UN / WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY

The United Nations observed World Humanitarian Day, marking the day in 2003, when 22 United Nations personnel were murdered by the terrorists who attacked the UN headquarters at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad. UNIFEED

• Video Length: 00:01:57
• Production Date: 19 August 2025
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: ATUL KHARE
• Corporate Name: SECRETARIAT
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN RELIEF; ANNIVERSARIES; TERRORISM; WAR VICTIMS
• Geographic Subject: IRAQ
• MAMS Id: 3437878
• Parent Id: 3437878
• Alternate Title: unifeed250819h

Description

STORY: UN / WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY
TRT: 01:57
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 19 AUGUST 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters

19 AUGUST 2025, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Under-Secretary-General Atul Khare laying commemorative wreath
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General, Department of Operational Support, United Nations:
“It is with deep respect that I join you today to mark the 22nd anniversary of the tragic bombing of the United Nations Headquarters at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad. On this day in 2003, twenty-two of our colleagues, including our collaborators and UN personnel were killed in an act of unspeakable violence. Among them was Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, a man whose life was devoted to peace, justice, and the dignity of all people.”
4. Wide shot, Khare laying commemorative wreath
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General, Department of Operational Support, United Nations:
“We must also affirm our faith in the human spirit. We must believe that dialogue can prevail over violence, that dignity can rise above division, and that the lives we lost in Baghdad, and in so many other places since, will not have been in vain. Today, as we lay this wreath, let it also be a pledge: that we will not forget, that we will carry forward their legacy and that we will hold fast to our shared mission of peace, dignity, and hope for all.”
6. Wide shot, Khare walks away

Storyline

The United Nations today (19 Aug) observed World Humanitarian Day, marking the day in 2003, when 22 United Nations personnel were murdered by the terrorists who attacked the UN headquarters at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad.

On behalf of the Secretary-General, the Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare, accompanied by survivors of the bombing, led a remembrance ceremony here at the UN Headquarters.

Khare said, “we must believe that dialogue can prevail over violence, that dignity can rise above division, and that the lives we lost in Baghdad, and in so many other places since, will not have been in vain. Today, as we lay this wreath, let it also be a pledge: that we will not forget, that we will carry forward their legacy and that we will hold fast to our shared mission of peace, dignity, and hope for all.”

At least 390 aid workers, a record high, were killed across the world, from Gaza to Sudan to Myanmar and beyond last year.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) points out that the 31 percent surge in aid worker deaths in 2024 compared to the previous year was driven by the relentless conflicts going on in Gaza, where 181 humanitarian workers were killed, and in Sudan, where 60 lost their lives.

In Gaza, 520 aid workers – mostly UNRWA staff – have been killed since October 2023.