August 19 each year.
He noted that “this village understands those affected, always the first to respond when disaster strikes – in a spirit of mutual aid between neighbours”. It also includes the global community that is mobilizing to help these people recover and rebuild, as well as the hundreds of thousands of humanitarian workers working in a voluntary or professional capacity, said the UN chief.
“This village provides health care and education services and brings water and food, shelter and protection, help and hope,” he said, noting that humanitarians are working tirelessly to make the world a better place.
Emphasizing that humanitarians, often at the risk of their lives, alleviate suffering in the most dangerous conditions possible, Guterres saluted their dedication and courage as well as the memory of those who lost their lives in the service of this noble cause.
For his part, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, noted in an op-ed for the same day that despite the bleak picture of conflicts and crises, there is hope.
“Even in the depths of despair and division, there are glimmers of hope, whether in new solutions to seemingly intractable problems or acts of generosity and kindness that bring comfort to those who suffer”, he estimated in this article sent to correspondents.
He observed that hope and solidarity are at the very heart of humanitarian action, noting that in the context of the continuing violence in Ukraine, for example, there are thousands of volunteers helping those trapped in war zones.
This generosity also echoes a long tradition of mutual aid between neighbors that manifests itself from Bangladesh to Colombia, from Jordan to Uganda, he said.
And to conclude that the courage and conviction of these humanitarian workers, who are always looking for ways to reach those affected even in the worst of crises, “prompt us never to lose hope”.
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