Message from UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia on World Humanitarian Day

We mark World Humanitarian Day every year on 19 August to express solidarity with the millions of people affected by humanitarian crises around the world and pay tribute to the humanitarian workers who help them. Today is a day we reflect on our accomplishments and commit to redouble our efforts to respond and reach the millions in need.

2022 continues to be a challenging year with multiple and simultaneous crises demanding our attention. Conflict and violence in several pockets of the country, drought in eastern and southern Ethiopia and floods in parts of the country are causing loss, displacement and suffering to millions of Ethiopians. Today, Ethiopia hosts one of the largest number of people requiring humanitarian assistance.

In the face of this enormous challenge, we remain committed to reaching all people in need and to carry our work upholding the principles we so cherish, the principle of impartiality, the principle of neutrality and the principle of operational independence.

At the center of it all are aid workers and front-line responders who selflessly put their lives at risk and sacrifice their comfort and their time with family to help those in need. Thank you for your passion, your selflessness and your sacrifice!

I would also like to thank our government and donor partners for their generous support to the people in need in Ethiopia given the ever-limited resources available. I count on your continued support to ensure that the people in need in Ethiopia receive the critical assistance they require, the dignity they deserve and the resilience to withstand future shocks.

This year’s World Humanitarian Day theme is: It Takes a Village. Let us be that village to bring the assistance and hope to the millions of people in need in the country. Together, we can.

Dr. Catherine Sozi, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia