On World Humanitarian Day, we recognize and support humanitarians

When I think about World Humanitarian Day, I think about my friend Allan Mukuru. 

The last time I saw Allan was in Kenya, just a few months before the 2004 helicopter crash in Sierra Leone that took his life. Over a meal of nyama choma, one of our favorite foods, we caught up on family, and I told him I was pregnant with my second son. At the time, it felt like one of countless conversations we held over the years as colleagues and friends working across multiple countries. We talked about work and life. We laughed. We celebrated milestones.  

Neither of us knew it would be our last meal together. 

Allan died before World Humanitarian Day existed, but he is exactly the kind of person the day asks us to remember. 

Over more than three decades in humanitarian work, I have had the privilege of serving alongside extraordinary people: nurses, logisticians, teachers, drivers, community workers and aid workers of every kind. Some worked for international organizations. Some were local leaders serving their own communities through conflict, disasters, displacement and disease outbreaks. All shared a commitment to helping others during moments of profound vulnerability. 

The importance of recognition

World Humanitarian Day honors those who have lost their lives in that service. It also recognizes the millions of humanitarians around the world who continue to show up every day because they believe that people facing crisis deserve our support. 

This year, that recognition feels especially important. 

The world is facing growing humanitarian needs. Conflict continues to devastate and uproot communities. Climate-fueled disasters are becoming more frequent and severe. Disease outbreaks remain a threat. Displacement has reached historic levels. 

Yet as needs are growing, the humanitarian sector is navigating deep funding cuts. Organizations are reducing staff, scaling back programs and making painful decisions about where limited resources can be stretched furthest. Humanitarians are being asked to do more with less while communities continue to face extraordinary needs. 

The human toll

One consequence of these changes is their impact on the people doing the work. 

Humanitarians are not immune to the crises they respond to. Many are carrying the weight of increasing workloads, uncertainty about the future and the emotional toll of bearing witness to needs outpacing available resources. Across the sector, talented and deeply committed professionals have lost their positions, watched programs close and said goodbye to colleagues whose expertise may not be easily replaced.  

The consequences extend beyond staffing charts and budgets. Humanitarians are making impossible choices about which programs continue, which communities receive support and which needs go unmet. For people who have dedicated their careers to serving others, there can be a profound sense of loss and moral distress in knowing that needs exist, but resources are no longer available to respond. 

For local humanitarians, whether working with community-based groups, national organizations or international agencies, the challenges can be even greater. The people closest to a crisis are often also experiencing it themselves. They may be caring for their own families, grieving losses and rebuilding their own homes while helping others navigate the same challenges. They continue to show up not because the work is easy, but because their communities need them. 

Supporting humanitarians

If World Humanitarian Day is about recognizing humanitarians, it must also be about supporting them. 

That includes investing in their well-being, strengthening the organizations they serve, and ensuring that the resources and authority needed to respond effectively are available. It means recognizing that humanitarian capacity is not built overnight and that once expertise, relationships and trust are lost, they can take years to rebuild. 

The future of humanitarian action depends on more than funding. It depends on people. This is where philanthropy continues to play an important role. 

Philanthropy cannot replace governments or fully compensate for reductions across the humanitarian system. But it can help sustain critical capacity during periods of uncertainty. It can provide flexible funding that allows organizations to adapt as needs evolve. It can support local organizations that are often first to respond and last to leave. It can invest in leadership, staff well-being, preparedness and long-term recovery. And it can help ensure that communities are not abandoned when attention shifts elsewhere. 

Allan would want to be remembered not as a symbol of a day, but as a friend. That last meal together is a reminder that behind every humanitarian statistic are people with families, friendships, hopes and plans of their own. 

The most meaningful way to honor the friends and colleagues we have lost, and those who continue to be in harm’s way, is not simply to thank them for their service. It is to ensure they have the support, resources and partnership they need to continue their work. Supporting those who show up for others may be one of the most important things we can do.