Today is World Humanitarian Day, a time to recognize those who face danger and adversity in order to help others. The day was designated by the General Assembly to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.
In a video interview launched today, Beyonce elaborated on what World Humanitarian Day means to her.
19 August, 2013 marks 10 years since that tragic event, which claimed 22 lives. This year, the international community will pause to remember those who died, as well as the dozens of aid workers, who have died in the years since.
“Every year on August 19th we mark World Humanitarian Day in honour of aid workers, who have lost their lives in the line of duty,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “We commemorate their sacrifice and reaffirm our commitment to the lifesaving work that humanitarians carry out around the world every day, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances, where others cannot or do not want to go. This year our World Humanitarian Day campaign is calling on people to answer a question: ‘What do you think the world needs more of?’”
But World Humanitarian Day is also an opportunity to celebrate the spirit that inspires humanitarian work around the globe.
This year the UN and its humanitarian partners are launching a ground-breaking campaign called The world needs more… This is a first-of-its-kind project that will quite literally turn words into aid.
To get involved and to learn more about the campaign visit www.worldhumanitarianday.org.
