Baerbock thanks humanitarian aid workers

Berlin (d.de/dpa) – To mark World Humanitarian Day on 19 August, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed her thanks to all those who are engaged in helping people in need. Baerbock said, “They are bringing food to the Horn of Africa to prevent people from starving to death. They are providing medical care to victims of sexual violence in Sudan. They are setting up tents in northern Syria and giving people who have lost everything else protection from the cold and rain. These people are showing a human face and sometimes taking on enormous risks – they are humanitarian aid workers. I thank them with all my heart. They are often the only hope for those who are poorest and weakest – and they need our help more than ever.”

Germany’s Foreign Minister again stressed how Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine was causing misery and hardship not only to people within the conflict zone. “Since the war began, an additional 60 million people around the world have been affected by acute food shortages. Over 362 million children, women and men now rely on humanitarian aid,” she said. Baerbock also underlined the importance of humanitarian aid for Germany, saying that “humanitarian aid workers need our support so they can continue their vital work. For this reason, the Federal Foreign Office is providing over €2.7 billion in humanitarian aid in 2023.” For many years, Germany has been the world’s second-largest provider of humanitarian aid.