The CPDE Task Force on Nexus Issues secretariat shared this statement last 19 August 2022 for this year’s World Humanitarian Day.
Conflicts and crises remain to be the primary causes of the need for humanitarian responses. This year, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that around 274 million people would need humanitarian assistance and protection. This estimate supersedes the previous highest figure as new conflicts and crises continue to emerge and as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to have a disrupting effect up to this day.
Although many vulnerable people are affected by war, violence, climate and food crises, national and regional instability, and disease outbreaks, the growth of international humanitarian assistance has stalled in the past few years. There have also been increased attacks on humanitarian workers, preventing critical supply delivery to affected populations and further threatening people’s human rights and livelihoods.
On today’s World Humanitarian Day, we are one in recognizing the importance of accessible humanitarian assistance and protection to people in conflict and crisis-stricken areas. We stand in solidarity with all humanitarian workers, volunteers, and civilians and support their way to recovery. We call on world leaders to responsibly address the issues of conflicts and crises and to uphold international humanitarian law to protect humanitarian workers and civilians. We call for strengthened cooperation between development and humanitarian partners towards the protection of human rights and welfare and the realization of our shared vision of just and lasting peace.