World Humanitarian Day

The World Humanitarian Day – which began 19 August 2003 – is a day to commemorate all the lives and efforts of Oxfam staff and partners working on the frontlines amidst ever more complex and difficult environments.

World Refugee Day is a great opportunity to remind us of the millions of people fleeing war, human rights violations poverty and climate disasters. It reminds us that no-one ever chose to be a refugee. Today over a 108 million people have been forced to flee their homes. Many have risked everything – even their lives – in search of safety and a better life, frequently. This year’s theme is Compassion: A vital emotion - that allows human beings to stand in solidarity with one another regardless of color, race, gender, religion or nationality. ‘Compassion’ means to feel for others.

Development finance institutions owned by European governments and the World Bank Group are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on expensive for-profit hospitals in the Global South that block patients from getting care, or bankrupt them, with some even imprisoning patients who cannot afford their bills.