The inaugural UN World Humanitarian Day (19 August 2009) is a time to remember all those individuals who have risked - and lost - their lives while carrying out their work to help others, ChildFund Australia CEO Nigel Spence said today.
"Last year we were devastated to lose a staff member in Afghanistan," said Mr Spence. "It is of great concern that the number of humanitarian workers being attacked and killed each year is increasing. While ChildFund recognises all those who contribute to making a difference in the lives of others, we pay our utmost respect to those courageous individuals who work on the ground in crisis situations and put their lives on the line."
2008 was the most dangerous year on record for aid workers, with 122 killed while carrying out their work. Mohamad Shar, a ChildFund staff member, was killed on 30 November in Kabul when a suicide bomber attacked a passing military vehicle. He was riding his bicycle in the area when the bomb exploded, receiving lethal shrapnel wounds. Shar was 52 years old and had worked for ChildFund for 18 months. He leaves behind a wife and six children.
The United Nations decided in December 2008 to designate 19 August, the date of the 2003 Canal Hotel bombing in Baghdad, as World Humanitarian Day. This inaugural year, the focus will be primarily on commemorating those whose lives have been lost while engaged in humanitarian operations, but emphasis will also be placed on current humanitarian needs and challenges, and increasing public awareness about humanitarian assistance activities. Ceremonies will be held at the UN headquarters in Geneva and New York.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi holds a joint news conference with Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, at Pakistan's foreign ministry in Islamabad August 16, 2009. ...
