World Humanitarian Day Launched First In Suva

World Humanitarian Day Launched First In Suva

(Suva, 19 August 2013) World Humanitarian Day has been launched in Suva today, the first of 50 cities around the world, with a forum on ‘Humanitarianism in the Pacific’ at the University of the South Pacific.

World Humanitarian Day celebrates the spirit that inspires humanitarian work and honours aid workers and their organizations that support tens of millions of people who have been affected by war, disaster or crises

“In a region as disaster-prone as the Pacific Islands, World Humanitarian Day reminds us to thank UN agencies, Red Cross, civil society organizations and local communities who provide assistance in times of crisis,” said Sune Gudnitz, Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Regional Office for the Pacific.

‘The World Needs More__’ campaign enables leading global brands to sponsor a word they believe the world could use more of. Between 19 August and 24 September, people can “unlock” money pledged by these brands by sharing the sponsored words through social media, SMS or the campaign website www.worldhumanitarianday.org.

Every time a sponsored word is shared, US$1 will be unlocked and go towards aid efforts in the world’s most underfunded humanitarian crises. People will also be able to donate directly.

The campaign is a collaborative effort between the UN Foundation, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), and advertising agency Leo Burnett New York.

World Humanitarian Day was started in 2008 by the UN General Assembly. August 19 marks the tenth anniversary of the bombing in 2003 of the United Nations Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, an attack that claimed the lives of 22 UN and aid agency staff, including the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to Iraq, Sérgio Vieira de Mello.

ENDS

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