UN marks first World Humanitarian Day

(AUG.20,2009): United Nations officials and staff marked the first World Humanitarian Day on Wed. by paying tribute to the efforts of aid workers on the frontlines around the globe, and by vowing to redouble the international community’s commitment to continue to assist people in need. Last year, the General Assembly proclaimed 19 August as World Humanitarian Day, to commemorate the 2003 Canal Hotel bombing in Baghdad, which claimed the lives of 22 UN staff members, including the world body’s top envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and wounded more than 150 people.
Speaking at the wreath-laying ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York, in memory of the victims of the Baghdad bombing , UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that more humanitarian workers were kidnapped, seriously injured or killed last year during violent attacks than ever before. “This is unacceptable,” Ban said, pledging to do all that he can as UN Secretary-General to help victims, while protecting the security and independence of those who work so hard to save them.
Aside from the ceremonies in New York and Geneva, special events were held at UN offices around the world, including in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Thailand, Indonesia
And the United Arab Emirates
In a separate message marking the Day, Ban said the UN continues to draw inspiration from the legacy of the people who were killed in Bagdad and noted that the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation is establishing an annual prize in his name to recognize outstanding achievements in the peaceful reconciliation of conflict. Ban said men and women who serve as humanitarian workers come from many backgrounds, but they share a conviction that one person’s suffering is everyone’s responsibility.