Please refer to the attached files.
Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator for Mozambique, Dr. Catherine Sozi
World Humanitarian Day 2026 — Protect humanitarian action, #ActForHumanity
Maputo, 19 August 2026 — On World Humanitarian Day, the United Nations pays tribute to the humanitarian workers who, every day, stand alongside people affected by crises.
Across Mozambique, humanitarian workers are on the ground, supporting people affected by conflict, natural disasters, disease outbreaks and other emergencies. They deliver food, healthcare, clean water, shelter, protection, and other life-saving assistance, often in difficult and dangerous places.
Humanitarian workers do not work alone. Local organizations, community leaders, volunteers, and affected communities themselves are essential to humanitarian response. Together, they help ensure that assistance reaches the people who need it most.
Yet, too often, humanitarian workers face violence, threats, and attacks. When humanitarian action is blocked or attacked, it is the people waiting for help who suffer most; children may go without food, medicine or a safe place to learn.; pregnant women may be unable to reach lifesaving healthcare. Families and communities may be left without clean water, shelter or protection — and without the support they need to survive and rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
Humanity is a shared responsibility. We all have a role to play in creating a world where helping people in crises is protected, respected, and supported.
On this World Humanitarian Day, the message is simple: humanitarians are not targets.
Humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law are not just words on paper. They exist to protect people caught up in crises and to ensure that humanitarian assistance can reach those who need it — regardless of who they are or where they come from.
This World Humanitarian Day, from Rovuma to Maputo, heed the call to stand behind those who stand with others.
Protect the people who help.
Protect the people who need help.
Protect humanity.
Everyone has a role to play: governments, communities, humanitarian organizations, young people — all of us.
Because humanitarian action is more than responding to crises. It is about choosing humanity — every time, everywhere.