World Humanitarian Day 2011

It's a global celebration of humanitarian aid work that joins the United Nations and over 500 national and international NGOs / charities.

The campaign is launched annually by the United Nations Secretary-General, with events held in over 70 countries. 

In 2010, 242 humanitarian workers were killed, injured or kidnapped.  And every year, disasters cause immense suffering for millions of people – usually the world’s poorest, most marginalised and vulnerable individuals. 

Humanitarian aid workers strive to provide life-saving assistance and long term support to communities affected by disasters, regardless of where they are in the world and without discrimination.  Humanitarian aid is based on a number of founding principles, including humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. 

ActionAid works in over 40 countries around the world, and over the past 10 years we have responded to over 90 emergencies and conflicts. We provide emergency relief when disasters strike, help people prepare for and cope with the impacts of disasters, and lobby authorities and governments to protect the rights of disaster and conflict-affected populations. 

We prioritise the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women, and work directly with partner organisations and disaster-affected communities. Those affected by disasters – particularly women - are often the first to help their own communities following a disaster, before even local partner organisations can arrive to offer assistance. 

"It is this sense of solidarity with people who are suffering which motivates humanitarians at all levels – local communities, civil society bodies, and national and international non-governmental organisations – to do the work they do, often in extremely challenging circumstances,” says Bijay Kumar, Head of ActionAid’s Emergencies and Conflict Team. "In this way, everyone can be a humanitarian - we all have an important role to play.”

The vast majority of our humanitarian staff come from the countries in which they work, and are there for the long term. We believe that a rights-based, long-term approach is the best way to achieve real and sustainable change for people living in poverty.

How we're celebrating World Humanitarian Day

We're planning a number of events across the world to mark World Humanitarian Day 2011:

• In Afghanistan we're hosting an event with UN OCHA in Afghanistan and ACBAR (Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief) to highlight the escalating humanitarian needs or ordinary Afghans caught up in the ongoing conflict
• In Liberia we hosted a radio talkshow to discuss the impact of conflict on women in the country
• In Uganda we hosted a public awareness-raising event on humanitarian issues with 4,000 Scouts
• In Australia we're contributing to a panel discussion on humanitarianism hosted by the Australian government aid department AusAID

Help support ActionAid's humanitarian work by:

• Donating to our East Africa crisis appeal
• Learning more about our rights-based approach in emergencies
• Following us on Twitter and joining us on facebook