On World Humanitarian Day, UN professionals and partners in Belarus reflect on how their daily work brings hope to people in need

On 19 August 2003, as a result of a bomb attack against the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, 22 aid workers were killed, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Iraq. 

After twenty years, the scope and complexity of the work have increased significantly. The UN is seeking to help almost 250 million people, which is 10 times more than in 2003.

Since its inception in Belarus and to the present day, the United Nations and its  agencies have been providing humanitarian assistance to the country.

From 1998 to 2004, three UN Under-Secretaries-General for Humanitarian Affairs paid working visits to Belarus. In 2002, a year before his death, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Sergio Vieira de Mello visited Belarusian areas affected by the Chernobyl accident as part of the humanitarian mission.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN in Belarus developed its COVID-19 Socio-Economic Response Plan and together with WHO launched a comprehensive response to the unprecedented health, humanitarian and development challenges.

UNHCR provides support through humanitarian assistance, social services and legal advice, monitoring the situation and addressing other basic needs of forcibly displaced and stateless persons. Together with partners, UNHCR supported initiatives projects to build the necessary infrastructure, such as a crisis centre in Grodno and Gomel.

Being a part of the UN humanitarian team, UNFPA introduced in the country global practice ‘Orange Safe Spaces’ as a key strategy for the protection and empowerment of vulnerable people, especially affected by humanitarian crises. These Orange Safe Spaces offer women and girls, as well as older people and people with disabilities immediate support, information on existing services, provide counseling and serve as an entry point for gender-based violence and referral on health and other issues. UNFPA continues to strengthen its internal mechanisms and support system-wide efforts and access by analysis of different needs based on gender, age, disability, etc., while maintaining impartiality in the ways assistance is provided.

Humanitarian aid efforts continue to be central to UNICEF. UNICEF’s humanitarian migrant and refugee response in Belarus is built on the principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence, and in line with core commitments for children in emergencies. The organization continues to strengthen partnerships that allow better responding to the needs of vulnerable children. IOM in Belarus provides humanitarian assistance to migrants, including food and non-foods, healthcare and legal advice, and offers voluntary and safe return to the countries of origin.

On World Humanitarian Day, the UN in Belarus reaffirms its commitment to humanitarian values and principles helping people for whom it works, whoever they are, wherever it happens and #NoMatterWhat. 

We invite you to explore how UN humanitarian professionals and UN partners in Belarus reflect about their assistance to people in need.

"I was born in Syria. I came to Belarus to acquire a medical education. The first months, of course, were very difficult for me, many things were impossible to understand. Soon I received additional protection and a labour permit in Belarus, so I studied during the day and worked part-time at night. I started working with IOM during the migration crisis, working with migrants at the logistics centre in Bruzgi, asking about their needs, bringing humanitarian aid. Now I work with refugees from Ukraine and migrants from other countries in Brest, where we have an office.I understand the needs of forced migrants very well, I know from my own experience about the difficulties with the language, integration and besides, living on a stringent budget.  For this reason, it is so important for me to help them".

The COVID-19 pandemic posed humanitarian challenges for WHO, an agency focusing on technical assistance to the national healthcare system. With the spread of the Coronavirus disease in Belarus, WHO, using financial support from the European Union, delivered about 5 million units of PPE, as well as expensive equipment including medical ventilators.

"Personal protective equipment for healthcare workers in a public health emergency is a true humanitarian aid, because these are critical supplies that can save the lives of those who save the lives of others".

In the exacerbation period of the migration crisis at the border between Belarus and Poland, WHO delivered over a ton of humanitarian supplies to render medical assistance to refugees and migrants at the Belarus-Poland border.

"Considering the complexity and urgency of the situation, the delivery was processed in a very short time. The humanitarian goods included standard emergency kits, non-communicable disease kits and COVID-19 rapid tests".

"As a humanitarian professional, I am committed to protect the best interests of vulnerable children regardless of their nationality, religion, race or social status. Today my heart is with children and families affected by the decade long Syrian humanitarian crisis. My current support to the North-West Syria response programme presents new experiences, and I take pride in offering my expertise. #NoMatterWhat, I am driven by the core humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. A child is a child in any country, in any circumstances". 

"In emergencies, children go through immense distress. I work with partners to restore refugee and migrant children’s mental health and offer psycho-social support to families (MHPSS). MHPSS services not only help children but strengthen communities and connections between diverse groups of people who respond to the humanitarian crises. Whether these connections are between two Ukrainian caregivers who attend a peer-support group or between a Yemeni war veteran living in Belarus and an unaccompanied Yemeni boy far away from his family – these connections are deeply protective and preserving. These connections help regain children’s dignity, resilience, and hope. And that is the most rewarding aspect of humanitarian work I do. #NoMatterWhat, I am resilient, hopeful and determined to help children in need". 

"Our work is emotionally difficult. Every day you meet people, who have been through ordeals to get to Libya. At the same time, the feeling that you are doing something really useful and can let people find safety, help cope with constant stress and find the strength to go on".

"Being a UNFPA staff, I would say that it is not only about profession but about dedication I found myself in many years ago. My passion is to serve to make women and girls regardless of nationality, age and disability, enjoy a safe and dignified life despite being in risky situations. Any humanitarian crises expose huge fault lines and shadows pandemic of gender-based violence, with the most vulnerable groups in our societies suffering disproportionately. Humanitarian aid must be holistic and alongside dignity kits, assistance services and other essential commodities, we know how dramatically important it is to educate and build up people who are working at the frontlines. Continuing UNFPA critical work on prevention of GBV and abuse, we provide learning opportunities for volunteers, social workers and others who communicate and interact with refugees with focus on women, older people and people with disabilities. During these trainings, my priorities are to strengthen leadership, accountability, knowledge and practical skills across the humanitarian network and equip humanitarian workers with the necessary baseline knowledge and skills to adequately and effectively prevent and respond to GBV and provide gender-sensitive services and referral for GBV survivors".

"Going through emergencies, women and girls always are the most vulnerable and, very often, most responsible for taking decisions, safeguarding kids or older relatives. Many women leave their homes being pregnant and very often having more children to take care and protect during fleeing to safety. When they arrive, they need all kinds of support and assistance, including medical services. UNFPA supports a referral system to provide necessary medical consultations and services for those refugees who need it – for pregnant women and all women and girls, and older people, and people with disabilities. Working for many years as a humanitarian aid worker, I see how people need a safe space and how we can help them to get settled to have some rest and strength. To be more focused and relevant, UNFPA works according to individual needs’ assessment, particularly, for medical and social care,temporary shelter, food and hygienic goods. Besides, mental and psychosocial well-being is also a priority for UNFPA and it is not only about refugees. Humanitarian workers are often affected as the everyday work can be challenging and they feel burnout and stress. That is why we are providing psychosocial counselling both to refugees and aid workers giving them knowledge, support techniques and tools to manage their stress".