World Humanitarian Day: #ActForHumanity by UN News, OCHA, ICRC, WHO, agencies   Aug. 2025   A Call to #ActForHumanity   On the 19th of August, we mark World Humanitarian Day — a time to honor those who step into crises to help others, and to stand with the millions of people whose lives hang in the balance.   This year the message is clear: the humanitarian system is stretched to its limits; underfunded, overwhelmed and under attack.   Where bombs fall and disasters strike, humanitarian workers are the ones holding the line keeping people alive, often at great personal risk. But more and more those who help are becoming targets themselves.   In 2024 alone over 380 humanitarian workers were killed. Some in the line of duty, others in their homes. Hundreds more have been injured, kidnapped or detained, and there is reason to fear 2025 could be worse.   Too often the world looks away, even when these attacks violate international law. The laws meant to protect aid workers are ignored. Those responsible walk free. This silence and lack of accountability cannot continue.   The system is failing not just humanitarian workers, but the people they serve. We’re not at a crossroads anymore. We’re standing at the edge. Needs are rising. Funding is falling. Attacks on aid workers are breaking records.   To pull us back from that edge, this World Humanitarian Day we’re relaunching #ActForHumanity with sharper urgency demanding protection, accountability and action. It’s time to turn global outrage into real pressure on those in power, asking them to:   Protect humanitarian workers and the civilians they serve. Uphold international humanitarian law. Fund the lifelines we claim to support.   If we can’t protect the people who save lives, what does that say about us? If we let this continue, we risk losing not just a system but our sense of humanity.   Leaders ignored last year’s call. This year, we relaunch #ActForHumanity. Let's rally public pressure on those in power to uphold the laws that safeguard humanity, and to protect civilians and humanitarian workers in conflict zones.   Demanding governments, parties to conflict and world leaders uphold international law, end impunity, and #ActForHumanity.   When protection is denied and accountability is absent, our voices and actions must fill the void. Aid workers keep going into danger, through checkpoints, under fire. They show up. So must we.   http://www.un.org/en/observances/humanitarian-day http://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/ http://www.unocha.org/news/world-humanitarian-day-attacks-aid-workers-hit-another-record-humanitarians-call-urgent-action http://www.unocha.org/news/protect-civilians-and-aid-workers-global-call-world-humanitarian-day http://www.unocha.org/world-humanitarian-day http://healthcluster.who.int/newsroom/news/item/19-08-2025-an-urgent-call-to-action-from-the-global-health-cluster http://www.msf.org/what-cost-killing-humanitarians http://www.unfpa.org/news/international-humanitarian-law-flouted-health-and-aid-workers-are-targeted-conflicts-around   http://www.ifrc.org/article/world-humanitarian-day-2025-urgent-call-honor-respect-and-protect-those-who-actforhumanity http://www.ifrc.org/get-involved/campaign-us/stand-us-protect-humanity http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/ihl-only-as-strong-as-leaders-will-uphold-it http://www.caritas.org/2025/08/world-humanitarian-day-honouring-the-fallen-defending-the-living/ http://www.wvi.org/newsroom/call-safeguard-humanitarian-action-amid-rising-threats-and-global-aid-cuts http://www.wvi.org/publication/world-refugee-day/report-ration-cuts-2025 http://www.ipsnews.net/2025/08/un-staff-federation-remembers-with-sorrow-the-many-who-have-fallen-in-the-line-of-duty/ http://www.rescue.org/press-release/irc-statement-world-humanitarian-day-2025-palestinians-make-almost-one-fifth-aid http://www.acaps.org/en/thematics/all-topics/humanitarian-access   http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/world-humanitarian-day-2025 http://www.bond.org.uk/news/2025/08/theyre-hunting-us-now-a-humanitarians-reckoning/ http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/august/yemen-aid-organisations-call-for-solidarity-and-urgent-action-on-world-humanitarian-day http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/press-releases/over-100-humanitarian-organizations-call-for-immediate-ceasefire-and-unimpeded-aid-access-in-gaza/ http://www.nrc.no/feature/2025/a-global-displacement-crisis-as-the-world-abandons-aid   June 2025   Humanitarians in action: delivering even amid extreme challenges. (OCHA)   Despite facing extreme underfunding and escalating attacks, humanitarians provided a literal lifeline for millions of people around the world throughout the first months of 2025, in support of the communities they serve, and with local and national actors at the forefront of every response.   Around the world, communities continued to provide the first line of support for one another in times of crisis, from mutual aid efforts through the Emergency Response Rooms in Sudan to community-led kitchens in Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), and solidarity shown by receiving communities to those fleeing violence whether within their own country or across borders.   These efforts were supported by the work of local and national organizations who—despite having to restrict their services and reduce their presence—continued to deliver for those in urgent need.   