The subject book exhibition "Humanitarian aid: to help people out of a difficult situation” timed to the World Humanitarian runs at the Documents of International Organizations Reading Room (room 207g) from August 12th to September 15th, 2010.
The World Humanitarian Day proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization (UNO) and is observed annually on August 19th. This day was established with the purpose of promoting the public information on global humanitarian assistance and also commemorating all humanitarian workers perished or injured when carrying out their duties.
Humanitarian aid is a kind of a free aid (assistance) for rendering medical and social help to indigent and socially unprotected groups of population and to victims of acts of nature and other emergencies; for liquidation of consequences of acts of nature and other emergencies. Humanitarian aid differs from foreign aid in its urgent character and it is used to support victims of acts of nature.
It is generally accepted that for last twenty years the ability of humanitarian community to react quickly and effectively and also to anticipate crises (natural or human caused) has considerably improved. There was it, in many respects, owing to selflessness of thousands people who have devoted their lives to humanitarian work, their skill to combine belief in ideals and principles with concrete actions. Their unselfishness and impartial aspiration to help are an evident illustration of that help to the indigent should be provided regardless of their religion, sex or race.
Despite appreciable achievements in the field of humanitarian operations, millions people all over the world still have to face grave difficulties, and the need for effective humanitarian actions is pressing as never before. Natural catastrophes are getting more and more destructive and frequent. Many citizens still live under the burden of long exhausting conflicts. The international humanitarian community day by day faces new threats: climate change, chronic poverty, food and financial crises, shortage of water and energy, migration, population upsurge, urbanization and pandemics.
Grave consequences of confrontations have necessitated appearance and development of a separate branch of the international law – the international humanitarian law directed on mitigation of damages of wars, assistance to their victims, and humanization of military actions.
The Republic of Belarus renders humanitarian assistance to the population of foreign countries which have suffered from extreme situations and in zones of armed conflicts. Though the humanitarian aid statistics in Belarus are inferior to the similar statistics in Russia, the USA, Switzerland, Germany and Great Britain, their value for our country is high as humanitarian character of the foreign policy of the state has been shown and the authority of Belarus in the world arena has risen.
Due to the accident on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the Republic of Belarus became the recipient of the humanitarian aid directed on liquidation of consequences of the accident and the assistant to the victims.
The offered subject exhibition reveals various aspects of the international cooperation in the field of humanitarian aid. The exposition presents about 60 editions: publications by foreign and Belarusian authors, documents of international organizations in the Russian and English languages.
The exhibition includes the subject sections as follow:
- the international humanitarian organizations;
- humanitarian aid: the world experience;
- the international humanitarian law;
- the Chernobyl catastrophe and international humanitarian aid.
The exhibition is designed for experts and research workers, professors, students, and also everyone who is interested in the issues of the international law and international relations.
Useful links
- The World Humanitarian Day
- The memorial of perished officials of the UNO
- Explosion at the UNO headquarter in Bagdad on August 19th, 2003
- In memory of the UNO officials perished in Algeria on December 11th, 2007
- Humanitarian issues
- Sergio Vieira de Mello Fund
- Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)*
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- Aid in spite of all the danger
 |
 |
 |
 |
