Today is World Humanitarian Day. It's actually only the second year this day has been recognized to honor humanitarian aid workers who have been killed or injured in the course of their work, and it all started with the deadly Baghdad bombings that killed 22 United Nations staff members.
On August 19, 2003 a bomb tore through the United Nations headquarters, the Canal Hotel, in Baghdad, Iraq. The blast targeted the United Nations Assistance Mission, injured over 100 people and 22 killed, including Sérgio Vieira de Mello. Mello, a UN Special Representative, was a Brazilian diplomat who worked for the for more than 34 years. Following his death he was awarded the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.
This was only the beginning. A second bombing at the Canal Hotel followed on September 22, 2003. An Iraqi policeman and 19 others, including UN workers, were injured. This led to the evacuation of more than 600 UN aid workers from Baghdad. A small staff of aid workers did not return until August 2004.
So that is the story behind World Humanitarian Day. I have the upmost respect and admiration for aid workers and believe strongly in their work. Let's use this day to honor their lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment