The 10th anniversary of the World Humanitarian Day was commemorated on 19 August in Côte d'Ivoire and the rest of the world. This date was chosen by the UN General Assembly in remembrance of the 19 August 2003 attack on the UN HQ in Baghdad, Iraq in which 22 people died.



The humanitarian community in Côte d'Ivoire, through the United Nations agencies, international and national NGOs and the Ivorian authorities, joined with the UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Deputy Special Representative of UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Ndolamb Ngokwey, to pay homage to aid workers of humanitarian organizations who had lost their lives in the exercise of their duties.



It was an occasion to better sensitise the public on humanitarian aid and the need to support these activities throughout the world. The theme for reflection in Côte d'Ivoire this year was: "The world needs more social cohesion". The Humanitarian Coordinator appealed for a greater adherence to social cohesion.



Mr. Ngokwey read out the message of the UN secretary-General Ban Ki-moon which stressed that team spirit was the basis of social cohesion. "In an era when problems have become global, peoples and countries need to work in harmony for the cause of peace, justice, dignity and development. This is the foundation of the humanitarian spirit and the humanitarian imperative of the UN," he recalled, while stressing the need for solidarity in the areas of health, education, love, food and humanity.



The representative of the Minister of Family, Women and Children, Mr. Coulibaly Mamadou explained that Côte d'Ivoire, which is just emerging from a crisis, is in crucial need of social cohesion. "The work of humanitarian actors must be praised because at the height of the Ivorian crisis, their action, carried out in close collaboration with the state, made it possible to maintain a minimum of basic social services in the areas of health education, water and sanitation, food security and nutrition."



Speaking earlier on behalf of the Ivorian Red Cross, Dr. Nioule Zeade Leonard welcomed the theme chosen for its significance. "The best strategy for preserving social cohesion is basic education. The basic principles of human rights must be promoted. The culture of peace and non-violence must be integrated in all the schools curricula in Côte d'Ivoire," he added.



Personalities and other guests at the commemoration visited the stands of the different humanitarian agencies that presented and explained their daily activities for the welfare of the Ivorian people.