Statement by WFP Executive Director David Beasley
Around
the globe, we come together on Saturday, 19 August for World
Humanitarian Day to support the millions of people across the globe
trapped in conflicts and to pay tribute to the aid workers who care for
them.
In
all corners of the world, World Food Programme colleagues are working
tirelessly to make sure that children and their families, suffering and
broken apart by violence and fighting, have enough to eat. Today we
remember their determination and dedication to alleviate suffering and
meet the needs of the most vulnerable. We celebrate their courage and
commitment to work on the frontlines of hunger, often at great risk to
their own personal safety. Some have lost their lives while trying to
save others.
This
year, we especially mourn the tragic loss of three men working under
contract for WFP -- Daniel James, Ecsa Tearp and Ali Elario, who were
shot dead in April while reporting for duty in Wau, South Sudan. Our
thoughts and prayers are with their families.
Humanitarian
workers go where the need is, and far too often that is where conflict
is as well. Fighting and violence drive 80 percent of all humanitarian
needs, and 10 of WFP’s 13 largest food assistance operations are driven
primarily by conflict. In Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, more
than 20 million people, including 1.4 million children, are on the brink
of famine. Increasingly, those involved in the conflicts in these areas
are targeting aid workers.
On
World Humanitarian Day, we come together to reaffirm that civilians
caught in conflict and those who care for them are #NotATarget. We
appeal to world leaders to take action to protect them and to deliver on
the promise of our mutual, shared humanity.
WFP
is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide,
delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities
to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some
80 million people in around 80 countries.
Follow us on Twitter @WFP_Tanzania
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