World Humanitarian Day: EU a world leader in humanitarian assistance

World Humanitarian Day marks the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, when 22 humanitarian workers lost their lives. HR/VP Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Christos Stylianides, made the following statement: “The tragic images of children from Aleppo in Syria sadly show all too clearly the real human suffering of millions of people around the world caught up in humanitarian crises. As the European Union, just yesterday we reiterated the urgent need for all parties to the conflict to restore the cessation of hostilities, ensure the lifting of all sieges and allow sustained, countrywide humanitarian access to those in need in Syria (…). And today, on World Humanitarian Day, we pay special tribute to and honour all humanitarian workers around the globe who are working to help people in need. (…). The European Union is proud to be a world leader in humanitarian assistance and to have helped more than 134 million victims of natural and man-made disasters across more than 80 countries in 2015.” Read the full statement, the MEMO on EU humanitarian action and watch the video statement by Commissioner Stylianides.