Humanitarian note

I would not feel good if I did not mention that today is the World Humanitarian Day.

It´s a little window of opportunity to remind ourselves that millions of human beings are currently in desperate need of a bit of assistance. For them, it´s a matter of survival. It is not about poverty and lack of development, it is about dire political and security circumstances that are putting their lives at great risk. They are the best testimony to a world that combines extreme violence in their lands with profound indifference in ours.

The day also gives us a tiny space to remember the enormous sacrifices and tremendous services that thousands of humanitarian field workers provide on a daily basis. Many perform in extreme stressful environments and face multiple security threats. They are part of a multitude of unsung heroes. We are not told about their little personal victories.

But I should also say something more political. Just in passing, as the day is about humanitarian dimensions, not about power struggles and games of influence. On the international political arena, the humanitarian work does not get the same type of attention than the matters of war and peace or the issues of global economics do get. The humanitarian field is seen as a secondary domain, an outer circle of status, not as prestigious as the others. That´s the reality I have seen so many times. And that´s a matter that needs to be reflected upon.