Since 2025 began, humanitarian agencies—from local and national actors through to international non-governmental organizations (NGO) and United Nations entities—have saved lives and upheld the dignity of people impacted by crises, amid enormous challenges.   In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), following the explosion of violence in the east which displaced at least 660,000 people from January to March 2025, humanitarian actors responded despite the extreme constraints, including acting early to anticipate a cholera outbreak, supported by the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).   In Myanmar, within one month of the devastating earthquakes which struck on 28 March 2025, humanitarian partners had reached at least 600,000 people with water, sanitation and hygiene support, nearly half a million people with food assistance, and more than 100,000 people with emergency shelter and essential household items. Partners in Myanmar also dispatched as mobile medical teams, delivering medical supplies, reuniting separated children with their families and supporting survivors of gender-based violence.   In Sudan, after horrifying violence and insecurity engulfed Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps in April 2025 and forcing the displacement of over 400,000 people, humanitarian partners activated an operational response plans to reach the new arrivals: between 4 and 8 May 2025, 335,000 people received emergency food assistance and 67,000 received emergency nutrition supplies.   Across the border in Chad, UNHCR and its partners worked with authorities to authenticate the medical certificates of Sudanese refugee doctors so they could practice in Chad, providing them with a livelihood and the means to continue help people.   In Haiti, where violence has escalated dramatically and one in every eight children is displaced, humanitarian partners have provided safe spaces and psychosocial support for children in displacement sites and hard-to-reach areas of Port-au-Prince and delivered 4.2 million hot meals to almost 450,000 students, almost 68 per cent of which were prepared with locally sourced products.   In Yemen, which remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, 134 humanitarian actors supported an average of 4 million people per month with life-saving protection and assistance in the first quarter of 2025.   UN agencies and humanitarian partner organisations supported displaced communities in 27 countries, delivering life-saving assistance under some of the most challenging conditions. In Ukraine, coordinating the movement of over 83,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), ensuring access to essential services and safety. In Burkina Faso and Yemen, assessments identified critical service gaps, enabling targeted interventions to prevent violence—particularly against displaced women and girls.   The ability of humanitarians to deliver when enabled to do so was showcased during the ceasefire in Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), between 19 January and 18 March 2025. During this time, partners delivered winterization kits to 60,000 children (compared to 10,000 prior to the ceasefire); supported 25 UN-subsidized bakeries (compared to 5 before the ceasefire); and brought 78,000 tonnes of aid into Gaza (compared to 23,000 prior to the ceasefire).   This was followed by the imposition by Israel of an 11-week total aid blockade, during which humanitarian partners continued to deliver whatever aid they could under the most difficult and complex circumstances.   The tireless efforts of humanitarian actors to deliver to people in crisis in a principled manner in the first months of 2025 highlights the ability and commitment of the humanitarian system to assist people in the world’s gravest emergencies, even in the most adverse circumstances.   As global geopolitics shift, it is vital we support principled humanitarian action to reach people in most urgent need. This action is grounded in the work of local and national partners who know their communities best, and leveraging the tools, systems and capacities of the international humanitarian community in support of their efforts.   http://humanitarianaction.info/document/hyper-prioritized-global-humanitarian-overview-2025-cruel-math-aid-cuts/article/humanitarians-action-delivering-even-amid-extreme-challenges http://humanitarianaction.info/ http://www.unocha.org/latest/news-and-stories   22 May 2025   International Framework to Protect Civilians during Armed Conflict Unraveling, speakers warn UN Security Council, urging enforcement of existing Laws. (UN News)   2024 Deadliest Year on Record for Humanitarians, as Civilian Deaths Soared   United Nations officials and humanitarians alike warned that the international framework created to protect civilians during armed conflict is itself under attack during a day-long debate in the UN Security Council today on that topic, as many speakers stressed that civilians will continue to suffer if existing laws are not enforced.   “The short version — the scaffolding built last century to protect us from inhumanity is crumbling; those who will die as a result need us to act,” stated Thomas Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. In 2024, the UN recorded more than 36,000 civilian deaths in 14 armed conflicts, with the real number likely far higher.   