19 August 2016: On the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, the UN called for a ceasefire in Syria to enable delivery of urgently-needed food and medicines, and launched the ‘World You’d Rather’ digital campaign to promote a just and safer world.
The occasion was marked with a memorial service at UN Headquarters in New York in honor of the 22 UN staff who lost their lives in the 2003 Canal Hotel bombing in Iraq. Speaking at the event, UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Mogens Lykketoft urged world leaders to: reject division and welcome refugees; plug the gaps in humanitarian financing and protect the humanitarian space; and respect the laws of war and make compromises for peace.
At the same event, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson called for a 48-hour ceasefire in Aleppo, Syria to enable food and medical supplies to be delivered. The ceasefire proposal was initially made by the UN Special Envoy for Syria and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Stephen O’Brien, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, warned that conflict situations around the world are forcing people to make “impossible choices” between staying in combat zones or making hazardous journeys in search of food and safety.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for participation in OCHA’s ‘World You’d Rather’ campaign, which seeks to raise awareness about the refugee crisis, and raise money for the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Besides educating participants through a quiz and social media, the campaign involves celebrities from arts and entertainment in promoting awareness of humanitarian needs. Ban stressed that, “Our blue flag only flies because committed people wave it,” paying tribute to UN staff who work in dangerous conflict zones.
In a press release, the UN noted that, while a record number of 130 million people worldwide depend on humanitarian assistance, the UN and its partners have received less than a third of the US$21.6 billion required to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs in 2016. At the World Humanitarian Summit, which convened in Istanbul, Turkey, in May 2016, UN Member States agreed to an ‘Agenda for Humanity,’ which has five main aims: to prevent and end conflict; uphold humanitarian norms; leave no one behind; shift the focus from delivering aid to ending need; and make political, institutional and financial investments. [UN Press Release] [UN Secretary-General’s Remarks] [UN Deputy Secretary-General’s Remarks] [UNGA President’s Remarks] [World You’d Rather] [World Humanitarian Day Website] [OCHA World Humanitarian Day Webpage]