Humanitarian crises are devastating: here are five things we can all do to help

In my 10 years as United Nations Secretary-General, I have seen a huge increase in the number of people whose lives have been uprooted by disasters or conflicts. In 2006, the UN and our humanitarian partners were seeking to assist 31 million people in 26 countries. Today, that number has risen more than threefold, to 97 million in 40 countries.

This is not even the whole picture - we estimate that a total of 130 million people around the world are in need of assistance and protection.

I have also witnessed a terrible increase in the number of people who are forcibly displaced, mainly as a result of conflicts. This is now the situation of 65 million people around the world. I know first-hand how they feel. When I was six years old, I was forced to flee my village in war-torn Korea, abandoning my home with only what I could carry in my arms.

I was lucky – I received help from humanitarian workers of the United Nations. Today, thousands of aid workers dedicate their lives to serve others in dangerous and difficult circumstances, often at great personal risk. Last year alone, 287 aid workers were attacked. Yet despite the dangers, they continue their efforts to deliver life-saving assistance and protection to millions of people in need.

Each year on 19 August, we honour their sacrifice by commemorating World Humanitarian Day.

No child should have to suffer the fear and uncertainty of war. Yet around the world this is the situation of 250 million children who are trapped in conflicts. On World Humanitarian Day, we also stand in solidarity with the women, men and children around the world whose lives are caught up in crisis.

This is why, as Secretary-General, I put forward an Agenda for Humanity, based on five shared responsibilities that I believe we all must uphold if we are to create a world where humanity matters again: to prevent and end conflict. To uphold the rules of war. To reach the most vulnerable and leave no-one behind. To work together to end need. To invest in humanity, and in saving lives.

At the World Humanitarian Summit in May this year, political and humanitarian leaders made over 3,000 commitments to turn the Agenda into action. The commitments made represent progress. Now we must turn these commitments into action that will deliver clear results on the ground.

What can you do?

Each one of us can do something to create a more humane world and bring hope to people in need. Here are five ways that you can help:  

1. Use your voice.

Take a short quiz – a humanitarian edition of the popular ‘would you rather’ game – and share it on your social networks to call for action. You can also join our online community, the Messengers of Humanity, and use your social voice to advocate for the world’s most vulnerable people.

2. Show your leaders you support a more humane world.

As concerned citizens, we must continue to call for strong leadership and action to help people in conflicts and disasters. Send a message directly to world leaders asking them to stop human suffering and ensure that 130 million people are not left behind. Call on leaders to take strong action to protect refugees and migrants at the September Summit for Refugees and Migrants.

3. Apply your skills or your talents to help solve humanitarian problems.

Like any problem, humanitarian problems benefit from diverse approaches and solutions. More and more companies are lending skills and technology to help people in need. The Connecting Business Initiative helps pair the private sector’s capacity for innovation and problem-solving with pressing humanitarian challenges.

4. Volunteer

Disasters can strike anytime, anywhere. By volunteering to be a first responder within your company, your community or with your local Red Cross or Red Crescent society, you can help yourself and your community be more prepared. You can also join the many thousands of individuals who volunteer online, through United Nations Volunteers.

5. Donate

Each year people raise badly-needed funds in support of life-saving humanitarian operations. These funds can provide a life-line to people in need. You can make a donation to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund to support people in the early days of an emergency, often in the world’s most neglected crises.

• Get more ideas for action. 

• Learn more about the UN's humanitarian efforts. 
• Find out about the Sustainable Development Goals.

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Photos: WFP/Marilou Cezar; UNICEF