He detailed the plight of civilians today: dead, deprived of essential services, forcibly displaced, subjected to “rampant” sexual violence or suffering from “alarming” levels of conflict-driven hunger. “2024 was also the deadliest year on record for humanitarians,” he added.   Spotlighting an unravelling of international law — “despite the lessons of history and clear legal commitments” — he underscored that this jeopardizes the protection architecture that took decades to build.   “There is, though, another path,” he said — provided States act to “salvage what they have built”. This requires that they ensure respect for international law and support efforts to fight impunity. He said they also must acknowledge that, even when parties comply with the law, “the scale of civilian harm can be devastating”, which necessitates strong policy and operational measures to protect civilians. “Let us be remembered not for the warnings we gave, but for the action we took,” he urged.   Next, Sima Bahous, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), emphasized: “In the past year, we have seen bombed maternity wards, blockaded medical supplies and massive funding cuts.” In Afghanistan — where 90 per cent of women lack access to essential healthcare services — a woman dies from preventable pregnancy-related complications every two hours. And, with bans on female workers and shrinking access to care, maternal deaths are projected to rise by 50 per cent in 2026.   Meanwhile, in Gaza, over 28,000 women and girls have been killed since October 2023, she noted, adding: “Tens of thousands have given birth under bombardment and siege, without anaesthetics, postpartum care or clean water.” Urging the Council to treat reproductive violence as a distinct category of harm and hold perpetrators accountable, she added that “trauma compounds over time”. In Gaza, 75 per cent of women suffer from depression; women in Afghanistan describe living in “open-air prisons” and domestic violence is rising in Ukraine.   “Where is the political courage to stop the killing?”, asked Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “If you do not defend the rules of war today, you are accepting a world where wars are fought with increasing barbarity and disregard for our shared humanity,” she underscored.   “In today’s conflicts, you do not have to pull the trigger to be complicit in the consequences,” she added, stressing that the fourth Geneva Convention contains clear, unambiguous protections for civilians in times of armed conflict.   She therefore urged the Council to prevent any permissive signals that international humanitarian law can be ignored, that life-saving aid can be denied or that principled humanitarian action can be replaced. Peace starts with treating the wounded, reconnecting separated families, ensuring the provision of life-saving aid and sparing civilian populations and infrastructure from harm.   “It is in the darkest moments that our commitment to protecting civilians is most tested and needed,” she said, declaring: “It is possible to protect civilians in war.”   Doing so is especially necessary in the context of children, emphasized Janti Soeripto, President and Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children, as they are “uniquely vulnerable to the effects of war”.   Recalling the words of one of her organization’s healthcare workers in Somalia, describing what happens when children suffer acute malnutrition, she said that “the skin becomes attached to the bone, the child becomes a skeleton” and cries all day “until it stops doing that”. Children, she continued, are also more likely to die from blast injuries: “The blast is more likely to penetrate their small bodies, and they have less blood to lose.”   Observing that humanity faces a “moment where many competing visions of the future are battling for supremacy” and “not an erosion, but an assault” on its values, she said that humanitarians are often asked for technical solutions to inherently political problems.   “Yes, we need support to get food, medicine and schooling to children trapped in conflict,” she acknowledged, but added that it is also necessary for Member States “to do your job”. When civilians suffer because a State makes a political choice to disregard the laws of war, that choice is based on a calculation that the international community will not enforce the law. “We urge you to act,” she concluded.   http://news.un.org/en/news/topic/humanitarian-aid   19 Aug. 2024   Protect civilians and aid workers: A global call on World Humanitarian Day   Open Letter to the Member States of the UN General Assembly, on behalf of the Inter Agency Standing Committee Principals, signed by 413 humanitarian organizations around the world who are calling for the protection of civilians, including their staff:   This World Humanitarian Day, our staff and volunteers around the world will stand in solidarity to spotlight the horrifying toll of armed conflicts on their colleagues and on all civilians, particularly children.   The brutal hostilities we are seeing in multiple conflicts around the world have exposed a terrible truth: We are living in an era of impunity. Attacks that kill or injure civilians, including humanitarian and health-care personnel, are devastatingly common. Yet despite widespread condemnation, serious violations of the rules of war too often go unpunished.   This status quo is shameful and cannot continue.   