(Video) Ghana Marks World Humanitarian Day With Launch Of First Excellence Awards For People Living With Disabilities

Today is International Humanitarian day. It is a day set aside to recognise the contribution of Aid Workers especially those who lost their lives in the line of duty.

As part of activities marking the day, the First Excellence Awards for People Living with Disabilities has been launched in Accra.

The Award has been named after the first blind lawyer in Ghana who is now Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, Dr Henry Seidu Danaa.

World Humanitarian Day is marked each year on 19 August. It was first held in 2009 and commemorates the day in 2003 when 22 people lost their lives in an attack on the UN offices in Baghdad.

The day was therefore established to recognize aid workers who have lost their lives in the line of duty; it also celebrates the passion of humanitarian work.

World Humanitarian Day is also an opportunity to celebrate the spirit that inspires humanitarian work around the world.

Each year, aid workers and their organizations support tens of millions of people who have been affected by war, disaster or the crises that flow from poverty, inequality and underdevelopment.

Below is UN Secretary-General’s message to mark 2013 World Humanitarian day.