World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is held every year on 19 August to pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service, and to rally support for people affected by crises around the world.
The theme for 2019 is Women Humanitarian Heroes - to recognise the role women play in addressing humanitarian crises, whether triggered by conflict or natural disasters.
For UNFPA in Asia-Pacific, the world's most disaster prone region, WHD has special resonance given the crucial role we play in supporting the health and wellbeing of girls and women impacted in such crises, through the provision of sexual and reproductive health information, supplies and services - including Dignity Kits with essential hygiene and security items, as well as Reproductive Health kits to allow pregnant women to deliver safely, reducing maternal and neonatal mortality.
Our teams include midwives, psychosocial counsellors and peer outreach workers who aim to provide a range of support, from the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox's Bazar to the earthquake and tsunami-shattered reaches of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
