World Humanitarian Day

  How did it feel when we reached for the stars? When we cured the incurable? When we took steps together toward a brighter future? Outlaw for all time. When human potential made us all proud. And now, how does it feel having lost our way? Now that human ingenuity turned against us. Now that hospitals and schools are being targeted, how does it feel to see that laws designed to protect us are being brazenly disregarded? It is time to renew our promise. Let's make protecting each other our greatest achievement,

When the worst happens and lives are at risk, the people who come to help should never be targets. In 2025 alone, 350 aid workers were killed, the second-highest annual toll ever recorded. Behind every number is a family whose world has been torn apart. From armed drones to emerging technologies, the nature of war is changing. Our humanity cannot. When misused, these technologies put civilians and humanitarians in even greater danger. Humanitarians continue to be killed, injured, detained and blocked from reaching people in need. The laws exist. The commitments exist. What is missing is consequence. Concern is not protection. Condemnation is not accountability. Those with power and influence must act. Protect civilians and humanitarians. Enable humanitarian access. Investigate violations. Hold perpetrators to account. The time for concern is over. The time for consequence is now. How can you help? We are not powerless. People everywhere must demand protection – and reject excuses when ...

Despite repeated promises from the international community, humanitarians continue to come under attack, with over 1,000 aid workers killed in the past three years alone. On World Humanitarian Day , 19 August, join our call to end these violations and the impunity that allows them. #ActForHumanity Background On 19 August 2003, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 22 humanitarian aid workers, including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Five years later, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day (WHD). Each year, WHD focuses on a theme, bringing together partners from across the humanitarian system to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, and for the safety and security of aid workers. This year, the demand is clear:  act early before warning signs become casualty lists.  Stop the violence. Stop the...

Wreath-laying by the Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. António Guterres in front of the plaque honouring those who lost their lives in Baghdad, followed by a moment of silence. The commemoration of the bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad (Iraq) will be observed with a brief ceremony organized by the UN Staff Union's Standing Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service . The ceremony also marks the observance of World Humanitarian Day designated by the General Assembly in 2008 to coincide with the date of the bombing in Baghdad. The Day also honours humanitarian aid workers who have been killed or injured in the course of their work. Confirmed attending survivors (in-person):Mr. Salim Lone, the spokesperson in Baghdad for Mr. Sérgio Vieira de Mello, the head of the UN mission in Iraq. Mr. Lone currently writes columns for a newspapers, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Sunday Nation (Kenya), and publ...

   Lowering of the UN Flag to half mast in observance of World Humanitarian Day 2026 , and in honour of humanitarian personnel who have lost their lives. Led by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) , the 2026 campaign theme under #ActForHumanity spotlights the grave dangers aid workers face—particularly from weaponized drones—and shares the personal stories of fallen humanitarians through their families. Watch the Lowering of the UN Flag to half mast in observance of World Humanitarian Day 2026, and in honour of humanitarian personnel who have lost their lives Meetings & Events

Annual observance of World Humanitarian Day at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. On 19 August 2003, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 22 humanitarian aid workers, including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Five years later, the General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day (WHD). Since then, WHD has become OCHA's annual flagship campaign. Each year, WHD focuses on a theme, bringing together partners from across the humanitarian system to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, and for the safety and security of aid workers. This year, we call for an end to the attacks on humanitarians and civilians and impunity under International Humanitarian Law. We urge those in power to #ActForHumanity. Related Sites and Documents:  World Humanitarian Day 2026 . Watch the World Humanitarian Day 2026 - UN Geneva Commemorat...