Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, underscored on Sunday the need for state actors and other non-state actors to ensure the safety and protection of humanitarian actors and frontline workers across the country and the world at large.
Mrs Umar gave the charge in a statement issued to commemorate the 2024 World Humanitarian Day with the theme ‘Act for Humanity’, harping on the need to build “public pressure to mobilise Member States and non-state actors to ensure the protection of humanitarian workers and civilians, harnessing our collective public outrage to demand accountability for violations of IHL and other international norms.”
While noting that the global event being commemorated annually was aimed at acknowledging the work and the risks faced by humanitarian workers around the world, she observed that World Humanitarian Day was set aside to also honour those workers who were injured or killed in the course of discharging humanitarian duties.
“WHD was designated by the United Nations Assembly in 2008 to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.
“This year’s theme is #ActForHumanity, with emphasis on the collective action needed to protect humanitarian workers who are attacked while providing critical assistance to vulnerable populations.
“The global goal of this year’s celebration is to increase advocacy to confront the normalisation of these attacks on humanitarian workers, civilian suffering, and impunity in violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and other international conventions.
“In NEMA, we join the call on world leaders to ‘Act for Humanity’ by building public pressure to mobilise member states and non-state actors to ensure the protection of humanitarian workers and civilians, harnessing our collective public outrage to demand accountability for violations of IHL and other international norms.
“Indeed, it is our stand that while the world is experiencing the deadliest record of attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers in unconscionable numbers, the perpetrators should not be allowed to evade justice.
“While commending our staff and all humanitarian workers across Nigeria who have continued to risk their lives in providing lifesaving assistance to those affected by disasters, our special tribute goes to our fallen heroes who lost their lives and those kidnapped, suffered injuries, and were exposed to high degrees of danger in the line of duty.
“We, particularly, recall with sadness the memory of those who paid the supreme price and others who suffered various traumatic experiences from non-state armed groups (NSAGs) while on lifesaving duties.
“We, therefore, use the opportunity of this day to call on the government, corporate organisations, and all concerned citizens to add their voices to condemn attacks on humanitarian workers, civilians, and civilian infrastructure, as well as bring to an end the violations and impunity with which these attacks are committed against humanitarian aid workers in the country.
“It is pertinent for everyone to join the campaign for #ActForHumanity by getting involved through respect for IHL, which aims to protect humanitarian workers and their assets, civilians, and civil infrastructure across the world.”
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE