#ShareHumanity this World Humanitarian Day

Tomorrow’s World Humanitarian Day marks the anniversary of the bombing in 2003 of United Nations Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, that claimed the lives of 22 people.

The Day is now observed each year to honour the efforts of humanitarian aid workers who strive to build a life of dignity for all – and to remember those who have sacrificed their lives while helping to save others.

In today’s volatile world, humanitarian needs are outstripping our ability to respond. More than 100 million people need urgent, life-saving aid just to survive each day. Over 60 million have been forced from their homes, in the worst displacement since the Second World War.

The UN’s call this year for nearly $20 billion for aid to over 80 million people has met with less than 30 per cent funding. Put simply, this shortfall translates into babies becoming malnourished after drinking dirty water, children being denied access to food, pregnant women giving birth without the medicine they need, families sleeping under scraps of cloth, whole communities forced to live in fear without protection. The huge humanitarian funding gap will translate into the deaths of many due to lack of help.

We need the engagement of a wide range of partners to meet the needs of the vulnerable, from Governments to individuals to businesses. The private sector can help mitigate the effects of humanitarian crises, not only through funding but also through speed and efficiency of delivery, knowledge and presence in local markets and worldwide distribution networks. Earlier this year, for instance, in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Pam, the private sector mobilised quickly to provide emergency relief, with cruise ships delivering bottled water, generators and supplies to those affected in Vanuatu.

To raise awareness of humanitarian needs, the UN and partners launched the #ShareHumanity digital campaign ahead of this year’s World Humanitarian Day. The campaign asks people to donate their social media feeds to showcase the resilience and dignity of people living through some of today’s greatest emergencies – from Syria to Yemen to South Sudan.

Tonight, I will attend a special event in New York with performers and special guests from around the world who care deeply about humanitarian issues. Australian singer Cody Simpson, Malian vocalist Inna Modja and Colombian singer Juanes will take the stage to shine the spotlight on humanitarian crises.  

Maintaining this momentum for action will be key as we work toward the World Humanitarian Summit, to be held in Istanbul next May, where global leaders and people affected by crises will come together to find bold new ways of working together to save lives and reduce hardship.

The Summit is an opportunity for a renewed and reinvigorated commitment to humanitarian action. As the international community focuses on what can be achieved in Istanbul, I encourage everyone to take part in the #ShareHumanity campaign and help build a more humane world.

• #ShareHumanity by donating your social media feed this World Humanitarian Day. 
• Learn more about the UN's humanitarian efforts. 

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Images: UN OCHA