Statement by President Michael D. Higgins to mark World Humanitarian Day, 19 August
Date: Thu 18th Aug, 2016 | 12:36
Marking World Humanitarian Day (19 August), President Michael D. Higgins today highlighted the importance of international cooperation to meet the needs of the world’s most vulnerable people:
“World Humanitarian Day is commemorated across the globe each year, to pay tribute to aid workers who have died or have been injured in the course of their work and to celebrate our common commitment to the values of humanity.
Today, as we honour those who work to pick up the pieces in a broken world by seeking to prevent and respond to human suffering, we are called upon to inspire each other to help create a more humane world.
World Humanitarian Day is an opportunity to show our solidarity with the more than 130 million people around the world who need humanitarian assistance to survive.
We can take pride in Ireland’s strong track record of support to the victims of conflict and natural disasters. And we can encourage each other to take actions – and to call for policies – that help bring an end to poverty and violence.”
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NOTES
1) In December 2008 the UN General Assembly decided to designate 19 August as World Humanitarian Day. Members of the UN chose August 19th, because it was the day when, in 2003, 22 aid workers were killed in a bombing at the UN headquarters in Baghdad.
2) The President has spoken about the challenges facing humanitarian aid workers a number of times in recent times. Some of his speeches on the topic include:
- Speech about 'sustainable development' (May 2016)
- Leaders’ statement at the World Humanitarian Summit (May 2016)
- Speech to the diplomatic corps in Ireland (January 2016)
- Speech on Preparing for the World Humanitarian Summit (July 2015)
Recently, the President also spoke about the response to the Syria crisis: