Iraq: Humanitarian Bulletin, August 2020 [EN/AR/KU]
Contents:
• World Humanitarian Day
• Humanitarian Coordinator Visits Duhok
• Diyala Returns
• UXO explosion in Anbar
• IHF Standard Allocation
World Humanitarian Day
On 19 August 2020, humanitarians observed World Humanitarian Day.
Commemorated annually, World Humanitarian Day has special resonance in Iraq, as it was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in memory of the attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, on 19 August 2003. It was formally observed for the first time in 2009.
For 2020, World Humanitarian Day sought to pay tribute to the everyday experiences of aid workers who have committed their lives to serving vulnerable people around the world. In Iraq, as elsewhere, COVID-19 has presented yet another challenge to address and overcome, and the context of lockdowns and movement restrictions, operations have relied more than ever on national staff and local Iraqi partners. Humanitarians in Iraq are working to prevent, contain and treat COVID-19; providing safe spaces for women and girls; ensuring children still have access to education; and delivering critical water, sanitation and hygiene supplies to IDPs and refugees throughout the country. Aid workers are helping to rebuild homes for the displaced, providing vital legal documentation to those trying to rebuild their lives, and overcoming access constraints by establishing new transport routes and logistics hubs.
As the humanitarians adjust to the “new normal” of operating in the context of COVID-19, it will require ever more creativity and resilience to get the job done. World Humanitarian Day provides an annual opportunity to draw attention to this innovation and the hard work of partners in Iraq and around the world.