Tuesday, December 16, 2008

World Humanitarian Day : 19th August

"We should never forget all the victims, not only in Baghdad and Algiers, who have given their lives for the United Nations," Annie Vieira de Mello, Aug 19, 2008, Reuters.

The General Assembly designates 19th August as World Humanitarian Day / Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation

General AssemblyGA/10798 / 11 December 2008


OCHA News Centre

12 December 2008

The
General Assembly decided today to designate 19 August as World Humanitarian Day. The
resolution adopted by consensus and sponsored by Sweden reaffirms the United Nations’ unique role in humanitarian emergencies. It calls for increased public awareness about humanitarian assistance activities worldwide and the importance of international cooperation in this regard. It also pays tribute to all humanitarian and United Nations and associated personnel who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause and those who have lost their lives in the cause of duty.
Adopting another
resolution by consensus, the General Assembly expressed deep concern that, over the past decade, threats and attacks against the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and United Nations and associated personnel have escalated dramatically and that perpetrators of acts of violence seemingly operate with impunity. In the resolution sponsored by France on behalf of the European Union, the General Assembly also emphasized the need to pay particular attention to the safety and security of locally recruited humanitarian personnel, who are particularly vulnerable to attacks and who account for the majority of casualties and cases of harassment.
Read the
General Assembly coverage

Link,
http://ochaonline.un.org/News/tabid/1080/Default.aspx, consultado a 15 de Dezembro de 2008.