“Humanitarian aid workers under serious security threat”- UN
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says about 35
people have been killed in North-East Nigeria since 2016, while many have been injured
or kidnapped in that same region
In a statement issued to commemorate the World Humanitarian Day celebration, the
United Nations said the challenges have, however, not deterred humanitarian aid workers
from ensuring that aids get to the people who need them.
“Today on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, the humanitarian community in the
north-east Nigeria honours all aid workers stepping up to respond each day to the crisis in
the region by providing life-saving assistance to millions of women, children, and men,”
the statement reads.
Why is WHD celebrated?
World Humanitarian Day celebrated on the 19th of August every year, advocates for the safety
and security of aid workers, who often work in a volatile and unpredictable environment.
According to Aid Workers Security Database, AWSD, about 35 aid workers have been
killed since 2016 in the North-East, 22 have been wounded and 28 kidnapped. In 2022
alone, six aid workers have been kidnapped while one person has been killed in the
region.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale while speaking
on the theme of this year’s celebration: “It takes a village”, said just as it takes a village to
raise a child, it takes a whole community to help people in need; to provide urgent health
care, shelter, food, protection, transportation, security, water, and much more.
On his part, Secretary-General of the UN, Antonio Guterres said aid workers who
dedicate their lives to assist people and represent the best in humanity, adding that “ against
incredible odds, often at great risk, they ease suffering in some of the most dangerous
circumstances imaginable”.
About World Humanitarian Day:
In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly designated August 19 as World
Humanitarian Day to raise awareness about humanitarian assistance worldwide and to
pay tribute to the people who risk their lives to provide it. It was commemorated for the first time in 2009
