Inspiring the world's humanity

World Humanitarian Day (19 August) is a time to recognise 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. 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 invite all of you to inspire the world's humanity. The theme calls on you to join any of the world's humanitarian organizations and become an active messenger of Humanity.

In his message UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that we honour the selfless dedication and sacrifice of workers and volunteers from around the world who devote themselves – often at great personal risk – to assisting the world's most vulnerable people.

This year, more than 100 million women, men and children need life-saving humanitarian assistance.  The amount of people affected by conflict has reached levels not seen since the Second World War, while the number of those affected by natural and human-induced disasters remains profound. 

On this Day we also celebrate our common humanity.  The families and communities struggling to survive in today's emergencies do so with resilience and dignity.  They need and deserve our renewed commitment to do all we can to provide them with the means for a better future. Each one of us can make a difference. In a world that is ever more digitally connected, each of us has the power and responsibility to inspire our fellow human beings to act to help others and create a more humane world.

On this World Humanitarian Day everyone needs to show solidarity as global citizens by signing up to the #ShareHumanity campaign.  By donating your social media feeds for just one day you can promote humanitarian action and help to give a voice to the voiceless by sharing their stories of crisis, hope and resilience, he urged.

-    Compiled by Law Desk (UN.ORG).