In 2023, tens of thousands of civilians were killed or injured in armed conflict, with fatalities among humanitarian workers doubling compared to the previous year.   The toll in 2024 – the number of deaths, injuries, detentions and kidnappings – is already staggering. The overwhelming majority of recorded attacks on aid workers are inflicted on national staff. Women-led organizations and female humanitarian staff face unique and often increased risks, just because they are women. The impact on the mental health of civilians and humanitarian workers has reached unprecedented levels.   And yet parties to conflict continue to flout laws meant to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers, and civilian objects.   This year, on World Humanitarian Day, we appeal to all States, parties to armed conflict, and the wider international community to:   End attacks on civilians and take active steps to protect them – and the critical civilian infrastructure they rely on.   Protect all aid workers, including local and national actors, and their premises and assets and facilitate their work, as called for in UN Security Council Resolution 2730 adopted this May.   Hold perpetrators to account. Those who commit violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) cannot go unpunished.   We should not have to wait for an annual moment such as World Humanitarian Day to remind all parties to armed conflict, and all States, of their obligations under IHL. Adherence to IHL must happen every day irrespective of occasion. It is non-negotiable and is not subject to exceptions.   It is vital that all parties to armed conflict and all States adhere to their obligations and leverage their influence to ensure respect for the rules of war and minimize human suffering.   Fulfilling these obligations requires more than mere declarations – it demands immediate and decisive actions. Turning a blind eye when humanitarian workers are targeted only emboldens those who seek to hinder their work.   This only serves to increase food insecurity, childhood malnutrition, involuntary displacement and the spread of infectious diseases and other threats. The immediate effects of these will not only be limited to areas of conflict but often spread far beyond.   We will continue to stay and deliver in humanitarian crises around the world – but the situation requires us to take a united stand to call for the protection of our staff, volunteers and the civilians we serve.   http://www.unocha.org/news/protect-civilians-and-aid-workers-global-call-world-humanitarian-day Visit the related web page
	Water, sanitation and hygiene are not privileges, they are basic human rights by UNICEF, WHO, Humanity & Inclusion, agencies   Aug. 2025   Water, sanitation and hygiene are not privileges, they are basic human rights.   1 in 4 people globally still lack access to safe drinking water – WHO, UNICEF   Despite progress over the last decade, billions of people around the world still lack access to essential water, sanitation, and hygiene services, putting them at risk of disease and deeper social exclusion.   A new report: Progress on Household Drinking Water and Sanitation 2000–2024: special focus on inequalities –launched by WHO and UNICEF during World Water Week 2025 – reveals that, while some progress has been made, major gaps persist. People living in low-income countries, fragile contexts, rural communities, children, and minority ethnic and indigenous groups face the greatest disparities.   Key facts from the report:   Despite gains since 2015, 1 in 4 – or 2.1 billion people globally – still lack access to safely managed drinking water*, including 106 million who drink directly from untreated surface sources.   3.4 billion people still lack safely managed sanitation, including 354 million who practice open defecation. 1.7 billion people still lack basic hygiene services at home, including 611 million without access to any facilities.   People in least developed countries are more than twice as likely as people in other countries to lack basic drinking water and sanitation services, and more than three times as likely to lack basic hygiene. In fragile contexts, safely managed drinking water coverage is 38 percentage points lower than in other countries, highlighting stark inequalities.   While there have been improvements for people living in rural areas, they still lag behind. Safely managed drinking water coverage rose from 50 per cent to 60 per cent between 2015 and 2024, and basic hygiene coverage from 52 per cent to 71 per cent. In contrast, drinking water and hygiene coverage in urban areas has stagnated.   Data from 70 countries show that while most women and adolescent girls have menstrual materials and a private place to change, many lack sufficient materials to change as often as needed. Adolescent girls aged 15–19 are less likely than adult women to participate in activities during menstruation, such as school, work and social pastimes.   In most countries with available data, women and girls are primarily responsible for water collection, with many in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia spending more than 30 minutes per day collecting water.   As we approach the last five years of the Sustainable Development Goals period, achieving the 2030 targets for ending open defecation and universal access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene services will require acceleration, while universal coverage of safely managed services appears increasingly out of reach.   “Water, sanitation and hygiene are not privileges, they are basic human rights,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, Director, Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization. “We must accelerate action, especially for the most marginalized communities, if we are to keep our promise to reach the Sustainable Development Goals.”   “When children lack access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, their health, education, and futures are put at risk,” said Cecilia Scharp, UNICEF Director of WASH. “These inequalities are especially stark for girls, who often bear the burden of water collection and face additional barriers during menstruation. At the current pace, the promise of safe water and sanitation for every child is slipping further from reach – reminding us that we must act faster and more boldly to reach those who need it most.”   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/fast-facts-1-4-people-globally-still-lack-access-safe-drinking-water-who-unicef http://www.who.int/news/item/26-08-2025-1-in-4-people-globally-still-lack-access-to-safe-drinking-water---who--unicef   July 2025   Rehabilitation for All: A global health imperative that can no longer wait - Humanity & Inclusion, agencies   One in three people around the world — a staggering 2.6 billion individuals — need rehabilitation services to improve or maintain their mobility, independence, quality of life, and wellbeing in their daily lives. Whether due to injury, disability, aging, or chronic diseases, rehabilitation is essential for health.   Yet, for millions, especially those in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), these services remain out of reach, says the newly released HI report.   The demand for rehabilitation is rising sharply due to population aging, increased survival from injuries, and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases like cancer, heart disease, and dementia that are pushing healthcare systems beyond capacity.   By 2030, the world will count 1.4 billion people over the age of 60 — with two-thirds living in low- and middle-income countries by 2050.   Despite longer lifespans, healthy life expectancy is not improving, particularly for women, meaning more people are living longer with disabilities and chronic conditions that require rehabilitation.   The situation is dire in poorer countries. More than 50% of those in need of rehabilitation do not receive it. In some countries, only 3% of persons needing assistive technology have access to it. Many countries have fewer than 10 rehabilitation professionals per million people.   Rehabilitation should be approached as an investment. It reduces long-term healthcare costs while improving quality of life. However, rehabilitation has been historically deprioritised in public health funding, in health systems that are overall underfunded.   In Benin, for example, public health spending accounts for just 2.6% of total health expenditure. In Haiti, it’s 4.1%. This is well below the World Health Organization’s recommended 15%.   Worse, rehabilitation services are often not covered by funding schemes and insurances, leaving families to pay themselves. For low-income households, these expenses can be catastrophic, reaching up to 40% of their annual income.   Between 2024 and 2029, major donors have announced $17.2 billion in cuts to global health funding. In early 2025, the United States — once a significant contributor to foreign aid — halted its assistance altogether. In many countries, the provision of rehabilitation services largely depends on external aid, like in Haiti, where NGOs run up to 30% of rehabilitation centers.   The decline in international funding, combined with the persistently low level of public investment, is having and will continue to have an alarming impact on those in need of rehabilitation.   # Rehabilitation is an essential health service that forms part of the continuum of prevention, promotion, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care. Rehabilitation is not only for persons with disabilities; it is a necessary health service for anyone experiencing limitations in daily functioning due to a broad range of health conditions, such as injuries or trauma resulting from accidents, congenital disorders from a very young age, non communicable diseases (NCDs), pregnancy and delivery complications, as well as chronic diseases or other health conditions associated with ageing.   Rehabilitation often goes hand-in-hand with assistive technology (AT), which includes products, systems and services designed to “help maintain or improve an individual’s functioning related to cognition, communication, hearing, mobility, self-care and vision.”   These range from no-tech to high-tech solutions, including physical devices (such as wheelchairs, glasses, prosthetic limbs, canes, and hearing aids) and digital tools (such as speech recognition, screen readers, or closed captioning).   The Humanity & Inclusion report: Rehabilitation For All shows how access to rehabilitation changes lives.   http://www.hi.org/sn_uploads/document/HI-Rehabilititation-for-all-ENG-2025-2-FINAL.pdf http://www.hi-us.org/en/news/rehabilitation-for-all http://www.hi-us.org/en/news/index http://www.riglobal.org/rehabilitation-for-all-a-global-health-imperative-that-can-no-longer-wait/ Visit the related web page
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