On August 19, the world celebrates World Humanitarian Day for the 18th time. The date was established by a resolution of the UN General Assembly in memory of humanitarian workers who died in the line of duty, and is intended to draw the attention of the international community to the problems of humanitarian response and assistance to the affected population.
The modern world continues to face large-scale humanitarian crises caused by armed conflicts, natural disasters, climate change, forced displacement and other factors.
The interaction of the EMERCOM of Russia with the relevant UN structures - the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO) in the field of emergency humanitarian response began in 1993 and has been progressively developing and increasing since then. This work is aimed at improving the mechanisms for providing emergency humanitarian assistance and response, increasing the efficiency of international search and rescue operations, and consolidating international efforts to develop tools to combat disasters and crises. Within its competence, the EMERCOM of Russia helps strengthen the coordinating role of the UN in the fight against natural disasters and the humanitarian consequences of crises and armed conflicts.
Today, Russia is recognized as one of the world leaders in the field of humanitarian assistance. Over the past period of 2026 alone, 12 emergency humanitarian response operations were carried out outside the Russian Federation, within the framework of which 501.58 tons of humanitarian aid were delivered to the needy population of foreign countries and 391 citizens of the Russian Federation and CIS countries were evacuated.
Over the five-year period, starting in 2020, 133 humanitarian operations were successfully carried out abroad, within the framework of which 281,327.13 tons were delivered to the needy population of foreign countries and more than 2.2 thousand citizens of the Russian Federation and CIS countries were evacuated.
Among the most significant international humanitarian operations in recent years are providing assistance to the population of Turkey and Syria affected by the devastating earthquake of 2023, as well as the participation of Russian rescuers in eliminating the consequences of the earthquake in Myanmar in 2025.
World Humanitarian Day is a reminder of the high responsibility of states and international organizations for preserving human lives and supporting people caught in disasters and crises. The EMERCOM of Russia will continue to consistently defend the approach according to which the effectiveness of a humanitarian response is determined primarily by the willingness to act together and provide the necessary support to those who need it.
