Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Humanitarian Day, observed today:
Humanitarian workers are here to help the world’s most vulnerable people when disaster strikes.
But around the world, aid workers face growing threats. In the past 20 years, shootings, kidnappings and other attacks on humanitarian organizations have increased tenfold. This year alone, at least 72 humanitarian workers have been killed in conflict zones.
On World Humanitarian Day, we pay tribute to aid workers everywhere and commit to doing everything possible to protect them and their vital work.
This year’s campaign for World Humanitarian Day focuses on the climate crisis, which threatens the homes, livelihoods and lives of some of the world’s poorest people. By signing up to #TheHumanRace, your daily exercise will help send a message to global leaders that climate action can leave no one behind.
The climate emergency is a race we are losing. But it’s a race we can and must win. Let’s lace up our running shoes, join TheHumanRace campaign, and together, make sure everyone reaches the finish line.
