18/08/2010 Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
Strasbourg, 18.08.2010 – As aid workers fight to bring relief to those affected by the flooding in Pakistan, John Greenway (United Kingdom, EDG), Chair of the Migration Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has hailed humanitarian workers around the world as “unrecognised heroes”.
In a statement issued on the eve of the second annual World Humanitarian Day – designated by the UN General Assembly to take place on 19 August each year – Mr. Greenway said: “They often work on the front-line, in difficult conditions and life-threatening situations, putting their lives at risk for the benefit of those most in need.”
He said it was “outrageous” that the list of humanitarian casualties was growing year after year, pointing out that more than 800 people had perished while doing humanitarian work in the past decade, sometimes deliberately targeted by unscrupulous forces in conflict situations. He also deplored that access was still being denied to humanitarian workers in some conflict areas.