Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on indulgence, I just want to draw to the attention of the House that today is the inaugural World Humanitarian Day. Six years ago today, 19 August 2003, the United Nations office in Iraq was bombed and 22 people lost their lives, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was then the Secretary-General’s special representative to Iraq and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and well known to Australia and Australians as a consequence of his very good work in East Timor.

In December last year the General Assembly passed a resolution designating today as World Humanitarian Day, which gives us the opportunity to pay our respects to those humanitarian assistance and development assistance workers who have lost their lives in the cause of rendering assistance. In 2008, 268 aid workers were killed, kidnapped or seriously injured. This, of course, has occurred to Australians in the past—most recently in the tragic Garuda crash in Indonesia. We mark the day and it is a significant recognition of the contribution which aid and humanitarian assistance workers have done over the years, including and in particular Australians.

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