United Nations World Humanitarian Day 2014:
"The World Needs More...."
This year the UN and its humanitarian partners continue their ground-breaking campaign called, "The world needs more…" which is a first-of-its-kind project that turns words into aid. Fellow humanitarians and supporters are encouraged to Tweet in three words or less what the world needs more of to #TheWorldNeedsMore.
On 19 August 2003 a brutal terrorist attack was made on the UN headquarters in Baghdad killing 22 people, including UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello. In December 2008, the sixty-third session of the UN General Assembly designated 19 August as World Humanitarian Day.
This year's World Humanitarian Day commemoration opened with a short film entitled “Voices from the Field”, featuring personal accounts of what it is like to work on the front line of humanitarian work. An interactive panel discussion, “Messengers of Humanity” followed.
The day offered a special dedication to the 17 UN colleagues killed in the 11 December 2007 bombing of the United Nations offices in Algiers. A plaque with the 17 names of those who lost their lives was unveiled. The Acting Director-General Michael Møller called for a moment of silence, and noted, “We are united in our commitment to safeguard the security and safety of humanitarians and all who serve our Organization”.
The ceremony was attended by the families of some of the victims of the bombing in Baghdad and Algiers who travelled to Geneva for this occasion, as well as by some of the survivors.
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