World Humanitarian Day 2017 - Solemn Commemoration Ceremony.

Part II: Solemn Commemoration Ceremony.

Dear Survivors of attacks on humanitarian workers,
Dear families and friends of colleagues lost in humanitarian
service,
Dear Annie, Laurent and Adrien Vieira de Mello, and families,
Distinguished laureate,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen:

Welcome to the commemoration ceremony of the World Humanitarian Day. This day was designated by the General Assembly to coincide with the commemoration of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, where 22 colleagues were killed, including the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq and head of the UN mission in the country, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello. The names of those we lost that day are engraved in the plaque behind me. They are a daily reminder to all of us of those who have given their lives as they worked to help those most in need. We are also gathered here today in front of the plaque that reminds us of the colleagues who perished in the attack on the UN premises in Algiers in 2007.

The UN flag and those of humanitarian aid agencies unfortunately do not provide the same protection to humanitarian staff as they used to. We are all targets today! In 2016, 288 national and international humanitarian workers fell victim to attacks on aid operations, more than 100 died, while many others were injured or kidnapped. This year, already 136 victims of attacks on humanitarian staff have been recorded, with more than 70 dead. Behind these numbers are real people fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends. Those who survive violent attacks while in humanitarian service bear the scars for the rest of their lives. The lives of the families who lose a loved one are forever changed. Let’s remember that each and every one of the humanitarian workers who have become targets is a member of our global family. Each attack leaves a deep scar in our collective memory.

We live in a troubled world. Our colleagues who go to the most dangerous places bring a glimmer of hope to men, women and children who are caught up in conflicts and disasters. As the security of humanitarian workers is increasingly threatened, we will find it harder to find people willing to work in those difficult places. And when there will be no-one there to deliver aid, the people most in need will suffer even more.

Even if our many courageous women and men continue humanitarian work on the front lines, people will not receive the most basic assistance if the necessary funds are not provided. Although we are more than halfway through the year, only two thirds of the funding needs for 2017, estimated at USD 23.2 billion, have been covered.

Conflict and natural disasters are causing unprecedented human suffering. Providing humanitarian aid remains a unique personal motivation and one of the most important goals of the United Nations and the international community. International solidarity is more important than ever, in particular at times when our humanitarian rules and principles are being challenged by so many.

Our special gratitude today goes to those who are putting our humanitarian ideals into practice:

I would like to thank our humanitarian colleagues who distributed over 4 million non-food items and who helped feed some 3 million people across Syria, as well as those who provided water to 3 million people in Iraq. And I would like to thank those who made sure that humanitarian assistance reached more than 4 million people in Yemen.

These figures represent only some of last year’s achievements in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. They represent the efforts and sacrifices made by incredible colleagues, who left behind the comfort of their own homes and their families to help others. They risk their health and their lives in dangerous and often underfunded operations. The global humanitarian response is built on their passion, on their persistence and also on their pain. I know that many of them are in here today. A big thank you to all of you.

Colleagues, friends,
You are right to be angry, to be impatient. Each year we meet on World Humanitarian Day to note that there are new victims to bemoan, despite our call that this is unacceptable. We will not give up and we will continue to urge all parties to armed conflicts to stop targeting humanitarian workers. We have to join forces to find innovative ways of communicating and acting until we are heard, until appropriate protection is provided to our colleagues in the field. We owe this to the colleagues we have lost and to their families but also to the millions of victims of conflicts who rely on our assistance to cover their basic needs.

Mesdames et messieurs,

Les crises humanitaires d’aujourd’hui deviennent de plus en plus complexes. L’assistance humanitaire seule ne pourra plus répondre, de manière durable, aux besoins des plus de 130 millions de personnes les plus vulnérables. Il nous faut mobiliser de nouveaux partenariats et éliminer toute forme de cloisonnement entre le secteur humanitaire, le secteur de la sécurité et celui du développement pour faire en sorte que les acteurs travaillent ensemble. Le seul moyen d'avoir un impact réel sur la situation des personnes affectées est de renforcer la prévention des crises politiques et des catastrophes naturelles. Le Programme 2030 et l’Agenda pour l’Humanité adopté au Sommet Mondial Humanitaire à Istanbul nous demandent de changer notre manière de travailler de façon fondamentale.

Il est de la responsabilité de chacun et chacune d'entre nous de contribuer à ce changement pour la sauvegarde de l'humanité. Il n'y a pas qu’en Syrie, en Iraq ou au Yémen que nous devons continuer à manifester nos convictions humanitaires. Je vous invite donc aujourd’hui, à l'occasion de la Journée mondiale de l'aide humanitaire, à regarder autour de vous et de faire un petit geste humanitaire, à votre niveau.

Nous sommes tous responsables.

Je vous en remercie beaucoup.