PROMOTING SELFLESS SERVICE TO HUMANITY AS WE COMMEMORATE THE 2017 WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY
By Fred Doc Nwaozor
August 19 each year, the world over commemorates the World Humanitarian
Day.
This signifies that today,
Saturday, 9th of August, the global community marks the 2017 edition
of the World Humanitarian Day. The day is an annual and international day dedicated to recognize humanitarian personnel and those who have lost their lives while working for humanitarian causes. The event was designated by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly as part of a Swedish-sponsored General Assembly Resolution on the strengthening of the coordination of emergency assistance of the UN.
This year's theme is 'civilians are not a target'. It is aimed towards ensuring that every civilian is duly safeguarded by all means in any arena marred by any form of conflict or violence.
The World Humanitarian Day is a time to
recognize those who face danger and adversity while helping others. The day was
set aside to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the UN
headquarters in Baghdad – Iraq, which claimed twenty-two (22) lives including
the live of the then Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Iraq
in the person of Sergio Vieira de Mello.
The invention of August 19 as
World Humanitarian Day was the outcome of the relentless efforts of Sergio
Vieira de Mello Foundation coupled with the partnership of the deceased’s
family with the Ambassadors of France, Switzerland, Japan, as well as Brazil in
both Geneva and New York tabling and steering the draft resolution through the
UN General Assembly. All the efforts of the Foundation was to ensure that the
tragic loss of the said hero among his twenty-one (21) colleagues, and all the
humanitarian personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifices in relieving the
suffering of the victims of humanitarian crises were not in vain.
Sergio Vieira de Mello who was a citizen of Brazil, South America
dedicated his lifetime spanning over thirty years in the UN, serving in some of
the most challenging humanitarian situations in the world to reach the
voiceless victims of armed conflict, alleviate their suffering and draw global attention
to their plights. His death alongside twenty-one of his colleagues on 19th
August 2003 in Baghdad, Iraq deprived the victims of armed conflict worldwide
of a unique humanitarian leader of unmatched courage, drive and empathy who
championed their cause fearlessly and clearly engraved their plight on the
world map.
The tragic event also robbed the
humanitarian community of an outstanding leader and intellectual whose thought,
philosophy, dynamism and courage inspired all, and remains a timeless legacy to
emulate by generations yet unborn. Mindful of this legacy, in 2006 the family
of the late humanitarian icon and a group of close friends founded the Sergio
Vieira de Mello Foundation dedicated to continue his unfinished mission of
encouraging dialogue between communities and relieving the predicament faced by
the victims of humanitarian crises.
The World Humanitarian Day was commemorated
for the first time on 19th August 2009. Suffice to say that, this year’s
commemoration is the eighth of its kind in the history of the worthwhile event.
As the international community marks the event today, we are all urged to
borrow a leaf from the indelible landmark achievements of the great warrior and
legend – Sergio Vieira de Mello. To this end, we are all expected to strive
towards promoting selfless service in our respective endeavours at all costs.
Surely, the most important thing
to any man remains his or her welfare. Welfare could be referred to as one’s
well-being, or organized efforts to ensure the basic well-being of people in
need. Since the term ‘humanitarianism’ has to do with human welfare, it is of
no need reiterating the fact that this remarkable event widely known and recognized
as World Humanitarian Day was set aside to sensitize mankind on the cogent need
for people to help one another, and for anyone to support any crusade that is
targeted to promote lending hand to persons that are in need or victimized.
We must be willing and ready to volunteer
ourselves whenever our services are required in our various jurisdictions. It’s
very disheartening to notice that whenever tragic incident occurred, some
persons’ intent is usually how they would benefit from the crisis. Rather than
preoccupy our mindsets with such devilish intention, we are bound to take into
cognizance that no one who benefits from a crisis scene lives a happy life
regardless of his/her status. To this end, it’s our duty to ensure that we
bring succour to the needy, or those victimized by a crisis such as war,
terrorism, religious extremism, massacre, and genocide, just to mention but a
few.
Furthermore, since no one ever wishes to be in
a community or society made up of only him or her, thus we ought to ensure that
the sustenance of the well-being of our relatives, friends, neighbours, colleagues,
associates, or what have you, as the case may be, is at all times our civic
responsibility. By so doing, we can boast of a peaceful society filled with
thoroughly united individuals.
So, as Nigeria joins the global
community to commemorate the World Humanitarian Day, I enjoin every relevant body
to include the religious institutions, civil society, mass media, governments
at all levels and well-meaning individuals, among others, to do everything
humanly possible toward ensuring that selfless service to humanity is deeply
promoted come rain come shine.
In his words, the immediate past UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said,
‘In a world that is ever more digitally connected, each of us has the power and
responsibility to inspire our fellow human beings to act to help others and
create a more humane world’.
WE note
at all times that we were all created to be one indivisible body irrespective
of our individual affiliations. Hence, we are meant to contribute our quota to
ensure that we actualize such laudable motive initiated by nature no matter the
challenges.
The government on its part ought to equally consider the welfare of its
citizenry as their civil rights, thus must be treated as a priority, and not
optional. Think about it!
Comrade Nwaozor, a public affairs analyst & civil rights activist,
is the Executive Director, Docfred Resource Hub (DRH) - Owerri
(frednwaozor@gmail.com)
Edited by: Rostrum
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