World Humanitarian Day is celebrated annually on 19 August. In an opinion piece for the Mail & Guardian, Prof Chris Jones from the Department of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology takes a closer look at some of the countries where humanitarian workers are helping to save lives and bring hope.
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?Chris Jones*
On 19 August 2003, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 22 humanitarian aid workers, including a United Nations (UN) Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq. Five years later, the General Assembly of the UN adopted a resolution designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day.
Since then, World Humanitarian Day has become the annual flagship of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which mobilises aid on a large scale for humanitarian emergencies worldwide, saving the lives of many people.
Currently, more than 300 million people globally require humanitarian assistance and protection, and approximately one in five children around the world, some 400 million, live in or are fleeing conflict-affected areas. Halfway through 2025, less than 17% of the $46 billion needed to address humanitarian needs worldwide has been received. This represents a concerning 40% decrease compared to the same period last year.
We now turn to a few countries recently highlighted by OCHA where humanitarian workers are doing their utmost best — sometimes under very difficult circumstances — to alleviate the suffering of those affected. The dire situation in these countries underscores the need for ongoing humanitarian efforts.
Gaza
We hear daily from several news platforms about the many people being killed and injured in the Gaza Strip, including people searching for food along UN convoy routes and militarised distribution points. Around 1,500 people have been killed in this area since May this year while humanitarian workers continue to provide life-saving aid, even if it is only a fraction of what is needed. More than 500 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza where the conditions are beyond catastrophic.
No one should risk their lives trying to get their hands on food, and humanitarian workers should have rapid, safe and unfettered access to deliver aid in a dignified manner to people who are deprived of life-sustaining basics.
According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), malnutrition among children in Gaza is reaching catastrophic proportions, while mothers are unable to feed their infants because they themselves are hungry. Since October 2023, 98 children have died from severe acute malnutrition, including 37 since 1 July this year.
Water, sanitation and hygiene operations are constantly affected due to a shortage of fuel. Hospitals are overburdened. Due to a serious scarcity of beds, medical supplies, and equipment, patients are suffering while lying on the floor or in the streets.
The World Health Organization recently stated that since March 2025, around 100 medical personnel, including surgeons and other specialist staff, have been prohibited from entering Gaza.
Furthermore, UN colleagues report that an increasing number of buildings and schools are being damaged across Gaza. Recently, 193,000 buildings were affected, about 100,000 of which were completely destroyed. More than 90% of school buildings require complete reconstruction or major rehabilitation before students can be admitted again. There is also an increase in psychological distress among children.
According to OCHA, ninety per cent of Gaza's current population — approximately 2.1 million residents — is displaced, experiencing a lack of adequate shelter, food, life-saving medical services, clean water, education and livelihoods.
Sudan
Intensifying conflict, food insecurity, disease and floods continue to cause damage, suffering and loss among residents in Sudan. All of this contributes to the worsening humanitarian situation across the country, while heavy fighting continues in North Darfur State.
Cholera is also spreading rapidly across Darfur. In North Darfur, in the Tawila area, approximately 1,200 cases have been reported since late June this year, including 300 children and 20 deaths. UNICEF warns that around 640,000 children under the age of five in this area are at high risk of violence, disease and hunger.
Also in South Darfur, more than 1,100 suspected cases of cholera and 64 related deaths have been reported since May this year, and a shortage of medical supplies, clean water and sanitation services is hampering the humanitarian response.
There is confirmation of landmines in Khartoum State that threaten the safety of people, kill civilians and make access to health services, markets and humanitarian aid very difficult.
Furthermore, the health system is on the verge of collapse with more than 800 health facilities severely damaged or destroyed, and 60% of health workers no longer present.
Waste management systems are broken, heightening the risk of waterborne disease outbreaks. Hundreds of schools have been damaged, and many children have been out of school for months.
The Sudan Humanitarian Fund, managed by OCHA, is providing life-saving assistance to more than 600,000 people. But more funds are needed to assist vulnerable families in Sudan. More than 30 million people — almost two-thirds of the population — need urgent aid and protection this year.
Syria
Since the recent outbreak of violence (a couple of weeks ago), more than 190,000 people have been displaced across the Governorates of As-Sweida, Dar'a and Rural Damascus. Although the UN continues to provide humanitarian assistance, access and resources remain limited. However, much more needs to be done to alleviate the plight of these people.
The impact of the fighting and displacement is placing enormous pressure on the already overstretched healthcare system in As-Sweida and in the neighbouring Dar'a. Mobile medical teams are working hard in Dar'a and maternal health services, trauma care and non-communicable disease management urgently need to be scaled up.
Haiti
In some areas of Haiti, women and children are the most affected by the escalating violence by armed groups. They also make up the majority of the 45,000 people displaced since June this year, particularly in the Artibonite and Centre departments. Essential services for them are also in a state of disarray. In total, approximately 240,000 people have been displaced over a prolonged period in these two departments, and the humanitarian response remains critically underfunded.
Ukraine
In Ukraine, humanitarian workers complement the efforts of local services, providing emergency support to people. Shelter, psychological support and other essential services are being provided regularly. No community or society should experience missile attacks and casualties as a daily routine. Yet this is the reality for millions of Ukrainians every day.
There are also other countries like Somalia where hundreds of thousands of people are affected by severe drought in its central and northern regions, and Mozambique where a new wave of violence in Cabo Delgado uprooted thousands of people.
Without humanitarian support, the situation would be even worse for people in the countries mentioned above and in others plagued by numerous crises. Undoubtedly, humanitarian workers have helped save countless lives and bring hope where despair reigns.
Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at OCHA, says that despite serious challenges in 2024, they reached almost 116 million people worldwide with effective assistance and good response speed.
On World Humanitarian Day, we must say thank you to everyone involved in the global humanitarian movement, including all the committed and loyal donors and those on the front lines of these efforts. This gives immense hope and, of course, much-needed relief to so many whose lives have been shattered by conflict, the climate crisis and the disintegration of systems. Addressing these humanitarian crises is the only way of winning afresh the argument for humanity.
*Chris Jones is Emeritus Associate Professor in Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology at Stellenbosch 肆客足球.
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