Summary of the speech delivered by Adnan Bashir Khan, World Food Programme Representative and Country Director, at the press conference organized to mark World Humanitarian Day [EN/AR]

Khartoum, 19 August 2015. On this day 12 years ago, 19 August 2003, the bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq killed 22 humanitarian workers. To mark this tragedy, the UN General Assembly designated 19 August as World Humanitarian Day, a day set aside to reflect upon those people around the world – humanitarians – who risk their lives daily to help other people in need with life-saving aid and assistance. It also provides an opportunity for us all to reaffirm our commitment to alleviate human suffering.

Sadly, human suffering is on the rise. In many parts of the world, including in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, amongst others, we are seeing violence and aggression against human dignity.

Sudan too continues to witness human suffering on account of unresolved conflicts in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile. In Darfur some 2.5 million people continue to remain displaced. In South Kordofan and Blue Nile States thousands of people have been forced to abandon their homes and are struggling to rebuild their lives. Children living in conflict-affected inaccessible areas remain out of reach of measles vaccination campaigns, and many have not received routine immunizations since 2011.

In many places in Sudan, such as in the eastern part, significant numbers of people, predominantly children, suffer from severe malnutrition. Sudan indeed has some of the highest levels of malnutrition in the world. However, the close partnership that exists between the government and a wide range of actors, including the UN, NGOs, and civil society to tackle malnutrition is very encouraging. It is also precisely this commitment we want to celebrate on World Humanitarian Day.

It is regrettable that, at a time when response in Sudan needs to scale up, funding has been reduced. This has led to deterioration in the quality and quantity of aid services provided in Sudan, with many aid organizations having been forced to significantly scale back their operations due to funding shortfalls.

World Humanitarian Day is about calling for a more humane world and inspiring people to take action. It is about recognizing that each and every one of us can make a difference in the lives of others. This work, for us, begins right here at home. We all have a responsibility to help reduce the suffering of people here in Sudan.

As we mark World Humanitarian Day, we commend the work of the thousands of humanitarian workers in Sudan- most of them Sudanese- who work tirelessly, often under enormous pressure, to provide food, shelter, clean water, healthcare and education to those people less fortunate than themselves.

For more information, please contact: . Samantha Newport, Head of Communications and Information Section, OCHA Sudan, Tel: +249 912174454 . Shakir El Hassan, Public Information Analyst, OCHA Sudan, elhassans@un.org, Tel +249 912381206