No one should be killed for helping others. Yet last year alone, at least 326 humanitarian aid workers were killed. 

Every one is one too many.

Today, I honour the humanitarian and development workers, national responders, local partners and community leaders serving others in the world’s most difficult and dangerous circumstances.

I remember those who lost their lives.  
I stand with all those who continue this work with extraordinary courage.

But remembrance alone is not enough.

Civilians and aid workers must never be targets. 
International humanitarian law must be upheld.  

Those responsible for violations must be held accountable. 

Protecting humanitarian workers means protecting the people they serve and the future they are trying to rebuild. 

People caught in crisis need food, shelter and medical care today. But they also need electricity, jobs and schools for tomorrow.   

They need more than survival. They need a path forward. 

No community wants crisis to define its future. 

People want to rebuild their homes. Reopen their businesses. Send their children back to school. Regain control over their lives. 
 
That is why UNDP works from day one of a crisis, alongside humanitarian partners and local communities, to restore essential services, revive local economies and create the conditions for recovery. 

Saving lives and rebuilding them are part of the same promise: to stand with people through crisis and help them reclaim their future. 

That is the promise we honour today.  
That is what it means to act for humanity.