2024 WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY: NEMA ADVOCATES SAFETY AND PROTECTION FOR HUMANITARIAN ACTORS AND FRONTLINE WORKERS

Nigeria joins the rest of the world on Monday, August 19, 2024, to celebrate the World Humanitarian Day (WHD), a global event commemorated annually to acknowledge the work and the risks faced by humanitarian workers around the world. It is a Day that is set aside to also honour those workers who were injured or killed in the course of discharging humanitarian duties. WHD was designated by the United Nations Assembly in 2008 to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.

This year’s theme is #ActForHumanity with emphasis on the collective action needed to protect humanitarian workers that are attacked while providing critical assistance to vulnerable populations. The global goal of this year’s celebration is to increase advocacies to confront the normalization of these attacks on humanitarian workers, civilian suffering, and impunity in violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and other international conventions.

In NEMA, we join the call on World leaders to ‘Act For Humanity’ by building public pressure to mobilize Member States and non-state actors to ensure protection of humanitarian workers and civilians, harnessing our collective public outrage to demand accountability for violations of IHL and other international norms. Indeed, it is our stand that while the world is experiencing the deadliest record of attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers in unconscionable numbers, the perpetrators should not be allowed to evade justice.

While commending our staff and all humanitarian workers across Nigeria who have continued to risk their lives in providing lifesaving assistance to those affected by disasters, our special tribute goes to our fallen heroes that lost their lives and those kidnapped, suffered injuries and were exposed to high degrees of dangers in the line of duties. We, particularly, recall with sadness the memory of those who paid the supreme price and others that suffered various traumatic experiences from Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs), while on life saving duties.

We, therefore, use the opportunity of this Day to call on the Government, Corporate organizations and all concerned citizens to add their voices to condemn attacks on humanitarian workers, civilians and civilian infrastructure as well as bring to an end violations and impunity with which these attacks are committed against humanitarian Aid workers in the country.

It is pertinent for everyone to join the campaign for #ActForHumanity by getting involved through respect for IHL which aims to protect humanitarian workers and their assets, civilians, and civil infrastructures across the world.

Zubaida Umar

Director-General