Ahead of World Humanitarian Day 2021, WHO regional head details work in Afghanistan, EU chiefs back workers

The World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, and the European Union (EU) High Representative (HR)/Vice President (VP) Josep Borrell and EU Commissioner Janez Lenarčič have issued statements ahead of the World Humanitarian Day 2021. The WHO regional head details specifically the health situation in Afghanistan, while the EU chiefs expressed support for humanitarian and medical workers all over the world.

World Humanitarian Day is observed by United Nations (UN) members. The UN describes the day as “a global celebration of people helping people.” It is dedicated to recognizing humanitarian personnel, including those who have lost their lives working for humanitarian causes, and raising the public awareness of humanitarian assistance all over the globe.

August 19 is World Humanitarian Day.

In his statement that WHO sent out to members of the press, Dr. Al-Mandhari said that the organization “is committed to staying in Afghanistan and delivering critical health services and calls on all parties to respect and protect civilians, health workers, patients and health facilities.”

He said the recent conflict has increased the cases of trauma injuries, from 4,057 cases in July 2020 to the 13,897 cases that “were received at 70 WHO-supported health facilities” in July 2021, and despite the security situation, the WHO dispatched 33 units of different modules of trauma kits to Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital in Kabul on August 17, enough for 500 surgical procedures for trauma patients and 750 burn victims. The shipment included 10 basic medical kits that should be enough to provide essential medicines for 10,000 people for three months.

“Over the past 3 months, health staff in 10 referral hospitals have been provided with training in mass casualty management,” added Dr. Al-Mandhari in the statement that US and Global News also received from WHO and which is also available in full on the official WHO Eastern Mediterranean website, here. “WHO is also training health workers in mental health support.”

The WHO regional chief further added that following an initial assessment of the health needs, the organization and its partners “have deployed 2 mobile health teams to provide medical services,” but “interventions have been on hold for the past 36 hours” because of the security situation.

Speaking about attacks on health care in Afghanistan, he said, “From January to July 2021, 26 health facilities and 31 health care workers were affected; 12 health workers were killed.”

Early in his statement, Dr. Al-Mandhari said, “Sustained access to humanitarian assistance, including essential health services and medical supplies, is a critical lifeline for millions of Afghans, and must not be interrupted.”

The UN General Assembly formalized World Humanitarian Day in 2009 in memory of the August 19, 2003 bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq. The attack killed 22 people, including the UN’s chief humanitarian in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

Every year, there is a theme for the day. This year, the day will highlight the immediate human cost of the climate crisis.

In their joint statement on the World Humanitarian Day 2021, EU HR/VP Borrell and Commissioner Lenarčič said Europe honors “all humanitarian workers who are saving lives and helping the most vulnerable in crises worldwide.”

Speaking about the medical as well as humanitarian workers’ work during the coronavirus pandemic, the EU heads said, “The selfless commitment and efforts of humanitarian and medical workers that strive every day, often in harsh conditions, to alleviate the suffering of millions in need, has been all the more remarkable since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.”

They added, “The virus is not, however, the worst threat they face.”

Mentioning attacks against the workers, the statement reads, “Regrettably, 108 humanitarian workers lost their lives and 125 were kidnapped in 2020. In 2021, there have been 105 major attacks against humanitarian workers so far.”

“We condemn such attacks, their perpetrators need to be held accountable. Saving lives should never cost lives – humanitarian workers cannot be a target. We salute their courage and dedication and express our sympathy to the families, friends and colleagues of those who have lost their lives while helping others.”

“We reiterate our call on all parties to all conflicts worldwide to respect International Humanitarian Law and refrain from targeting humanitarian workers and civilians, including civilian infrastructure,” further reads the statement. “We also underline the importance of fully respecting and adhering to the internationally recognised humanitarian principles.”