On December 11, 2008, at its 63rd session, the UN General Assembly decided to declare August 19 World Humanitarian Day. Today, on this day, we honor those who gave lives, fulfilling humanitarian duty, those who provide humanitarian assistance to millions of people.
EDNews spoke with the president of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) Umud Mirzayev, who told about how the organization works in the humanitarian direction.
“In the late 80s, early 90s, a real humanitarian catastrophe was observed in Azerbaijan. Refugees and internally displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh and 7 adjacent regions occupied by Armenia were in a very difficult situation. All this happened against the background of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the formation of independent Azerbaijan.
The International Eurasia Press Fund, established in 1992, has come up with various initiatives to assist victims. Gradually, Azerbaijan began to develop successfully and the situation in the country stabilized, however, we continued to carry out our humanitarian activities. Until now, we are implementing many projects, in partnership with local and international structures, including the UN, aimed at providing support to the most vulnerable segments of the population, women, children, in the front-line regions of Azerbaijan.
Of course, the coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on all countries, many projects have been suspended or moved online. However, the importance of humanitarian work has not diminished, but on the contrary, the situation has shown that the provision of humanitarian assistance, especially in less developed countries, is simply vital. For our part, we also provided humanitarian assistance to some families of refugees and internally displaced persons in Azerbaijan during the coronavirus pandemic.
Unfortunately, humanitarian workers sometimes fall victim to terrorist attacks and bandit attacks. By being on the front lines with doctors, humanitarian workers are putting their lives at great risk, increasing the likelihood of contracting an incurable disease. Therefore, today, August 19, on my own behalf, and on behalf of the International Eurasia Press Fund, an organization with General Consultative Status at the UN ECOSOC, I would like to express special gratitude to all those who, fulfilling their humanitarian duty, help those in need and all those who, unfortunately, already not with us,” Umud Mirzayev concluded.
