World Humanitarian Day 2025 – Honoring aid workers across the EAGL region
Figure 1:DRC EAGL staff at the regional office in Nairobi show solidarity for World Humanitarian Day 2025 with #NotATarget and #ActForHumanity posters. Photo: Tawakal Aden
Posted on 19 Aug 2025
As we celebrate World Humanitarian Day, humanitarian needs across the East Africa and Great Lakes region are at a record high. In 2025, 85 million out of the world 305 million people in need of humanitarian assistance are in Southern and Eastern Africa, crisis in Sudan accounting for 35 per cent of the total in the region. These figures are not just numbers — they represent real lives, families, and futures at risk.
In the face of these challenges, DRC staff continue to provide life-saving support such as cash assistance, protection services, access to shelter and water, as well as disarmament and peacebuilding. Their work is guided by the humanitarian principles and a commitment to dignity and protection for all. But the risks they face are growing.
Attacks against humanitarian personnel continue to rise, particularly in high-risk areas like eastern DR Congo and Sudan. Bureaucratic restrictions and shrinking humanitarian space are making access more difficult, while global funding constraints threaten essential services for people in need.
Delivering humanitarian assistance in the East Africa and Great Lakes region means navigating insecurity, logistical challenges, and shrinking humanitarian space. Yet I am constantly inspired by the courage and dedication of our staff, who remain on the ground responding rapidly to emergencies and supporting long-term recovery. It is their determination that ensures life-saving aid reaches the people who need it most.
/ Alexandra Bean, Operations Director, DRC East Africa & Great Lakes
As part of the global #ActForHumanity campaign, DRC staff across the region are standing in solidarity with aid workers everywhere. Whether responding to new emergencies or supporting long-term solutions, their work is a lifeline for millions. They act for humanity. Let us act to protect them.
#WorldHumanitarianDay #NotATarget #ActForHumanity
The normalization of disregard of international humanitarian law creates less accountability, which makes it more likely for conflicting parties to continue to disregard IHL — resulting in an increasingly dangerous environment for both humanitarian personnel and civilians.
/ Charlotte Slente, Secretary General, Danish Refugee Council
