World Humanitarian Day was recognized yesterday to pay tribute to the humanitarian workers who have lost their lives or been injured in their line of work, and to honor the workers who continue to work in increasingly dangerous environments. On August 19th 2003, a bomb attack targeted the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq. This attack killed 22 humanitarian aid workers, including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. In 2009, the UN General Assembly formalized August 19th as World Humanitarian Day.
Every year, this day is assigned a theme. This year, the focus is on fighting climate change. OCHA (UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) is asking you to put pressure on world leaders to take action against the climate crisis. Partnering with app Strava, #TheHumanRace challenge is for you to log 100 minutes of total activity August 16 – 31. You can sign a petition at their website as well, to let leaders know they must keep their word on fighting this crisis.
“Whether participants run, roll, ride, walk, swim, kick or hit a ball, each action will count towards helping us carry our message to world leaders when they meet at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November.” – unocha.org
Sign the petition and learn more about #TheHumanRace here.